These three studies have made it possible to study the well-being of 44,000 patients affected by cancer. They have made it possible to highlight that spirituality and meditation improve the physical and mental well-being of patients and can therefore help them to better live their illness and their treatment.
Researchers at the Mofitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida (USA) observed that the most spiritual and religious patients maintained the best mental and physical health. They also seemed more adept at handling day-to-day tasks. These patients reported feeling fewer side effects to treatment, with fewer physical symptoms.
“Patients who best integrated the disease into their spiritual and/or religious journey also had better physical health,” says Dr. Jim, lead author of this study and researcher at the Mofitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida (United States). ).
For the second study, researchers from the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago (USA) looked at the mental health of people with cancer. “Emotional aspects related to religion and spirituality were associated with and more strongly beneficial to mental health rather than the cognitive and behavioral aspects of their practice,” the scientists explained.
The third study reveals the conclusions of a team of researchers from the medical sciences unit of the University of Arkansas (United States) who were interested in the social well-being of patients. It reveals that spirituality and religion play a role in maintaining social relationships. “Spiritual well-being and religious beliefs are indeed associated with better social health, unlike doubt or spiritual emptiness, which are synonymous with loneliness and isolation,” explain the authors of the study.
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