Is There A "Spiritual" Side To Healing?

A free article on Religion and Faith

By: Steve Berchtold

Speaking personally, I can tell you that without faith, I wouldn’t be here today. I don’t attribute all the “miracle” factors of my health, after being diagnosed with melanoma, to just good alternative medicine. My faith in the living God (His name is Jesus, by the way) , NOT Budda, Allah, Krishna or any other false god or religion, is why I’m still here... and I’m thankful for the extended time, because I hope to help you be victorious over your biggest health challenges also.

Harold Koenig, M.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Duke University Medical Center. Widely acclaimed and respected in both medical and religious communities, Dr. Koenig has written numerous articles and appeared as a guest expert on ABC World News Tonight, NBC Evening News, CBS This Morning, and many other national and international programs.

The following list supports the importance of faith and the spiritual aspect of success in healing according to Dr. Harold Koenig:

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Healing can include dramatic, sudden physical cures, but is not confined to the ‘miraculous’ or the spectacular. Perhaps for most people, the healing power of faith involves a healing of the mind and emotions, the intangible spirit, and of relationships with others.
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Faith can put physical illness beneath you, where it belongs, return supremacy to you, and give you power to live a victorious and fulfilling life.
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People who regularly attend church service, pray individually, and read the Bible are 40 less likely to have coronary heart disease.

Lower Blood Pressure
In a 1989 study involving 400 Caucasian men in Evans County, Georgia, Duke researchers found a significant protective effect against high blood pressure among those who considered religion “very important” and who attended church regularly.

Mental Well Being
Attendance at the house of worship is related to the rates of depression and anxiety, reported a 1999 Duke University study of nearly 4,000 older adults.

Stress Reduction
Humans under psychological stress experienced higher blood pressure and breathing rates, strain on the body and lower the immunity, says Dr. Herbert Benson of Harvard Medical School. He found that prayer, meditation, tai chi and yoga can all provoke healthful state.

According to Eunice Coughlin, founder of Healthy Living For Moms (a web site for moms of all ages and stages who seek spiritual and physical health and wellness.) says: Good health and healing is available to us by faith in Jesus. It is God’s promise to us when we become Christians. He (Jesus) was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:4-5)

God created us “spirit, soul and body.” When Adam and Eve sinned (disobeyed) against God, our bodies and souls were given over to death and decay. (Thanks a lot Adam and Eve!) Our spirits will never die because the Bible says in Genesis 2:7, “And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” You may say, “That’s not fair!” You’re not God and neither am I. Who are we to tell the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth, what we think is fair or unfair? We were created by Him.

God created the natural and spiritual laws that He instituted on this earth. Just like trees and flowers are subject to decay, our bodies are naturally given over to decay till the day we die. But when we receive Jesus, (ask Him into our lives, we are renewed inside and we are promised eternal life.
The Bible says, “For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” And when these bodies are dead, we still live on, since God gave us all an “eternal spirit.”

However, we still live on the earth and our “earthly” bodies are still subject to the world’s decay. That’s why it’s so important to eat right and take care of our bodies. It’s not wise to allow things into our bodies that aren’t healthy, just like we shouldn’t allow things in our minds that aren’t healthy.

Excerpt from full article on: http://www.natural-cures-remedies.com/spiritual.html