home - por que - blog - bodybuilding - educação física - treinamento de força - musculosos - imagem corporal - serviços e pessoas - imagens - quem sou eu

 

Efeitos de orações intercessórias em curas

de volta à pg sobre diabetes

 
1: Altern Ther Health Med. 2006 Nov-Dec;12(6):42-8. Related Articles, Links

The effect of intercessory prayer on wound healing in nonhuman primates.

Lesniak KT.

Department of Psychology, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, USA.

OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to examine the effects of intercessory prayer (IP) on wound healing and related physiological and behavioral factors in nonhuman primates. DESIGN: Twenty-two bush babies (Otolemur garnettii) with chronic self-injurious behavior (SIB) were stratified by wound severity and matched by total wound area. The animals were then randomized to IP and L-tryptophan or L-tryptophan only for treatment of SIB and related wounds. The IP intervention was conducted in a double-blind, randomized manner. Prayer was conducted daily for 4 weeks. Initiation of prayer was coincident with the first day of L-tryptophan administration. Physiological and behavioral variables were assessed at baseline and end of study. RESULTS: Following IP/L-tryptophan treatment, prayer-group animals had a reduction in wound size compared to non-prayer animals (P=.028). Prayer-group animals had a greater increase in red blood cells (P=.006), hemoglobin (P=.01), and hematocrit (P=.018); a greater reduction in both mean corpuscular hemoglobin (P=.023) and corpuscular volume (P=.008); and a reduction in wound grooming (P=.01) and total grooming behaviors (P=.04) than non-prayer-group animals. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study are consistent with prior human trials of IP effectiveness, but suggest IP-induced health improvements may be independent of confounds associated with human participants. Findings may provide direction for study of the mechanisms of IP-induced health improvements in both human and animal models.

Publication Types:


PMID: 17131981 [PubMed - in process]

 
2: J Altern Complement Med. 2004 Jun;10(3):438-48. Related Articles, Links
Click here to read 
A randomized trial of the effects of remote intercessory prayer: interactions with personal beliefs on problem-specific outcomes and functional status.

Palmer RF, Katerndahl D, Morgan-Kidd J.

Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229-3900, USA. Palmerr@uthscsa.edu

OBJECTIVES: Investigate the relevance of interpersonal belief factors as modifiers of the effectiveness of intercessory prayer. DESIGN: Randomized clinical trial. SETTING/LOCATION: Community-dwelling adults recruited from seven local church groups. SUBJECTS: Eighty-six (86) male and female participants 18-88 years of age were randomly assigned to either treatment (n = 45) or control groups (n = 41). INTERVENTIONS: Several volunteers committed to daily prayer for participants in the intervention group. Intercessory prayer commenced for 1 month and were directed toward a life concern or problem disclosed by the participant at baseline. Participants were unaware of being prayed for. Outcomes measures: Degree to which their problem had been resolved and the current level of concern they had about a specific life problem they described at baseline. Four component scores from the Medical Outcomes Study SF-20 were also used. RESULTS: No direct intervention effect on the primary outcomes was found. A marginally significant reduction in the amount of pain was observed in the intervention group compared to controls. The amount of concern for baseline problems at follow-up was significantly lower in the intervention group when stratified by subject's baseline degree of belief that their problem could be resolved. Prayer intervention appeared to effectively reduce the subject's level of concern only if the subject initially believed that the problem could be resolved. Those in the intervention group who did not believe in a possible resolution to their problem did not differ from controls. Better physical functioning was observed in the intervention group among those with a higher belief in prayer and surprisingly, better mental health scores were observed in the control group with lower belief in prayer scores. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the current study underscore the role of interpersonal belief in prayer efficacy and are consistent with the literature showing the relevance of belief in health and well-being in general. The relevance of interpersonal belief factors of the participants is recommended in future investigations. Copyright Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

Publication Types:


PMID: 15253847 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
3: Mayo Clin Proc. 2001 Dec;76(12):1192-8. Related Articles, Links

Comment in:


Intercessory prayer and cardiovascular disease progression in a coronary care unit population: a randomized controlled trial.

Aviles JM, Whelan SE, Hernke DA, Williams BA, Kenny KE, O'Fallon WM, Kopecky SL.

