Contrary to the widely held notion that religion is nothing more than a bunch of myths and fairy tales that weak people turn to for comfort, some doctors are now saying a belief in God can be good for your health.
Over the past decade, medical researchers have reported a statistically significant association between health and religion: People who pray, meditate,and go to church are not only more resistant to disease but live longer and recover from operations more quickly.Adolescents who have strong religionus ties experience 40-60 percent fewer problems with drugs and premarital sex.
David Larson, M"D", president of the National Institute for Health-care Research,and
researchers Mary Milano and Constance Barry have analyzed scientific data on the effects of religion in a number of areas,including substance abuse,heart disease,surgery marital relations, and suicide. Encouraging religious commitment,they say,could offer a multifaceted way of reducing expanditures for treatment of addictions and mental disorders, leading to shortened hospitalizations through faster recovery rates and decreased need for expensive prescription drugs.
Larson and associates suggest that spirituality should play a greater p[art in the care and prevention of physical and mental disorders .Yet,the beneficial health effects of religious commitment have been virtually ignored by most in the medical community.