God, Faith, and Health: Exploring the Spirituality-Healing Connection

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When Dr. Jeff Levin first pointed out the link between spiritual faith and healing in Essentials of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, his theories were met with skepticism. Since then, more and more physicians and patients have come to accept this mysterious link, mostly because of the convincing studies and data that have since been released. Levine's pioneering work has even led to a new field of inquiry, one he calls the "epidemiology of religion." What makes Levin so credible is his detached approach that simply interprets research and never blames people for their illnesses. "Further, the illness, suffering, or death of a particular person in no way should be--or can be--attributed to a lack of faith or not enough spirituality," writes Levin. "Epidemiology is incapable of addressing such issues. What it can tell us--and does very clearly--is that religious involvement deserves to be recognized as one of the significant factors that promotes health and well-being among groups of people."

Unfortunately, what makes Levine credible is also what can make him inaccessible to the average reader. The book is sensibly organized into three parts: the health benefits of religious involvement and spiritual involvement, and then an examination of how these proven benefits will affect the future of medicine. Yet he spends much of the book citing studies and case histories, then listing point-by-point conclusions, making the writing stiffen into medical-journal prose. Levine tries to address the general reader by ending chapters with "Lessons to Consider" and "Questions to Reflect On." But this effort seems tagged on. If you're seeking a book that assembles and synthesizes groundbreaking studies on faith and healing, you'll be greatly rewarded with God, Faith, and Health. If you're looking for a practical guidebook on applying faith to personal healing, this one may be too academic and theoretical. --Gail Hudson

Book Description

A study shows that frequent church attendees report higher levels of well-being and experience less disability, fewer days in bed, and fewer physical symptoms than less frequent attendees . . . Johns Hopkins University researchers learn that monthly religious attendance more than halved the risk of death due to heart disease, emphysema, suicide, and some cancers . . . A study finds that Coronary Care Unit patients who were prayed for by strangers fared better than patients who did not receive prayer.

These are just some of the startling connections between spirituality and health revealed in this inspiring, groundbreaking new book by Dr. Jeff Levin, the scientist who has conducted much of the original research in this increasingly influential area of health and medicine.

In God, Faith, and Health, Dr. Levin explores the latest compelling evidence of the connection between health and an array of spiritual beliefs and practices, including prayer, attending religious services, meditation, faith in God, and others. With examples from spiritual traditions as diverse as Christianity, Judaism, and yoga, he looks with an open mind and perceptive eye at the many ways that religious involvement and belief can prevent illness and promote health and well-being. Drawing on his own and other published studies, Dr. Levin shows how religions emphasis on healthy behaviors and supportive relationships influences ones overall health and how the optimism and hopefulness of those who profess faith promote the bodys healing responses.

Taking us into the fascinating realm of such "paranormal" healing modes as noncontact therapeutic touch, distant prayer, and mystical experiences, Dr. Levin asks if other forces could be at work in many cases of healing. Sharing compelling evidence from recent research, he offers an exciting vision of a new era in modern medicine, one in which body, mind, and something "beyond" mind-call it spirit, a higher power, or God-are brought together to promote health, prevent illness, and bring about healing.

Filled with dramatic personal stories, God, Faith, and Health will alter the way you think about your body and your faith, and will show you the path to improving your own health through spiritual practice.

Customer Reviews:

spirituality and health.......2006-11-03

Excelent resource for the consideration, discussion and further investigation on the subject of science-faith relationship. Spiritual dimension of the human being is a reality that integrates its wholeness and well-being, existentially and scientifically proven.

Wow, what a book.......2001-12-01

This is a terrific book. I've read just about all the other popular books on the connections between spirituality and health (by Koenig, Matthews, Dossey, Siegel, Chopra, Benor, and all the rest) and this is by FAR the most level-headed and scientifically grounded. It seems that everyone writing on this topic is either a conservative religious M.D. or some kind of new age follower. Levin is neither. He's a credible, methodologically skilled scientist who actually did much of the original research he summarizes. I've heard him talk--he's excellent--and this book, like his lectures, focuses on the how & why of a spirituality-health connection. He comprehensively outlines all the possible ways that faith may be connected to health--through effects on behavior, social relationships, emotions, beliefs, etc. He even raises the possibility of some things that a lot of scientists might consider unproven (subtle energies, nonlocality, psi, the supernatural), but he is careful and guarded with his tone and, throughout the book, meticulous with his citations. He always considers both sides of the issue and never overstates things. Plus the book is marvelously readable. When was the last time you could say that about an epidemiologist? Very highly recommended to both science types and laypeople. This guy is ready for the big time.

