An investigation into the phenomena and practices of spiritual ...

health and the ways in which hospitals and other NHS institutions promote spiritualhealth in different forms. Some drugs such as those for hormone replacement, painkillers, antibiotics, and psycho-tropic drugs suppress the immune system and can causedepression. Where there is a spiritual aspect to treating these patients and promoting theirhealth, their recovery is likely to be hastened.The majority of church attenders and spiritual healers in the churches, such as thesubjects of the present study, do not exclude conventional medical treatment from prayeras a contribution to health and well being, but treat them as complementary. This is notalways the case, however. Peters (2008:112-113) narrates several accounts of whenprayer appeared to fail. In one account David‟s parents Edward and Ann Cornelius toohim to a physician who prescribed insulin for his juvenile onset diabetes. He made agood recovery when he adhered to the regular schedule of insulin injections. Althoughthe parents were told that would die without regular schedule of insulin, they refused toheed this advice choosing to treat their son‟s diabetes by only employing the techniquesof their religious faith. by praying. This failed, his condition deteriorated and he died. Hisparents were charged and found guilty of manslaughter and wilful neglect. One of theirdefences was that medical doctors did not always cure patients and sometimes patientswho are undergoing medical intervention die. The suggestion in Peters (2008) that ifprayer fails to work it is no different from when medical treatment fails is not sustainableif medical advice has been neglected.Prayer as a health seeking behaviour, like all health seeking behaviours, includesactivities performed in a way that is accepted to the healer and person seeking healing.The passages below explore the effectiveness of the how, when, and where of prayer.234