SENTINEL WATCH October 11, 2004 Issue

A shift in healthcare

By Marta Greenwood

WHEN I WAS Midwifery Sister in Guy's Hospital London, I never believed there could be any viable way to heal physical conditions except through conventional medication. Even childbirth was considered not natural, and in my book, it, too, had to have medical intervention. I was a total skeptic of any alternative healthcare.

Happily, the world is more open-minded today. Even in the National Health System in the UK, things are changing. Mind/body approaches to medical care have gained increasing acceptance. And that includes a revaluing of spirituality as a positive component in treatment. Clearly, recognition is growing in the healthcare professions that caring for the spiritual needs of a patient is vital to the whole recovery process and a person's ongoing good health. In just one example of this shift in thinking, in May 2004, the UK National Health Service published a policy document titled, "Caring for the Spirit."

According to the www.healingtherapies.info/prayer_and_healing.htm, one "alternative" treatment, prayer, is making a healthcare comeback—researchers say 94 percent of Americans believe in God or a higher power. Given that statistic, it isn't surprising that 75 percent of patients believe that their physician should address spiritual issues as part of medical treatment. Further, 40 percent want their physicians to actively discuss religious issues with them, and nearly 50 percent want their physicians to pray not just for them but with them. And the same poll reports a growing trend (43 percent) of American physicians who privately pray for their patients. These indicators show that the barriers between spirituality and healthcare seem to be diminishing.