Prayer: Overview, Uses, Side Effects, Precautions, Interactions, Dosing and Reviews

Overview

Prayer involves aiming to connect with God or another object of worship. Distant healing is the projection of healing intention for another from afar.

Prayer is a part of many religious traditions. It might make some people feel more positive or hopeful, which might result in relaxation. Distant healing may or may not involve prayer. It's a broader concept that includes other approaches to help heal another from afar.

People use prayer and distant healing for depression, high blood pressure, pain, heart disease, anxiety, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.

Do not confuse prayer or distant healing with guided imagery, mindfulness, mantra meditation, qi gong, reiki therapy, or spiritual healing. These are not the same.

Uses & Effectiveness

Possibly Ineffective for

Death from any cause. Prayer does not seem to reduce the risk of death in people with various illnesses.
Recovery after surgery. Prayer does not seem to improve recovery time or prevent complications after heart surgery.
Warts. Neither prayer nor distant healing seems to help heal skin warts.

There is interest in using payer and distant healing for a number of other purposes, but there isn't enough reliable information to say whether it might be helpful.

Side Effects

Special Precautions and Warnings

Prayer and distant healing are likely safe. There's no reason to expect safety concerns. But prayer and distant healing shouldn't be used in place of standard treatments or therapies.

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: There isn't enough reliable information to know if prayer and distant healing are safe during pregnancy and breast-feeding. But there's no reason to expect safety concerns when used along with standard treatments or therapies.

Interactions

We currently have no information for Prayer, Distant Healing overview.

Dosing

Prayer is a part of many religious traditions. It can be described as requests made while trying to connect with God or another object of worship. Hospital chaplains and counselors are trained to respect different religious backgrounds in addressing the spiritual and emotional needs of patients, their families, or loved ones. The chaplains and counselors often incorporate prayer in their support.

Distant healing is a broader concept than prayer. It includes prayer, but also other approaches to help heal another from afar. For example, it might include attempting to mentally project influence for another's well-being without asking for the help of a supreme being.

View References

REFERENCES:

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