Mayo Physician Alliance for Clinical Trials Coordinating Center, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. 55902, USA.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of intercessory prayer, a widely practiced complementary therapy, on cardiovascular disease progression after hospital discharge. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial conducted between 1997 and 1999, a total of 799 coronary care unit patients were randomized at hospital discharge to the intercessory prayer group or to the control group. Intercessory prayer, ie, prayer by 1 or more persons on behalf of another, was administered at least once a week for 26 weeks by 5 intercessors per patient. The primary end point after 26 weeks was any of the following: death, cardiac arrest, rehospitalization for cardiovascular disease, coronary revascularization, or an emergency department visit for cardiovascular disease. Patients were divided into a high-risk group based on the presence of any of 5 risk factors (age = or >70 years, diabetes mellitus, prior myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular disease, or peripheral vascular disease) or a low-risk group (absence of risk factors) for subsequent primary events. RESULTS: At 26 weeks, a primary end point had occurred in 25.6% of the intercessory prayer group and 29.3% of the control group (odds ratio [OR], 0.83 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.60-1.14]; P=.25). Among high-risk patients, 31.0% in the prayer group vs 33.3% in the control group (OR, 0.90 [95% CI, 0.60-1.34]; P=.60) experienced a primary end point. Among low-risk patients, a primary end point occurred in 17.0% in the prayer group vs 24.1% in the control group (OR, 0.65 [95% CI, 0.20-1.36]; P=.12). CONCLUSIONS: As delivered in this study, intercessory prayer had no significant effect on medical outcomes after hospitalization in a coronary care unit.

Publication Types:


PMID: 11761499 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
4: Altern Ther Health Med. 1997 Nov;3(6):79-86. Related Articles, Links

Intercessory prayer in the treatment of alcohol abuse and dependence: a pilot investigation.

Walker SR, Tonigan JS, Miller WR, Corner S, Kahlich L.

University of New Mexico, USA.

OBJECTIVE: To conduct a pilot study of the effect of intercessory prayer on patients entering treatment for alcohol abuse or dependence. DESIGN: In addition to standard treatment, 40 patients admitted to a public substance abuse treatment facility for treatment of alcohol problems who consented to participate were randomized to receive or not receive intercessory prayer (double-blind) by outside volunteers. Assessments were conducted at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. RESULTS: No differences were found between prayer intervention and nonintervention groups on alcohol consumption. Compared with a normative group of patients treated at the same facility participants in the prayer study experienced a delay in drinking reduction. Those who reported at baseline that a family member or friend was already praying for them were found to be drinking significantly more at 6 months than were those who reported being unaware of anyone praying for them. Greater frequency of prayer by the participants themselves was associated with less drinking, but only at months 2 and 3. CONCLUSION: Intercessory prayer did not demonstrate clinical benefit in the treatment of alcohol abuse and dependence under these study conditions. Prayer may be a complex phenomenon with many interacting variables.

Publication Types:


PMID: 9375433 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
5: Arch Intern Med. 1999 Oct 25;159(19):2273-8. Related Articles, Links
Click here to read 
Erratum in:


Comment in:


A randomized, controlled trial of the effects of remote, intercessory prayer on outcomes in patients admitted to the coronary care unit.

Harris WS, Gowda M, Kolb JW, Strychacz CP, Vacek JL, Jones PG, Forker A, O'Keefe JH, McCallister BD.

Mid America Heart Institute, Saint Luke's Hospital, Kansas City, MO, USA.

CONTEXT: Intercessory prayer (praying for others) has been a common response to sickness for millennia, but it has received little scientific attention. The positive findings of a previous controlled trial of intercessory prayer have yet to be replicated. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether remote, intercessory prayer for hospitalized, cardiac patients will reduce overall adverse events and length of stay. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled, double-blind, prospective, parallel-group trial. SETTING: Private, university-associated hospital. PATIENTS: Nine hundred ninety consecutive patients who were newly admitted to the coronary care unit (CCU). INTERVENTION: At the time of admission, patients were randomized to receive remote, intercessory prayer (prayer group) or not (usual care group). The first names of patients in the prayer group were given to a team of outside intercessors who prayed for them daily for 4 weeks. Patients were unaware that they were being prayed for, and the intercessors did not know and never met the patients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The medical course from CCU admission to hospital discharge was summarized in a CCU course score derived from blinded, retrospective chart review. RESULTS: Compared with the usual care group (n = 524), the prayer group (n = 466) had lower mean +/- SEM weighted (6.35 +/- 0.26 vs 7.13 +/- 0.27; P=.04) and unweighted (2.7 +/- 0.1 vs 3.0 +/- 0.1; P=.04) CCU course scores. Lengths of CCU and hospital stays were not different. CONCLUSIONS: Remote, intercessory prayer was associated with lower CCU course scores. This result suggests that prayer may be an effective adjunct to standard medical care.

