Study to look at faith's role in curing cancer

Filed under: All Cancers, Research

A new study at Arizona State University led by Jessica Tartaro seeks to understand the impact of spirituality on healing by studying men and women who have completed any type of cancer treatment within the past year. Tartaro is also interested in learning about other spiritual sources of strength beyond traditional ones.

Many people believe that factors other than traditional treatments can affect healing including exercise, stress reduction and nutrition. However, an individual's spirituality and it's connection with healing is less well-understood.

According to Tartaro in an interview with the The Arizona Republic, research shows people of faith tend to have an "edge in healing and half of all patients feel illness strengthens their faith."

"We may be handicapping ourselves not to understand what role the spiritual plays in healing."

Participants should have been diagnosed with cancer within the past two years, completed treatment from three to twelve months ago and the cancer should not have recurred.

What do you think about such a study? Is this a worthwhile pursuit?

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[Source: The Cancer Blog]