OK, not too scientific.......2001-11-22

I was hoping for a more scientific book for researching health and faith. This is OK but goes pretty light on the science. A better book, I think, is called Sprituality, Theology and Psychology (maybe not in that order). It ties the three together nicely.

God and Science on the Same Page.......2001-07-11

This is a great book! It pulls together the unbelievably huge amount of scientific research that shows a strong connection between spiritual practices and beliefs and having better health. Levin also shares personal stories of people who have seen changes -- sometimes big changes -- in their lives and health that are linked to prayer and other spiritual practices. One of the most interesting things he finds is that, in terms of health benefits, it really doesn't seem to matter which religious path is followed. The important thing just seems to be that a person connects with God or a religious tradition or a spiritual path of some type. Levin describes health benefits documented in many groups, including Yogis and Buddhists, Catholics, Protestants, and Jews. In general, God seems to be good for us, no matter what we perceive God to be. Why would religion or faith in God be good for health? The book describes all kinds of reasons--from religious people not smoking and drinking to benefits from being in a supportive social group. But the most amazing thing is that these "expected" kinds of explanations for why faith is good for you don't seem to explain the whole picture. Even after these "normal" explanations are taken into account, Levin says that additional benefits of spirituality may come from something beyond what can be measured in scientific studies. That is, the health benefits of connecting to a higher power could have a more "supernatural" explanation. Whatever you believe about the subject, the book makes a powerful case for the importance of spirit in health.

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A valuable critique of mechanistic theories of nature.

The Mystery of Physical Life
E. L. Grant Watson
Manufacturer: Lindisfarne Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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A valuable critique of mechanistic theories of nature........2003-02-12

E. L. Grant Watson has written some fascinating books. I had read his earlier book "Descent of Spirit" which was wonderfully well written with fluid poetical style and possessed both intimate personal experiences of the author in the wilds of northern Australia amongst the Aborigines but also had some very interesting facts regarding some symbiotic relationships between plants and animals and animals and animals. Assuming the current book to be an elaboration of his ideas in this regard I eagerly awaited its arrival. Unfortunately there was considerably less material than anticipated and far too many `flights of fancy' with little to back them up. There were some attempts at a fuller description in terms of the more solid ideas of Goethe (such as the use of the process of exact imaginative participation, unfortunately translated as exact imaginative fantasy, certainly not what Goethe had in mind) although one always felt the author did either not really understand these ideas or was not fully convinced of them and so remained in a kind of nebulous state surrounded by the ideas of other men in a hodge-podge conceptual jungle. There is of course no conclusions on offer or anything to get hold of BUT in his examples of the intricacies of the natural world, particularly the astonishing (to say the least) aspects involved in the `cooperation' between organisms, Grant-Watson brings forth a very important point in regards to the validity of a completely mechanistic evolutionary theory such as that of Neo-Darwinism. As such, this book is not to be dismissed and the salient points made as well as the writings of others, where mentioned, provide a valuable addition to the evaluation of a purely mechanistic theory of evolution.

In the Footsteps of Eve: The Mystery of Human Origins (Adventure Press)

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Absolutely Wonderful!
thought provoking and easy to understand ...
A Good Overview from a Different Perspective
These little apes were our ancestors.
SUBTITLED: Adventures of a Whining Anthropologist....

In the Footsteps of Eve: The Mystery of Human Origins (Adventure Press)
Lee Berger , and Brett Hilton Barber
Manufacturer: National Geographic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0792277287
Release Date: 2001-06-01

