In a 2001 US study Meisenhelder surveyed a sample of 1,400 Presbyterian pastors and found that they had considerably better health in comparison to US normative values. After controlling for age and other demographic variables, a small correlation was found between frequency of prayer and certain important health dimensions, particularly mental health (r = 0.117, [...]
In traditional cultures around the world, spirituality has been associated with better health. Both Eastern and Western historical traditions closely linked physicians with the religious establishment. In the East, Traditional Chinese and Indian medical systems clearly describe, even today, the idea that the mind/soul is an important influencing factor in health is integral to their [...]
In this excerpt from his thesis Dr Ramesh Manocha further discusses how the link between religion and mental health is not always positive.
As stated previously, the association between religiosity and mental health is not always positive. Larson’s (1992) review of studies exploring the relationship between religious commitment and mental health reported that while 72% described [...]
In this excerpt from his thesis, Dr Ramesh Manocha highlights the scientific importance of religious and spiritual traditions.
The notion that religious and spiritual traditions have somehow evolved knowledge and methods to exploit the most potent of these mind body pathways is fascinating and provocative. Importantly these biological explanations might help to understand the mechanisms [...]
In this excerpt from his thesis, Dr Ramesh Manocha discusses the link between psychoneuroimmunology and religosity.
Correlational studies of religious expression have reported some interesting associations. Schaal (1998) assessed the association between religious involvement and immune function in 112 women with metastatic breast cancer. Small but significant correlations between immune cell counts and importance of religious/spiritual [...]
In this excerpt from his thesis, Dr Ramesh Manocha discusses a meta-analysis exploring the link between religion and health.
Hackney (2003) conducted a meta-analysis of 34 studies of religion and health. He proposed 3 general types of religiousness, not unlike Ryan’s; “institutionalised” (attendance of services, participation in ritual, participation in church activities and extrinsic religious observance [...]
Dr Ramesh Manocha discusses how mental silence meditation may allow the benefits of religiosity to be utilised in this excerpt from his thesis.
The findings of this thesis provide a new perspective for scholars interested in the study of religion and spirituality because they add a new dimension to this field by highlighting the importance of [...]
In this excerpt from his thesis, Dr Ramesh Manocha discusses the link between religiosity and health.
Ryan (1993) conducted a study on Christians of several different denominations and concluded that the way in which religiousness was internalised, rather than religiousness itself, influenced both the magnitude and direction of health benefit. He examined two forms of internalisation: [...]