When it comes to maintaining health, most people spend a lot of time and energy focusing on the body and trying to keep it healthy. Significantly less attention is directed toward mental health. And, spirituality isn’t often even part of the equation.
Spirituality usually takes a back seat to everything else when it comes to reducing your chances of suffering from a major health condition like heart disease or cancer. It’s not often considered a big player as far as lowering risk factors goes.
It might be time to rethink this position. Scientists are now developing a greater interest in understanding the relationship between spirituality and health. In one recent study, a team of researchers conducted a large-scale review and found that cultivating a sense of spirituality is associated with a reduction in cardiovascular disease mortality. Spirituality has also been linked positively to cancer risk factors and well-being in cancer patients.
According to another team of scientists, people are primarily religious or spiritual beings. Religion and spirituality may actually be hardwired into your brain. In fact, they say, a sense of spirituality is a necessity for inner growth and to promote peace, happiness and well-being. They conclude that religious traditions should become topics of research in health sciences.
While you don’t necessarily need to head for your local church on Sunday mornings, practicing a little spirituality still makes for good health advice.
Sources for Today’s Articles:
Spirituality Shouldn’t Take a Back Seat to Other Healing Methods
Masters, K.S., et al., “Religiousness/Spirituality, Cardiovascular Disease, and Cancer: Cultural Integration for Health Research and Intervention,” J Consult Clin Psychol. November 12, 2012.
Vayalilkarottu, J., “Holistic health and well-being: A psycho-spiritual/religious and theological perspective,” Asian J Psychiatr. December 2012; 5(4): 347-50.