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PHYSICIANS BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF
PRAYER
In a recent survery of 269 doctors, a
remarkable
99% said they were convinced that religious
belief can heal. And that is 20% higher than
the
figure for the general
public.
Why do doctors feel this way? "Because we've
seen
the power of belief," said Dr. Herbert Benson,
author
of "Timeless Healing," which offers scientific
evidence
that faith has helped to cure medical
conditions. "We've
seen that belief is powerful in conditions
including angina
pectoris, asthma, duodenal ulcers, congestive
heart
failure, diabetes, all forms of pain. We see
it all the time,
and we can't deny it."
What's more, 75% of the doctors believe the
prayers of
others can help a patient's recovery, and 38% said
they
think faith-healers can make people well.
The survey
was conducted by Yankelovich Partners at a
meeting
of the American Academy of Family Physicians in
October.
Physicians recognize the limitations of drugs and
surgery,
noted Dr. Benson, who added: "The real
breakthrough is
the acceptance of these approaches by modern
medicine."
On Dec. 15, he will head a Harvard Medical School
conference
on spirituality and healing, to be held in Boston,
with another
scheduled for Los Angeles in
March.
"We have scientific data showing that people who
use
self-help --relaxation, nutrition, exercise and
belief--reduce
their visits to doctors by 30% - 60%," said
Benson. "In a
prepaid system, that's money in the
bank."
1 THESSALONIANS 5:17 "PRAY WITHOUT
CEASING"
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