No Health Benefit from Prayer

[Sandpiper]

Since the GOP solution to the healthcare crisis is more or less to pray you don't get sick. I just thought I'd post this as a reminder.


'No health benefit' from prayer


Patients did not know they were prayed for
The world's largest study into the effects of prayer on patients undergoing heart surgery has found it appears to make no difference.

The MANTRA study, run from Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina, involved 750 patients.

Before their operations, they were randomly split into two groups, and half were prayed for by Christians, Jews, Buddhists and Muslims.

However, checks revealed they had fared no better than those not prayed for.

<snip>

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3193902.stm

[mhr]

1. Oh, The Freepers And Fundies Won't Care - They Have Faith

Despite the fact it was just tested and proven not to work.

[immoderate]

2. This type of study has been done hundreds of times...

...with similar results. So you don't hear about them. Occasionally as would be expected by pure chance, a study produces what would be statistically significant results, one way or the other. The positive ones make it to the news. Don't expect to see this one.

--IMM

[Radio_Rick]

6. The differentiating factor is whether the patient participates

if the patient "believes" and "participates" -- it may be beneficial.

[immoderate]

8. This is not the first I've seen like that.

Can't reference for you, but the "praying over" design has been done before. Agree about the placebo effect.

--IMM

[Spinzonner]

3. Were there any studies done

with patients being informed that they were being prayed for - whether they were or not.

That might see if there was a mind-body effect independent of third parties and the prayer itself.

[Coastie for Truth]

4. Yes - at a Med School in Philadelphia

by a radiation oncologist (who is also an Orthodox Rabbi, and "Pro-Stem Cell Research") who found a positive effect where the patient participates in the prayer.

[Ladyhawk]

7. Yep. Prayer is a placebo. It actually works if you think it will. :D

Weird, huh?

[Merlot]

5. I think prayer helps the people praying feel in control...

Although I do believe in the power of the mind, or minds working in unison (think Ghandi), each sick person has their own path to follow. Prayer should be that the sick person gets safely to where they need to go, whether it's back to health, or to the other side.

[Wilms]

9. Kick n/t

[mopaul]

10. pray in one hand, crap in the other, see which one fills up fastest

as my sainted mom used to say

[markus]

11. Yeah, but will this get the same media as the story a few months ago

indicating otherwise?

Probably not.

Another victory for the Talibornagains.