Publication Types:


PMID: 10547166 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
6: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2000;(2):CD000368. Related Articles, Links

Intercessory prayer for the alleviation of ill health.

Roberts L, Ahmed I, Hall S.

Westcott House, Jesus Lane, Cambridge, UK, CB5 8BP. lr226@cam.ac.uk

BACKGROUND: Prayer is an ancient and widely used intervention for alleviating illness and promoting good health. This review focuses specifically on intercessory prayer, which is organised, regular and committed, and those who practise it will almost inevitably hold some committed belief that they are praying to God. Whilst the outcomes of trials of prayer cannot be interpreted as 'proof/disproof' of God's response to those praying, there may be an effect of prayer not dependent on divine intervention. This may be quantifiable, making this investigation of a most widely used health care intervention both possible and important. OBJECTIVES: To review the effectiveness of prayer as an additional intervention for those with health problems already receiving standard medical care. SEARCH STRATEGY: ATLA (1949-1997), Biological Abstracts (1985-1999), CINAHL (1982-1999), The Cochrane Schizophrenia Group's Register (December 1999), CCTR of the Cochrane Library (Issue 4, 1999), EMBASE (1980-1999), MEDLINE (1966-1999) and PsycLIT (1887-1999), Sociofile (1974-1996) and Sociological Abstracts (1963-1999) were methodically searched. All references of articles selected were searched for further relevant trials. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised trials of personal, focused, committed and organised intercessory prayer on behalf of anyone with a health problem were considered. Outcomes such as achievement of desired goals, death, illness, quality of life and well-being for the recipients of prayer, those praying and the care-givers were sought. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Studies were reliably selected and assessed for methodological quality. Data were extracted by two reviewers working independently. Dichotomous data were analysed on an intention-to-treat basis. MAIN RESULTS: There was no evidence that prayer affected the numbers of people dying from leukaemia or heart disease (OR 1.11, CI 0.79-1.56, n=1424). Intercessory prayer did not clearly decrease the odds of people with heart problems experiencing a bad or intermediate outcome (OR 0.8, CI 0.64-1.00, n=1444) but this finding was moved towards the null by inclusion of a negative assumption for those who were dropped from the analysis in one study. Prayer increased the odds of readmission to the Coronary Care Unit (OR 1.54 CI 1.02-2.33, n=1406) but these results are made significantly negative by the inclusion of an assumption of poor outcome for those not accounted for in the final analyses. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: Data in this review are too inconclusive to guide those wishing to uphold or refute the effect of intercessory prayer on health care outcomes. In the light of the best available data, there are no grounds to change current practices. There are few completed trials of the value of intercessory prayer, and the evidence presented so far is interesting enough to justify further study. If prayer is seen as a human endeavour it may or may not be beneficial, and further trials could uncover this. It could be the case that any effects are due to elements beyond present scientific understanding that will, in time, be understood. If any benefit derives from God's response to prayer it may be beyond any such trials to prove or disprove.

Publication Types:


PMID: 10796350 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
7: South Med J. 1988 Jul;81(7):826-9. Related Articles, Links

Comment in:


Positive therapeutic effects of intercessory prayer in a coronary care unit population.

Byrd RC.

Medical Service, San Francisco General Medical Center, CA.

The therapeutic effects of intercessory prayer (IP) to the Judeo-Christian God, one of the oldest forms of therapy, has had little attention in the medical literature. To evaluate the effects of IP in a coronary care unit (CCU) population, a prospective randomized double-blind protocol was followed. Over ten months, 393 patients admitted to the CCU were randomized, after signing informed consent, to an intercessory prayer group (192 patients) or to a control group (201 patients). While hospitalized, the first group received IP by participating Christians praying outside the hospital; the control group did not. At entry, chi-square and stepwise logistic analysis revealed no statistical difference between the groups. After entry, all patients had follow-up for the remainder of the admission. The IP group subsequently had a significantly lower severity score based on the hospital course after entry (P less than .01). Multivariant analysis separated the groups on the basis of the outcome variables (P less than .0001). The control patients required ventilatory assistance, antibiotics, and diuretics more frequently than patients in the IP group. These data suggest that intercessory prayer to the Judeo-Christian God has a beneficial therapeutic effect in patients admitted to a CCU.

