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Faith in medicine: How spirituality impacts practice

Four physicians, from different religions, share how their beliefs influence their interactions with patients.

By Damon Adams, amednews staff. March 25, 2002.

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The separation of church and medicine is a given for many physicians, who keep their religious beliefs out of their practices. But others -- from a range of faiths -- choose a different path. They draw on their spirituality and combine it with their medical knowledge to improve patient care.

Throughout the medical profession, a greater interest in spirituality's impact on medicine has fueled many studies examining the connection between religious beliefs and good health. And in recent years, more medical schools have started offering courses on religion and health.

"The field of medicine is becoming more interested in this area. There's a lot of research that shows a connection," said Harold G. Koenig, MD, author of 18 books on religion and health and director of the Duke University Center for the Study of Religion/Spirituality and Health in Durham, N.C. "This is not simply a fad."

When Dale A. Matthews, MD, reaches for his prescription pad, he sometimes recommends more than drugs for a patient's ills. He may scribble down scriptures, perhaps some encouraging words from the New Testament -- a little dose of faith to help the medicine go down.

Then there are times when he bows his head and prays in the exam room for a patient's health.

"I look upon the spiritual as assisting the medical," said Dr. Matthews, an internist in Washington, D.C., explaining how he taps his Christian convictions as part of his work.

And his convictions are very much a part of his work. He lectures on the link between religion and medicine. He wrote the book, The Faith Factor: Proof of the Healing Power of Prayer. [...]