SPIRITUAL MEDICINE & EFFECT OF DUA History has recorded that Babur, Mughal Emperor of India, prayed for his son, Humayuns health who was seriously ill or almost near death. Hence Babur asked Allah (SWT) to spare his son’s life and take his (Baburs) life in lieu thereof. Recent scientific research indicates that affirming belief in God or Allah (SWT) makes a critical contribution to our physical health. When people call upon faith, they activate neurologic pathways for self-healing. The Muslim prayer consists of contact prayer (salat), Zikr (Dhikr) or remembrance of Allah and recitation of the Quran. These elicit the physiologic relaxation response. Prayers and Dua serve to buffer the adverse effects of stress and anger, perhaps via psychoneuroimmunologic pathways. It is speculated that congregational prayers may trigger a multifactorial sequence of biological processes leading to better health. Studies have shown higher degrees of social connection Several studies have already documented the health benefits of fasting during the month of Ramadan. The National Institute of Health, in Bethesda, Maryland, a few years ago opened an Office of Alternative Therapies, which encourages Homeopathy, Ayurveda, Aromatherapy, and other “alternative” therapies. Recently there is a tremendous surge in interest and publications in the field of spiritual medicine in the United States. An abundance of articles (1-8), books, and conferences in recent years have addressed the impact of spirituality on patient, physician, and health care. For example Dr. James S. Gordon, MD who is the founder and Director of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. published “MANIFESTO FOR A NEW MEDICINE: Your guide to healing partnerships and the wise use of alternative therapies (Addison-Wesley, 1996). Dr. Gordon wrote that medical education is long on technical mastery but short on issues of personal and spiritual growth. Dr. Gregory Plotnikoff, MD who is the medical director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Spiritual Care and Healing advocates care for the body and the soul “ Timeless Healing: The Power and Biology of Belief,” by Herbert Benson, M.D. (Scribner, 1996) draws on Benson’s work at Harvard’s Mind/Body Medical Institute. Benson’s prescription for doctors and patients contains three ingredients: 1) identifies each other’s important beliefs and motivations, 2) discuss and act on those beliefs, and 3) let go and believe. Religious belief and faith are the vehicles for his prescription. Dr. David Larson, MD who is the president of the National Institute for Healthcare Research (NIHR), Rockville, Maryland awarded five $10,000 grants in 1996 to Medical Schools to incorporate classes on Religion and medicine into their Curricula. He is the author of the 1995 book, “The Neglected Factor.” Dr. Ornish, MD has documented the reversal of coronary artery occlusion by diet and meditation. This message-that health care has a spiritual component-flies in the face of modern Western health care culture, which holds to a biomedical model for healing and recovery. Spiritual Medicine has two components: Distant Healing and Self-care (that is healing by patient’s own efforts). Distant healing is defined as any purely mental effort undertaken by one person with the intention of improving physical or emotional well being in another. In clinical practice, healing may involve a mental effort in or out of the healer’s presence, with or without his or her awareness, and with or without touch. This broad definition would also include petitionary prayer or Du’a in which the practitioner generates a mental request for a particular outcome or that God’s “will be done.” SPIRITUAL DIMENSION An individual has biologic, psychologic, and social dimensions and yet there is a spiritual dimension, which connects to all of these and contributes to an individual’s sense of wholeness and wellness. Experiences such as joy, love, forgiveness and acceptance are manifestations of spiritual well being. Imbalance in one of the several dimensions led to disease and exacerbating illness. It is known that the spiritual elements also play an important role in the recovery process from acute or chronic sickness. Spiritual healing techniques frequently can support or complement conventional health care modality Spirituality is often defined as the experience of meaning and purpose in our lives-a sense of connectedness with the people and things in the world around us. For many, this connectedness encompasses a relationship with God or a higher power. For many American, spirituality is experience and expressed through religiousness. The terms “religiousness” and “spirituality” often are used interchangeably. Religiousness is adherence to the beliefs and practices of an organized place of worship or religious institutions. Spirituality provides a sense of coherence that offers meaning to one’s existence as a human being. Sometimes a patient may experience states of consciousness that have profound spiritual and transformative impact, including near-death experiences, mystical states, and delirious states associated with alterations of brain chemistry. These events may have a positive impact on the individual or they may lead to distress. Reassurance and legitimization of the experience by a health care provider can be very therapeutic . Physicians are helping patients look beyond the physical dimension to find comfort, answers, and cures. The vast majority of Americans believe that spirituality influences their recovery from illness, injury, or disease, says one recent poll. Two thirds of the respondents indicated they would like physicians to talk with them about spirituality as it relates to their health or even to pray with them.
Posted on: Sat, 18 Jan 2014 16:49:00 +0000
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