Amazon.com

Where did we come from? Though it's been fairly well settled that our species was born in Africa, the debate still rages over our hometown. In the Footsteps of Eve: The Mystery of Human Origins is a beautifully written argument in favor of the southern end of the continent rather than the eastern locations more popular among paleoanthropologists. Author Lee R. Berger's discovery and analysis of 117,000-year-old fossilized footprints of modern humans in South Africa, as well as a wealth of other fossils and artifacts, point to a speciation event in the unique ecosystem found along the Cape. His tells his story lyrically, and the rich descriptions of his finds and reconstructions of past events conjure strong imagery in the reader's mind; unfortunately, the book must rely on these descriptions since illustrations are sparse. Using clear, careful language, Berger explains the differing theories of recent human evolution, how his differs from the Leakey-Johansen model cradling H. sapiens near the Horn of Africa, and where the argument stands as of his writing in early 2000. Capturing the excitement of fossil hunting, the frustration of challenging established authority, and the sheer delight of scientific pursuit, In the Footsteps of Eve finds the mystery of life in ancient dust and rocks. --Rob Lightner

Book Description

Paleoanthropology: the very word sounds daunting, a dry-as-dust, arcane academic discipline -- but nothing could be further from the truth, as this fascinating and provocative book makes clear. In fact, the search for human origins is a passionate, vital pursuit, a world filled with larger-than-life personalities and intense rivalries, a field where sudden insights and imaginative leaps must be backed up by meticulous forensic reconstructions, and competing theories of our evolution may stand or fall on the evidence of a single, million-year-old fragment of bone.

In the Footsteps of Eve, with its carefully reasoned argument, challenges the conventional wisdom of half a century. It suggests that the true cradle of our species lies in the fossil-rich limestone of South Africa rather than in the East African sites where Louis and Mary Leakey revolutionized modern paleoanthropology and where Don Johanson made the discovery of the ancient skeleton immortalized as Lucy. Dr. Lee Berger, a leader of the new generation of scientists whose recent discoveries have reshaped our ideas about human genesis, is an expert and engaging guide who offers a detailed yet always clear and readable overview of the quest for our origins, from Darwin to the present day. He makes a persuasive case for redrawing our ancient family tree.

We join him in deep caves where miner's headlamps illuminate the long-buried bones that are the clues in a detective story that spans more than three million years, and in laboratories where patient researchers spend years assembling tiny shards into the skull of a creature who walked the Earth more than 5,000 generations ago. We sit in on conferences where brilliant scientists engage in intellectual sparring matches as tense as any courtroom drama. And we share the electric thrill when he runs his fingertips across the fossilized footprint of a young human female who walked along a South African beach more than 100,000 years ago -- and suddenly realizes that this extraordinary find may alter our current perceptions of human history.

In the Footsteps of Eve introduces readers both to an outstanding, wonderfully articulate new voice in paleoanthropology and to a bold new theory of our earliest ancestry. Combining hard science and high drama, it is a book as engrossing as it is important.

Customer Reviews:

Absolutely Wonderful!.......2002-10-29

There are so many anthropology books to choose from! Why read this book? Simple. It keeps you hooked from beginning to end and leaves you wanting more! Dr.Berger asks a question that I too would like to know the answer to...Why isn't there more focus on post-cranial evidence? His writing is excellent. I can't wait for Dr. Berger to write more!

thought provoking and easy to understand ..........2002-05-20

I do not have an acedemic background. As a human being curious about our origins, I am always on the lookout for books on this topic. The author is very considerate of its readers, acknowledging that not all have a PHD. The book offers insight into the scientific community's struggle to find a clear path to the modern human. Full of history, theories and political intrigue. Its simply fascinating. I'm inspired to read more.

A Good Overview from a Different Perspective.......2002-04-30

Lee Berger and journalist Brett Hilton-Barber have written an engaging and concise overview of the main events in the discovery and interpretation of human evolution, including the obligatory personality clashes and disagreements. This sort of thing has been covered before in other books, but what is new and important here is the focus on the significance of the South African hominid fossils. One of the unfortunate side effects of the apartheid era in South Africa and the economic and intellectual embargoes imposed upon it was the loss, for so many years, of the knowledge of some of the world's finest hominid fossils. Unearthed and then locked away in vaults, they languished unstudied and undescribed for many years. For students of human evolution, this was literally an undiscovered country. This book is a compelling look at these fossils, and the intellectual journey that Berger embarked on in order to understand them.

Berger chose to go to South Africa at a time when it was considered inappropriate for academics to be seen dealing with that country. He was fully aware of the potential consequences of such a move, including the possibility of being barred entrance to Kenya (and access to its fossils), but for an ambitious student, the attraction of working with original and often previously unexamined hominid fossils was too powerful to ignore. And, as this book clearly illustrates, Berger was nothing if not ambitious.

