10. Unresolved emotional and spiritual issues.

Just think about how much happens inside and around us that we do not even see. Our thoughts, will, and emotions are unseen; yet they are what truly make us human. Our body houses the unseen ‘us,’ and therefore our spirit affects our body, oftentimes in profound ways. Conversely, if something is wrong physically, for example a nutritional deficiency, our ill health can affect us spiritually and emotionally as well. So both the physical and the spiritual elements of our lives are very important to our health. In fact, they are integrated and inseparable.

Accordingly, the power of prayer can have a profound healing effect upon the body. In a report released in May 2004 by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), prayer is in three of the top five positions of complementary and alternative therapies. This report also shows that seventy-five percent of the adults surveyed have used prayer specifically for health problems.

But while scientific research from notable establishments—such as Duke University’s Center for the Study of Religion/Spirituality and Health—are now proving the effectiveness of prayer, it is very important to recognize that physiological symptoms usually stem from physiological problems.

While some problems are legitimately psychological and/or spiritual, oftentimes the body can detoxify and heal itself if it physically receives what it needs. And putting a focus on correcting physiological problems will frequently alleviate psychological problems as well.


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Article ID: 482