Line between religion and medicine blurring

Dr. Bruce Leibert makes no apologies for who he is: a devout, outspoken, Christian doctor who asks to pray with patients and asks them about their spiritual beliefs.

Leibert, program director of Valley Baptist Family Residency in Harlingen, openly incorporates spirituality into his practice because he believes it makes a difference in patients’ physical and mental health.

“A lot of studies talk about this Â… how important this part of health is to people, and how often doctors ignore it,” he said.

“Health must address not only body, not only the mind, but the undying soul. Â… If I can’t minister to the soul, then I can’t do medicine.”

In the past, a clear boundary has existed between religion and medicine: chaplains and pastors visited hospitals to tend to patients’ spiritual needs, while doctors and other healthcare providers were expected to solely treat the physical.

But that line between faith and science is starting to blur, as more healthcare providers and hospitals incorporate spirituality into patient care.

From Bible studies for healthcare workers to prayer time with patients and meditation classes at hospitals, faith is playing a more prominent role in the healthcare setting — and for a good reason, experts say.

“Science is telling us clearly that when you activate your spirituality, various things happen in the body that help you heal better in times of disease and distress,” said Dr. R. Murali Krishna, president of the James L. Hall Center for Mind, Body and Spirit in Oklahoma City. Krishna and others founded the center 10 years ago, hoping to increase patient awareness about the mind-body connection, he said.

“We don’t really talk about one particular religion or dogma — what we talk about is spirituality, connecting with a higher power,” Krishna said of the center’s focus.

The center offers seminars on meditation, guided imagery and relaxation, in part to help people achieve that connection, he said.

“It helps you access the healing power within yourself,” Krishna said.

Connecting mind, body and spirit

Researchers have actively studied the mind-body connection since the 1960s, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Health.

Studies have suggested that mind-calming practices like meditation, yoga and visualization can help reduce chronic pain, improve immunity, speed wound healing and reduce stress, which in turn improves health.

More researchers are now looking into whether similar results come from prayer, church attendance or strong belief in a religion. Some studies have indicated that spiritual beliefs and practices can improve the mental and physical health of the chronically ill and the sick elderly, improve patients’ ability to cope with pain and distress and protect against depression.

Patients seem to want to talk about spirituality and faith with their doctors, according to a 2004 survey that appeared in the Annals of Family Medicine. The survey found that 83 percent of respondents wanted their doctors to ask about their spiritual beliefs, and a majority wanted those beliefs to be considered when planning treatment.

Some local doctors routinely take a “spiritual history” of their patients.

Leibert, for example, often asks questions like “Do you go to church regularly?” and “Do you pray?”

“It gives me an idea of where they are (spiritually), and how it affects them physically,” he said.

A spiritual history can help doctors tailor treatment to the individual patient, said Dr. Linda Villarreal, an Edinburg internist.

If a patient is suffering from symptoms related to stress, for example, she’ll suggest prayer or meditation depending on what the patient believes, she said.

Faith is important to many of her patients, Villarreal said.

“In our Hispanic culture, there’s a strong faith component,” she said. “Talking about that with my patients Â… there’s a sense of comfort in it.”

Leibert said his patients rarely turn down the chance to pray with him when asked. He has prayed with people of all faiths and doesn’t try to change their beliefs, he said.

“I don’t go into the office to change them — I just go to love and care for patients,” Leibert said.

Separation of church and medicine?

Some experts, however, are concerned about doctors bringing religion into office visits and the possible ethical implications.

When questions about religion turn into evangelism, or when a patient feels pressured to pray or conform to the doctor’s beliefs, that’s when the inquiries cross the line, said Richard P. Sloan, psychiatry professor at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital at Columbia University Medical Center in New York. Sloan is the author of Blind Faith: The Unholy Alliance of Religion and Medicine.

“That’s capitalizing on the vulnerable status of patients,” Sloan said. “We want patients to do what physicians say when it comes to medical matters. Â… When (doctors) pursue a different agenda, a religious agenda, it’s a real danger.”

Questions about religion can invade patients’ privacy and also cause feelings of guilt and remorse — hardly a burden a sick person needs, Sloan said.

“There are substantial ethical concerns in trying to link religion to medicine,” he said.

“Nobody, least of all I, want to dispute that religion brings comfort in times of difficulty. But that doesn’t justify bringing religious practices into medicine. The best solution is for (doctors) to allow people to express their religion without interference.”

Krishna said he thinks prayer in the doctor’s office is a good idea only if the patient’s beliefs are consistent with that practice.

“If we’re imposing our belief system on them, then it’s crossing the boundary,” he said. “We live in a world where people believe different things, and boundaries are important.”

Doctors should inquire about patients’ spiritual beliefs, whatever they are, Krishna said.

Having that information can help doctors offer better advice and help establish a connection with the patient, he said.

Properly used, spirituality is a valuable tool in health care that could improve outcomes for many people, Krishna said.

“It has enormous healing potential,” he said. “It’s a complement for modern medicine, not a replacement.”

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Melissa McEver covers health and environment issues for Valley Freedom Newspapers. She is based in Harlingen and you can reach her at (956) 430-6252. For this and more local stories, visit www.themonitor.com.