Faith and health

We cannot take our health for granted, and most of us try to find ways to keep fit and healthy. The obvious things to consider are diet and exercise, but many less tangible things can also help or harm.

The relationship of faith, spirituality and religious belief and practices to health and wellbeing has been studied extensively by scientists.

It turns out that faith can influence our health and wellbeing in many different ways. Faith in God, or attendance at religious events, has been shown many times to be linked to better mental, emotional and physical health. Prayer seems to lead, at least sometimes, to better health and even complete healing of major illnesses.

If you want to live a more peaceful and healthy life, or if you are asking questions about God’s interaction with people, there is something here for you!

Scientific studies on healing, faith, health and wellbeing

Faith and wellbeing – a summary of what medical researchers have learned about how faith and health are linked.

Medicine and religion studies – a listing of the many medical studies of the effects of religion, on which the Faith and Wellbeing page is based.

Can prayer assist healing? – what we can learn from a bunch of medical studies (and what we can’t learn!).

Intercessory prayer and healing – a summary of 24 medical studies (which unfortunately give variable results).

Healing of sight and hearing – a well documented study of healing of sight and hearing after prayer.