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Is Religion Good for Your Health? takes you deep into the heart of the ageless debate on the importance of religion and faith to physical and mental health. On the one hand, you will learn about important research findings from cross-sectional, longitudinal, and intervention studies that have demonstrated positive effects of religious belief on both mental and physical health. On the other hand, you will learn how the vast clinical experiences of leading health experts suggest that religion can have negative effects on health. Integral to the book's exploration of the relationship between health and religion are the trends that have occurred in society over the last century. You will learn about significant demographic changes, changes in health and health care, and shifts in values, attitudes, and religious conviction, all of which have direct implications for health care providers, the clergy, the "baby boomers," and older adults. From Author Harold Koenig, a leading expert on religion and health who has frequently been interviewed by major broadcasting networks such as ABC, National Public Radio, the British Broadcasting Corporation, NBC, CBS, and "Ivanhoe Broadcast News," you will also learn about:


pathological uses of religion

the need for cooperation and collaboration between health and religious professionals

studies on the relationship of religious beliefs and practice to physical conditions such as blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and cancer

links between religious behavior and depression, anxiety, and drug use

the waning of religion's influence in America

first-hand accounts from patients who have faced painful and/or life-threatening illnessAs Is Religion Good for Your Health? analyzes the pathological aspects of religion, you will begin to understand how religious beliefs have the capacity to strongly influence people's lives and their health, whether positively or negatively. Health care providers, public policy experts, religious professionals, medical researchers, and medical students will find the book's overview of the issues at stake, particularly the implications for our public health care system, crucial to the advancement of health care practice into the next century.

Is Religion Good for Your Health?

Contents

Foreword



Introduction

Mrs. Bernard's Story

Societal Trends in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries

Negative Effects of Religion on Health

Are Americans Becoming Less Religious?

Religion and Mental Health

Religion and Physical Health

Conclusions and Reanalysis

Implications

General Reviews of the Research Literature

Index

Reference Notes Included