Publication Types:


PMID: 3393937 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
8: Perspect Biol Med. 2006 Autumn;49(4):504-14. Related Articles, Links
Click here to read 
Science, medicine, and intercessory prayer.

Sloan RP, Ramakrishnan R.

Behavioral Medicine Program, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA. rps7@columbia.edu

Among the many recent attempts to demonstrate the medical benefits of religious activity, the methodologically strongest seem to be studies of the effects of distant intercessory prayer (IP). In these studies, patients are randomly assigned to receive standard care or standard care plus the prayers or "healing intentions" of distant intercessors. Most of the scientific community has dismissed such research, but cavalier rejection of studies of IP is unwise, because IP studies appear to conform to the standards of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and, as such, would have a significant advantage over observational investigations of associations between religious variables and health outcomes. As we demonstrate, however, studies of IP fail to meet the standards of RCTs in several critical respects. They fail to adequately measure and control exposure to prayer from others, which is likely to exceed IP and to vary widely from subject to subject, and whose magnitude is unknown. This supplemental prayer so greatly attenuates the differences between the treatment and control groups that sample sizes are too large to justify studies of IP. Further, IP studies generally do not specify the outcome variables, raising problems of multiple comparisons and Type 1 errors. Finally, these studies claim findings incompatible with current views of the physical universe and consciousness. Unless these problems are solved, studies of IP should not be conducted.

PMID: 17146135 [PubMed - in process]
 
9: Altern Ther Health Med. 2001 Sep-Oct;7(5):42-52. Related Articles, Links

Comment in:


The effects of intercessory prayer, positive visualization, and expectancy on the well-being of kidney dialysis patients.

Matthews WJ, Conti JM, Sireci SG.

School Psychology Program, School of Education, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA. shamrock@educ.umass.edu

CONTEXT: Little replicable empirical evidence on the effectiveness of prayer is available. OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of intercessory prayer, positive visualization, and outcome expectancy on a wide range of medical and psychological measures in critically ill patients. DESIGN: 2 x 3 (expectancy x treatment) factorial study. PARTICIPANTS: 95 adult male and female volunteer hemodialysis subjects with end-stage renal disease from an outpatient clinic in Miami, Fla. INTERVENTION: Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of the 6 treatment conditions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A total of 20 dependent measures (10 medically based and 10 psychological) were used to assess the subjects' overall well-being. Analysis of covariance was used to control for pre-treatment differences between groups. RESULTS: Subjects who expected to receive intercessory prayer reported feeling significantly better than did those who expected to receive positive visualization (F1.93 = 5.42; P < .02). No other statistically significant main effects or interactions were found for either expectancy, intercessory prayer, or positive visualization on the remaining dependent measures. Analysis of effect sizes on all dependent measures failed to indicate even a small magnitude of effect for intercessory prayer as contrasted with expectancy on the medical or psychological variables. CONCLUSIONS: The effects of intercessory prayer and transpersonal positive visualization cannot be distinguished from the effect of expectancy. Therefore, those 2 interventions do not appear to be effective treatments.

Publication Types:


PMID: 11565401 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
10: Ann Behav Med. 2006 Aug;32(1):21-6. Related Articles, Links
Click here to read 
Are there demonstrable effects of distant intercessory prayer? A meta-analytic review.

Masters KS, Spielmans GI, Goodson JT.

Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, NY 13244-2340, USA. kemaster@syr.edu

BACKGROUND: The use of alternative treatments for illness is common in the United States. Practitioners of these interventions find them compatible with personal philosophies. Consequently, distant intercessory prayer (IP) for healing is one of the most commonly practiced alternative interventions and has recently become the topic of scientific scrutiny. PURPOSE: This study was designed to provide a current meta-analytic review of the effects of IP and to assess the impact of potential moderator variables. METHODS: A random effects model was adopted. Outcomes across dependent measures within each study were pooled to arrive at one omnibus effect size. These were combined to generate the overall effect size. A test of homogeneity and examination of several potential moderator variables was conducted. RESULTS: Fourteen studies were included in the meta-analysis yielding an overall effect size of g = .100 that did not differ from zero. When one controversial study was removed, the effect size reduced to g = .012. No moderator variables significantly influenced results. CONCLUSIONS: There is no scientifically discernable effect for IP as assessed in controlled studies. Given that the IP literature lacks a theoretical or theological base and has failed to produce significant findings in controlled trials, we recommend that further resources not be allocated to this line of research.

