Rant coming!
From a BBC report on a recent study on the effects of third-party prayer and surgery recovery:
The MANTRA study... involved 750 patients.Before their operations, they were randomly split into two groups, and half were prayed for by Christians, Jews, Buddhists and Muslims.
However, checks revealed they had fared no better than those not prayed for.
Neither hospital staff, the patients, or their relatives had any idea which patients' were receiving prayer, to prevent any chance of the results being skewed.
Sigh. Do you think we'll ever get over these reductionist "body as machine" principles that guide our acceptance of the natural world? Will there ever come a day when we (collectively) realize a persons frame of mind and will to be of a healthy state is a key element of quality health care?
Posted by Evo Terra at October 21, 2003 04:12 PM | TrackBack (0)You know, I read some time back about another study that was conducted that found that there were positive effects. I have no idea where to find it, though.
Posted by: Brian on October 22, 2003 05:29 PM