How Can Spirituality Affect Your Family's Health?

[Guest guest]

How Can Spirituality Affect Your Family's Health?

 

Can spirituality promote a healthier physical life for your family?

Recent medical studies indicate that spiritual people exhibit less

stress

and a greater total life satisfaction.

 

To read more, go to

http://websrv02.kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/spirituality.html

 

Much of the research linking spiritual and physical health has involved

elderly patients, however, the data offer a glimpse into a possible tie

between a spiritual life and good health for people of all ages.

 

Although spirituality has been shown to reduce depression, improve

blood pressure, and boost the immune system, religious beliefs should

not interfere with the medical care your child receives. But when

combined with proper medical care, this type of alternative medicine

may be the answer to your family's prayers.

 

So what exactly is spirituality and how can it enhance your family's

health?

 

 

What Is Spirituality?

"Spirituality is an awareness of the divine or sacred core that

underlies everyday life," says pediatrician Sandra Hassink, MD. Dr.

Hassink views spirituality as "an ongoing search for meaning, and this

may involve an appreciation for creation and the natural world as well

as traditional spiritual pathways." This search can be conducted on

your own or as part of a larger group - a religious community, friends,

or your own family.

 

Spirituality and Physical Health

Doctors and scientists once avoided the study of spirituality in

connection to medicine, but findings within the past 10 years have made

some take a second look. Studies show that religion and faith can help

to promote good health and fight disease by:

 

- offering additional social supports, such as religious outreach

groups

- improving coping skills through prayer and a philosophy that all

things have a purpose

 

Although research on children has yet to be done, a number of studies

focusing on adults point to the positive effects of spirituality on

medical outcome:

 

 

- In a 7-year study of senior citizens, religious involvement was

associated with less physical disability and less depression. Death

rates were lower than expected before an important religious holiday,

which suggested to researchers that faith might have postponed death in

these cases.

 

 

- Elderly people who regularly attended religous services had healthier

immune systems than those who didn't. They were also more likely to

have consistently lower blood pressure.

 

 

- Patients undergoing open-heart surgery who received strength and

comfort from their religion were three times more likely to survive

than those who had no religious ties.

 

Spirituality and Mental Health

Religious and spiritual beliefs are an important part of how many

people deal with life's joys and hardships. Faith can provide people

with a sense of purpose and guidelines for living. When families face

tough situations, including health problems, their religious beliefs

and practices can help them fight feelings of helplessness, restore

meaning and order to life situations, and promote regaining a sense of

control. For some families, spirituality can be a powerful and

important source of strength.

 

Medical studies have confirmed that spirituality can have a profound

effect on mental states. In a study of men who were hospitalized,

nearly half rated religion as helpful in coping with their illness. A

second study showed that the more religious patients were, the more

quickly they recovered from some disorders. A third study revealed that

high levels of hope and optimism, key factors in fighting depression,

were found among those who strictly practiced their religion.

 

How Can Your Spiritual Beliefs Enhance Your Parenting?

Attending organized religious services may help some families connect

with their spiritual values, but this is not the only way. There are a

number of less traditional paths to help children and parents begin

their personal quest for spiritual meaning.

 

To foster spirituality within your own family, you may want to examine

your own values. Ask yourself questions: What is important to me? How

well do my daily activities mirror my values? Do I neglect issues that

matter to me because I'm busy spending time on things that matter less?

 

 

Here are other suggestions to start your family's spiritual journey:

 

 

- Explore your roots. In examining your shared past, you and your

children may connect with values of earlier times and places, as well

as gain a sense of your extended family's history and values.

 

 

- Examine your spiritual involvement in the community. If you're

already involved in a spiritual group, maybe you will want to take on a

larger role - first for you, then as a model for your children. If you

haven't joined a community, you may want to investigate those in your

area.

 

 

- Recall the feelings you had at the birth or adoption of your child.

"Many parents report that the closest they ever felt to the divine was

at the birth or adoption of a child," Dr. Hassink reports. Try to get

back to that moment in your mind, remembering the hopes and dreams you

had. It can be the start of a search for similar or related feelings in

your everyday life.

 

 

- Share some silence with your children. Take a few minutes for silent

meditation alone or with your children. Think about your parenthood,

your life as an individual, and your place in the larger scheme of the

world. Spend time discussing these thoughts with your children and

listen to their ideas on what spirituality means to them.

 

 

- Take a nature walk. Nature has long been an inspiration and spiritual

guide. A walk will relax you and allow you to contemplate the wonders

of the world around you.

 

 

Read books that express spiritual ideas with your children and share

your thoughts about what you're reading.

 

Making a spiritual journey may help you and your family live a

healthier life, both emotionally and physically.

 

Updated and reviewed by: Kim Rutherford, MD

Date reviewed: July 2001

Originally reviewed by: Steve Dowshen, MD, and Sandra Hassink, MD

http://kidshealth.org/parent/misc/reviewers.html

 

-------------

 

KidsHealth is devoted to providing the latest health information for

parents, kids, and teens. Created by the medical experts of The

Nemours Foundation,

the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in the

Philadephia/Wilmington, Delaware, area,

the Nemours Children's Clinics throughout Florida, and other children's

health

facilities nationwide,KidsHealth is constantly adding new content and

features. Visit

KidsHealth at http://KidsHealth.org