Publication Types:


PMID: 16827626 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
11: Am Heart J. 2006 Apr;151(4):934-42. Related Articles, Links
Click here to read 
Comment in:


Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer (STEP) in cardiac bypass patients: a multicenter randomized trial of uncertainty and certainty of receiving intercessory prayer.

Benson H, Dusek JA, Sherwood JB, Lam P, Bethea CF, Carpenter W, Levitsky S, Hill PC, Clem DW Jr, Jain MK, Drumel D, Kopecky SL, Mueller PS, Marek D, Rollins S, Hibberd PL.

Mind/Body Medical Institute, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. hbenson@bidmc.harvard.edu

BACKGROUND: Intercessory prayer is widely believed to influence recovery from illness, but claims of benefits are not supported by well-controlled clinical trials. Prior studies have not addressed whether prayer itself or knowledge/certainty that prayer is being provided may influence outcome. We evaluated whether (1) receiving intercessory prayer or (2) being certain of receiving intercessory prayer was associated with uncomplicated recovery after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. METHODS: Patients at 6 US hospitals were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: 604 received intercessory prayer after being informed that they may or may not receive prayer; 597 did not receive intercessory prayer also after being informed that they may or may not receive prayer; and 601 received intercessory prayer after being informed they would receive prayer. Intercessory prayer was provided for 14 days, starting the night before CABG. The primary outcome was presence of any complication within 30 days of CABG. Secondary outcomes were any major event and mortality. RESULTS: In the 2 groups uncertain about receiving intercessory prayer, complications occurred in 52% (315/604) of patients who received intercessory prayer versus 51% (304/597) of those who did not (relative risk 1.02, 95% CI 0.92-1.15). Complications occurred in 59% (352/601) of patients certain of receiving intercessory prayer compared with the 52% (315/604) of those uncertain of receiving intercessory prayer (relative risk 1.14, 95% CI 1.02-1.28). Major events and 30-day mortality were similar across the 3 groups. CONCLUSIONS: Intercessory prayer itself had no effect on complication-free recovery from CABG, but certainty of receiving intercessory prayer was associated with a higher incidence of complications.

Publication Types:


PMID: 16569567 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
12: South Med J. 2000 Dec;93(12):1177-86. Related Articles, Links

Effects of intercessory prayer on patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Matthews DA, Marlowe SM, MacNutt FS.

Arthritis/Pain Treatment Center, Clearwater, Fla, USA.

BACKGROUND: Many individuals pray during times of illness, but the clinical effects of prayer are not well-understood. METHODS: We prospectively studied a cohort of 40 patients (mean age, 62 years; 100% white; 82% women) at a private rheumatology practice. All had class II or III rheumatoid arthritis and took stable doses of antirheumatic medications. All received a 3-day intervention, including 6 hours of education and 6 hours of direct-contact intercessory prayer. Nineteen randomly selected sample patients had 6 months of daily, supplemental intercessory prayer by individuals located elsewhere. Ten arthritis-specific outcome variables were measured at baseline and at 3-month intervals for 1 year. RESULTS: Patients receiving in-person intercessory prayer showed significant overall improvement during 1-year follow-up. No additional effects from supplemental, distant intercessory prayer were found. CONCLUSIONS: In-person intercessory prayer may be a useful adjunct to standard medical care for certain patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Supplemental, distant intercessory prayer offers no additional benefits.

Publication Types:


PMID: 11142453 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
13: Am Heart J. 2002 Apr;143(4):577-84. Related Articles, Links
Click here to read 
Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer (STEP): study design and research methods.

Dusek JA, Sherwood JB, Friedman R, Myers P, Bethea CF, Levitsky S, Hill PC, Jain MK, Kopecky SL, Mueller PS, Lam P, Benson H, Hibberd PL.

