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Mike Mitka

JAMA. 1998;280:1896-1897.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

WHILE SOME physicians may put little faith in them, spirituality and religion, as therapeutic aids, are entering medical practice.

Studies are emerging to show that regular attendees of religious services are less likely to have high blood pressure than those who attend less frequently; that spirituality aids in recovery from depression; that elderly church attendees have healthier immune systems than those who stay at home; and that affiliation with and participation in a religious community are associated with lower use of hospital services by medically ill older adults. Studies also argue that spirituality and religion may have a positive public health effect.

(Photo credit: Fred Chase, Impact Visuals)

David Larson, MD, is president of the National Institute for Healthcare Research (NIHR) in Rockville, Md. NIHR is a nonprofit organization (not affiliated with the National Institutes of Health) conducting and coordinating research on the relationship between spirituality and physical, . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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