There has been relatively little work published on the South African fossils since the 1950s (most notably some analyses on their functional morphology), so much of what we see in textbooks regarding them is based on rather old work. As a result, there has been a tendency to pay little attention to the South African material in the popular literature, compared to the accounts of the phenomenal fossils that have been found in East Africa. The fact that the geology and depositional history of the South African cave sites is so enormously difficult to interpret has only added to this inadvertent marginalization, because no absolute dates can be attached to any fossil using conventional radiometric dating techniques. Despite the difficulties, Berger is insistent that the South African hominids are important to our understanding of human evolution, and he is right.

Much of this book is devoted to how Berger arrived at his interpretation of the sequence of early hominid evolution based upon the morphology of Australopithecus africanus, a hominid often assigned to a side branch in human evolutionary family trees. He postulates that A. africanus, and not A. afarensis ("Lucy"), is a direct human ancestor. Even if his particular interpretation remains open to question (there was much he did not mention about how hominid fossil relationships are determined), he has helped to confirm the suspicion that the road to the genus Homo is rather more complicated than once thought. The analysis of hominid postcrania (the skeleton from the neck down) has often shown a sequence of evolutionary adaptation that is discordant with what the study of skulls and teeth alone has suggested. Traditionally there has been a strong bias toward the analysis of craniodental remains to the exclusion of the postcranium, not the least because the former is far more abundant and taxonomically important. The trick is putting these sometimes-divergent lines of evidence together. Berger thinks he has an answer, but time will tell.

The main problem with the book is Berger's rather large ego and sense of self-importance. It is plain throughout that his intention is self-aggrandizement, even at the expense of others, and therefore the attempt to portray himself as a disinterested academic/administrator trying to create the best department he can doesn't entirely ring true. There is a niggling sense that Ronald Clarke was not well treated; perhaps Clarke's fears that Berger would "take over" the Sterkfontein australopithecine skeleton were not unfounded, and Berger's ambition throughout is too apparent to really take his protestations seriously. Berger is out to make his mark in the profession, and make it fast. He also sets himself up as a David facing down the Goliath of scientific consensus, embodied in the form of Tim White and his team of researchers. This may make for good dramatic tension, but the fact is, no matter whose jet the White team arrived on, Berger was under no obligation to submit to an inquisition regarding his work. Most researchers are more than happy to discuss their published work with colleagues, so I sense a bit of descriptive overkill here.

The other big complaint is that a copy editor apparently never laid eyes on the text: It is riddled with an inexcusable number of typos, misspellings of names (of both individuals and fossils) and generally sloppy or nonexistent editing. One wonders if there was pressure on Berger or National Geographic to get the book out fast, for some reason. Nevertheless, there is no doubt of the importance of the material from the caves of South Africa, and Berger has put forth some interesting and provocative ideas about how human evolution proceeded. If one can stomach the lack of polish and Berger's overriding ego, the book provides a valuable insight into an often-overlooked part of the human evolutionary story.

These little apes were our ancestors........2002-03-19

This book brings closer to our imagination the Australopithecs and other ape-like creatures that were our ancestors. A job well done! An honest book as well, as there are many secrets still to be unveiled.

SUBTITLED: Adventures of a Whining Anthropologist...........2001-11-09

This had the makings of a spectacular book...compelling, controversial, educational...on the cutting edge of the Studies of Human origins...and then Berger began whining. And blaming and demeaning other Anthropologists for his hardships. Berger is [perhaps] a brilliant Anthropologist, progressive and fore-thinking in his research and science. But Gee Whiz!!! Can you stop whining about Dart and Leakey and all the others who "Don't Give Me No Respect?" There are times when Berger's "Poor Me" ramblings made me want to throw the book out the window. But the scholarship is so wonderful, I MADE myself finish the book. Controversy is the key to learning but "GROW UP!!" Leakey and the like have had a lock on Fossil Human studies for a long time. Berger's research and intuition make him way beyond those "Fossil" Anthropologists in quality and delivery. And yet he just won't stop whining!! Respect is earned, and hard won, within the field of Paleoanthropology and the study of Fossil Humans and hominids. Berger would surely earn my respect faster with "quiet" suffering of the hardships of presenting a revolutionary and controversial idea while carrying his hugely compelling "Big Stick" of research and quality interpretation of the Fossil record. Genius of a Man attached to a Baby Bottle!!!