Mind/Body Medical Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Caregroup, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass 02215, USA. jdusek@caregroup.harvard.edu

BACKGROUND: The effect of intercessory prayer (IP) on outcome in cardiac cases has been evaluated previously, but results are controversial. The goals of the Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer (STEP) are to evaluate the effects of receipt of additional study IP and awareness of receipt of additional study IP on outcomes in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery. STEP is not designed to determine whether God exists or whether God does or does not respond to IP. METHODS: STEP is a multicenter, controlled trial of 1802 patients in 6 US hospitals, randomized to 1 of 3 groups. Two groups were informed that they may or may not receive 14 consecutive days of additional IP starting the night before coronary artery bypass graft surgery; Group 1 received IP, Group 2 did not. A third group (Group 3) was informed that they would receive additional IP and did so. Three mainstream religious sites provided daily IP for patients assigned to receive IP. At each hospital, research nurses blinded to patient group assignment reviewed medical records to determine whether complications occurred, on the basis of the Society for Thoracic Surgeons definitions. A blinded nurse auditor from the Coordinating Center reviewed every study patient's data against the medical record before release of study forms. RESULTS: The STEP Data and Safety Monitoring Board reviewed patient safety and outcomes in the first 900 study patients. Patients were enrolled in STEP from January 1998 to November 2000.

Publication Types:


PMID: 11923793 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
14: J Reprod Med. 2001 Sep;46(9):781-7. Related Articles, Links

Erratum in:


Comment in:


Does prayer influence the success of in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer? Report of a masked, randomized trial.

Cha KY, Wirth DP.

Cha Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the potential effect of intercessory prayer (IP) on pregnancy rates in women being treated with in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET). STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, double-blind, randomized clinical trial in which patients and providers were not informed about the intervention. Statisticians and investigators were masked until all the data had been collected and clinical outcomes were known. The setting was an IVF-ET program at Cha Hospital, Seoul, Korea. IP was carried out by prayer groups in the United States, Canada and Australia. The investigators were at a tertiary medical center in the United States. The patients were 219 women aged 26-46 years who were consecutively treated with IVF-ET over a four-month period. Randomization was performed after stratification of variables in two groups: distant IP vs. no IP. The clinical pregnancy rates in the two groups were the main outcome measure. RESULTS: After clinical pregnancies were known, the data were unmasked to assess the effects of IP after assessment of multiple comparisons in a log-linear model. The IP group had a higher pregnancy rate as compared to the no-IP rate (50% vs. 26%, P = .0013). The IP group showed a higher implantation rate (16.3% vs. 8%, P = .0005). Observed effects were independent of clinical or laboratory providers and clinical variables. CONCLUSION: A statistically significant difference was observed for the effect of IP on the outcome of IVF-ET, though the data should be interpreted as preliminary.

Publication Types:


PMID: 11584476 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
15: Forsch Komplementarmed. 1998;5 Suppl S1:82-86. Related Articles, Links
Click here to read 
Intercessory Prayer for ill Health: A Systematic Review.

Roberts L, Ahmed I I, Hall S, Sargent C, Adams C.

OBJECTIVES: To review the effectiveness of prayer as an additional intervention for those with health problems already receiving standard medical care. SEARCH STRATEGY: Electronic Searches of Biological Abstracts, CINAHL, The Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, EM-BASE, MEDLINE, PsycLIT, and Sociofile were undertaken. All references of articles selected were searched for further relevant trials. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised and quasi-randomised trials of personal, focused, committed and organised intercessory prayer on behalf of anyone with a health problem were considered. Outcomes such as achievement of desired goals, death, illness, quality of life and well-being for the recipients of prayer, those praying and the caregivers were sought. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Studies were reliably selected and assessed for methodological quality. Data were extracted by 4 reviewers working independently. Dichotomous data were analysed on an intention-to-treat basis, and continuous data with over 50% completion rate are presented. MAIN RESULTS: There was no evidence that prayer affected the numbers of people dying from leukaemia or heart disease (OR 0.64, CI 0.32-1.27), or that it decreased coronary care complications (OR 1.05, CI 0.49-2.26) or the time participants stayed in hospital. There were significantly fewer 'intermediat//poor outcomes' for those with heart disease in the prayed-for group (OR 0.49, CI 0.30-0.80), and this finding was robust to some changes in definition. CONCLUSIONS: This review provides no guidance for those wishing to uphold or refute the effect of intercessory prayer on the outcomes studied in the available trials. Therefore, in the light of the best available data, there are no grounds to change current practices. There are very few completed trials of the value of intercessory prayer. The evidence presented so far is interesting enough to justify further study. If prayer is seen as a human endeavour it may or may not be beneficial, and further trials could uncover this. It could be the case that any effects are due to elements beyond present scientific understanding that will, in time, be understood. If any benefit derives from God's response to prayer it may be beyond any such trials to prove or disprove.

