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Online Distant Healing Clinic
Clinical Research on Distant Healing
Selected published research
JA Astin, et al.
The Efficacy of "Distant Healing": A Systematic Review
of Randomized Trials. Annals of Internal Medicine, American
College of Physicians, 2000.
FROM ABSTRACT: A total of 23 distant healing randomized clinical
trials involving 2774 patients met the inclusion criteria and were
analyzed. Heterogeneity of the studies precluded a formal meta-analysis.
Of the trials, 5 examined prayer as the distant healing intervention,
11 assessed noncontact Therapeutic Touch, and 7 examined other forms
of distant healing. Of the 23 studies, 13 (57%) yielded statistically
significant treatment effects, 9 showed no effect over control interventions,
and 1 showed a negative effect. Conclusion: The methodologic limitations
of several studies make it difficult to draw definitive conclusions
about the efficacy of distant healing. However, given that approximately
57% of trials showed a positive treatment effect, the evidence thus
far merits further study.
Liebovici.
Effects of remote, retroactive intercessory prayer on outcomes in
patients with bloodstream infection: randomised controlled trial.
British Medical Journal, 2001.
FROM ABSTRACT: Objective: To determine
whether remote, retroactive intercessory prayer, said for a group of
patients with a bloodstream infection, has an effect on outcomes.
Design: Double blind, parallel group, randomized controlled trial of
a retroactive intervention.
Setting: University hospital. Subjects: All 3393 adult patients
whose bloodstream infection was detected at the hospital in 1990-6.
Intervention: In July 2000 patients were randomized to a control
group and an intervention group. A remote, retroactive intercessory
prayer was said for the well being and full recovery of the
intervention group. Main outcome measures: Mortality in hospital,
length of stay in hospital, and duration of fever.
Results: Mortality was 28.1% (475/1691) in the intervention group
and 30.2% (514/1702) in the control group (P for difference=0.4).
Length of stay in hospital and duration of fever were significantly
shorter in the intervention group than in the control group (P=0.01
and P=0.04, respectively). Conclusions: Remote, retroactive intercessory
prayer said for a group is associated with a shorter stay in hospital
and shorter duration of fever in patients with a bloodstream infection
and should be considered for use in clinical practice. Note:
It is the author's view that this trial has nothing to do religion
but is a demonstration that empirical methods cannot be applied
to questions that are completely outside the scientific model of
the physical world; hence, he considers this a "non-study"
and does not believe that prayer should be tested in controlled
trials.
Harris et al. A
Randomized, Controlled Trial of the Effects of Remote, Intercessory
Prayer on Outcomes in Patients Admitted to the Coronary Care Unit.
Archives of Internal Medicine, 1999.
FROM ABSTRACT: Objective: To determine
whether remote, intercessory prayer for hospitalized, cardiac
patients will reduce overall adverse events and length of stay.
Design: Randomized, controlled, double-blind, prospective,
parallel-group trial. Setting: Private, university-associated
hospital. Patients: Nine hundred ninety consecutive patients who
were newly admitted to the coronary care unit (CCU). Intervention:
At the time of admission, patients were randomized to receive
remote, intercessory prayer (prayer group) or not (usual care
group). The first names of patients in the prayer group were given
to a team of outside intercessors who prayed for them daily for 4
weeks. Patients were unaware that they were being prayed for, and
the intercessors did not know and never met the patients. Main
Outcome Measures: The medical course from CCU admission to hospital
discharge was summarized in a CCU course score derived from blinded,
retrospective chart review. Results: Compared with the usual care
group (n=524), the prayer group (n=466) had lower mean±SEM weighted
(6.35±0.26 vs 7.13±0.27; P=.04) and unweighted (2.7±0.1 vs 3.0±0.1;
P=.04) CCU course scores. Lengths of CCU and hospital stays were not
different. Conclusions: Remote, intercessory prayer was associated
with lower CCU course scores. This result suggests that prayer may
be an effective adjunct to standard medical care.
Sicher et al.
A
randomized double-blind study of the effect of distant healing in
a population with advanced AIDS. Report of a small scale study.
Western Journal of Medicine, 1998.
FROM ABSTRACT: We report on a double
blind randomized trial of DH in 40 patients with advanced AIDS.
Distant Healing treatment was performed by self-identified "healers"
representing many different healing and spiritual traditions.
Healers were located throughout the U.S during the study, and
subjects and healers never met. Subjects were assessed by
psychometric testing and blood draw at enrollment, and followed for
6 months. At six months, blind medical chart review found treatment
subjects acquired significantly fewer new AIDS defining illnesses
(0.1 vs. 0.6 per patient, P=0.04), lower illness severity (severity
score 0.8 vs. 2.65, P=0.03), required significantly fewer doctor
visits (9.2 vs. 13.0, P=0.01), fewer hospitalizations (0.15 vs. 0.6,
P=0.04) and fewer days of hospitalization (0.5 vs. 3.4, P=0.04).
Treated subjects also showed significantly improved mood compared to
controls (change in POMS -26 vs. +14, P=0.02). There were no
significant differences in CD4+ counts. These data support the
possibility of a Distant Healing effect in AIDS and suggest the
value of further research.
Ongoing research
Glioblastoma Distant Healing Project
The Glioblastoma Distance Healing Project is funded by the National
Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a research division
of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This grant is being
administered through the Complementary Medicine Research Institute
of the California Pacific Medical Center. The purpose of this research
is to see if Distance Healing can be used as a treatment for patients
with a specific type of brain tumor called glioblastoma multiforme,
which is also sometimes known as a Grade IV astrocytoma.
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