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The Human Mystery (Gifford Lectures)
John C. Eccles
Manufacturer: Routledge & Kegan Paul Books Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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THE MYSTERY OF THE PHYSICAL LIFE
E Grant Watson
Manufacturer: Not Specified
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NDCFCU

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The Wrong Side of the Pattern
Kristin Embry Litchman
Manufacturer: Royal Fireworks Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0880923814

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Fifteen-year-old Dorrit feels that she has somehow gotten on the wrong side of the universe. The school has diagnosed her as dyslexic, but her mother and teachers and principal have labeled her as mentally slow, although she is not.

Frustrated by her mother's and school's lack of understanding, Dorrit decides to take the direction of her education into her own hands, and is aided by her brothers. With them, she defines her own skills, talents and goals. She manages to secretly change her slate of assigned special classes to a regular high school schedule with subjects that she feels will challenge and educate her. She believes that her mother will not notice the change until it is too late, and that the school is too mired in paper work to pick it up.

Since the death of her baby sister, from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, Dorrit's mother has withdrawn from family life and has busied herself with committee meetings and action groups and pushing her oldest son to become the doctor who will solve the riddle of SIDS. She is operating in her own skewed version of reality and on the periphery of a mother's role. As Dorrit and her brothers confide in one another and build a closeness, Dorrit's lonely secret is revealed...she was the one who found their little sister dead in her crib and has lived with this memory since, all bottled up within her, in deference to her mother's grief.

Dorrit exhibits a natural knowledge/sense of the working of all mechanical things and she has a wonderful helping of common sense. She excels in music, and is tops in chorus. Algebra is done in her head, and the computer turns impossible cursive writing into a workable printout for her.

Both of Dorrit's brothers understand the problems of dyslexia and appreciate her breadth of abilities. They plan and work with her to overcome the problems by using her strengths. As Dorrit achieves success in school and continues to build a relationship with her brothers and their friends, she finds herself central to restoring her family's old pattern of love and support. She is key to her parents accepting her brother's decision to recast the direction of his life in his own terms, not his mothers'.

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This digital document is an article from SuperScience, published by Scholastic, Inc. on January 1, 2005. The length of the article is 1466 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

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Title: The case of the busted volcano: this month, learn about the properties of acids and bases.(science mystery)
Publication: SuperScience (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2005
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Volume: 16 Issue: 4 Page: 4(4)

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The case of the liquid ice pop: this month, learn about the freezing points of different liquids.(science mystery): An article from: SuperScience

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The case of the liquid ice pop: this month, learn about the freezing points of different liquids.(science mystery): An article from: SuperScience
Nancy Honovich
Manufacturer: Scholastic, Inc.
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Binding: Digital

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This digital document is an article from SuperScience, published by Scholastic, Inc. on November 1, 2004. The length of the article is 1517 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The case of the liquid ice pop: this month, learn about the freezing points of different liquids.(science mystery)
Author: Nancy Honovich
Publication: SuperScience (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 2004
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Volume: 16 Issue: 3 Page: 4(4)

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The case of the nasty note: the properties of milk fat will help crack this case.(science mystery): An article from: SuperScience

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The case of the nasty note: the properties of milk fat will help crack this case.(science mystery): An article from: SuperScience

Manufacturer: Scholastic, Inc.
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This digital document is an article from SuperScience, published by Scholastic, Inc. on October 1, 2004. The length of the article is 1297 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The case of the nasty note: the properties of milk fat will help crack this case.(science mystery)
Publication: SuperScience (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 1, 2004
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Volume: 16 Issue: 2 Page: 4(3)

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Children's mystery rash traced back to pet gerbils. (Five Children Infected).(Brief Article): An article from: Family Practice News

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Children's mystery rash traced back to pet gerbils. (Five Children Infected).(Brief Article): An article from: Family Practice News
Norra MacReady
Manufacturer: International Medical News Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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This digital document is an article from Family Practice News, published by International Medical News Group on May 1, 2002. The length of the article is 729 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

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Title: Children's mystery rash traced back to pet gerbils. (Five Children Infected).(Brief Article)
Author: Norra MacReady
Publication: Family Practice News (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 1, 2002
Publisher: International Medical News Group
Volume: 32 Issue: 9 Page: 37(1)

Article Type: Brief Article

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