PMID: 9892835 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
 
16: BMJ. 2001 Dec 22-29;323(7327):1450-1. Related Articles, Links
Click here to read Click here to read 
Comment in:


Effects of remote, retroactive intercessory prayer on outcomes in patients with bloodstream infection: randomised controlled trial.

Leibovici L.

Department of Medicine, Beilinson Campus, Rabin Medical Center, Petah-Tiqva 49100, Israel. leibovic@post.tau.ac.il

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether remote, retroactive intercessory prayer, said for a group of patients with a bloodstream infection, has an effect on outcomes. DESIGN: Double blind, parallel group, randomised controlled trial of a retroactive intervention. SETTING: University hospital. SUBJECTS: All 3393 adult patients whose bloodstream infection was detected at the hospital in 1990-6. INTERVENTION: In July 2000 patients were randomised to a control group and an intervention group. A remote, retroactive intercessory prayer was said for the well being and full recovery of the intervention group. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Mortality in hospital, length of stay in hospital, and duration of fever. RESULTS: Mortality was 28.1% (475/1691) in the intervention group and 30.2% (514/1702) in the control group (P for difference=0.4). Length of stay in hospital and duration of fever were significantly shorter in the intervention group than in the control group (P=0.01 and P=0.04, respectively). CONCLUSION: Remote, retroactive intercessory prayer said for a group is associated with a shorter stay in hospital and shorter duration of fever in patients with a bloodstream infection and should be considered for use in clinical practice.

Publication Types:


PMID: 11751349 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 
17: West Indian Med J. 2001 Dec;50(4):269-72. Related Articles, Links

The healing power of intercessory prayer.

Harding OG.

Department of Language, Linguistics and Philosophy, University of the West Indies, Kingston 7, Jamaica. senharding@colis.com

Arising from an emerging world view in philosophy, it is argued that the mind can function beyond the individual and is not constrained by time and distance; it is in fact non-local. Prayer is cited as an example of non-local manifestation of consciousness. Dossey describes three distinct eras of medicine. The hallmark of Era 3 is the non-local mind and unexplained discoveries of distant healing and intercessory prayer. In researching the medical literature, Dossey discovered 130 studies dealing with the efficacy of prayer as a healing treatment. Those studies disclosed that prayer had a remarkable effect not only on human beings, but also on many other things including bacteria, germinating seeds and animals. Some cases of distant manifestation of consciousness on non-humans are discussed en passant, but the focus of this paper is the healing power of intercessory prayer on humans. Two case studies are offered in support of the evidence for non-local healing and the question is asked whether there is no place in medicine for a multiple approach to healing. Further, if these reported studies of prayer therapies are meaningful, are physicians not using these additional treatments withholding something curative from their patients?

PMID: 11993014 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
 
18: Altern Ther Health Med. 2006 Nov-Dec;12(6):36-41. Related Articles, Links

The efficacy of distant healing for human immunodeficiency virus--results of a randomized trial.

Astin JA, Stone J, Abrams DI, Moore DH, Couey P, Buscemi R, Targ E.

California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, USA.

BACKGROUND: While data are conflicting, studies have appeared in the literature suggesting that mental intentions sent from a distance (eg, intercessory prayer, spiritual healing) can possibly influence clinical outcomes in patients suffering from an array of medical conditions. The purpose of this study was to examine the potential efficacy of distant healing in a population of patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/aquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). METHODS: One hundred fifty-six patients with a history of AIDS category C and at least one AIDS-defining opportunistic infection were randomized to 1 of 3 study arms: (1) 10 weeks of prayer/distant healing from professional healers, (2) 10 weeks of prayer/distant healing from nurses with no prior training or experience in distant healing, or, (3) no distant healing. RESULTS: No significant treatment effects of distant healing were observed for either professional healers or nurses on any of the primary or secondary outcomes. Despite being blind to group assignment, subjects receiving distant healing (from healers or nurses) were significantly more likely to guess that they had been receiving healing than were subjects randomized to the no-treatment control group. CONCLUSIONS: Distant healing or prayer from a distance does not appear to improve selected clinical outcomes in HIV patients who are on a combination antiretroviral therapy.

Publication Types:


PMID: 17131980 [PubMed - in process]