Healthcare Faith and Healing

Cultural diversity in the health care setting is increasing each year. Knowing how to care for patients of different religious and spiritual faiths is essential to providing high-quality, patient-centered care. The author of this paper will research three lesser-known religions; Taoism, Sikhism and Shamanism. Through this paper, she will provide a brief background on each of the three religions and present information regarding spiritual perspectives on healing, critical components of healing and health care considerations associated with each religion.

Defining hope can be equivocal and yet it is commonly associated with a particular experience. Hope reflects an individuals moral values, it is required for human survival; hope is often needed when there is a sense of uncertainty for the future (Tanis & DiNapoli, 2008). In healthcare, hope is described as one of the most important concepts associated with spirituality; without it everything else seems to loose its value. Therefore, hope instigates positive adjustment during the dynamic process of recovery (Tutton, Seers, & Langstaff, 2009).

Evidence has linked a strong relationship between spirituality and medicine. There is a positive correlation between a patient’s spirituality or religious commitment and health outcomes. A spiritual assessment as a part of a health assessment is a practical step to incorporating patient’s spiritual needs into practice. The FICA Tool and HOPE Questions provide serve to assist clinicians in the spiritual assessment process. By examining the research done using these tools, it has been determined that the FICA Tool is easy to use and provides basic data on a patient’s spirituality. The FICA tool is both reliable and valid. The HOPE Questions are

The United States has always been the symbol of freedom of religion and health care today has needed to increase its knowledge in incorporating the many different religions/spiritual beliefs in order to provide a more holistic approach to care. As health care providers we should not look in validating our own practice in regards to religion or spirituality but to comprehend and learn to see the patterns of similarities and differences in order to provide holistic care to our patients. As religious and spiritual beliefs are never permanent and are constantly changing and/or influenced by government, thinkers, historical events, technology and the shifting values of cultures the study of religions/spirituality should be continuous for all health care providers. The Native American, Buddhism, and Sikhism have some similar traits and values imbedded in their practiced religions that resemble the Christian Faith and medical providers needs to be aware and able to accommodate them in order to provide holistic care.

This paper provides a comprehensive look at the following faiths: Buddhism, Judaism, Baha’i, and Christianity. The reader will find that Buddhism is more of a philosophy than a religion that focuses on the mind as being the creator of illness and health. The reader will also find that Judaism, Baha’i, and Christianity are all religions that believe in one God, the creator of all. This paper lists various components that each of these faiths may use at one time or another to effect healing including prayer, meditation, chanting, the use of healers, etc. This paper also defines what is important to people

As heath care providers we need to keep mindful of the care we provide to several different religious traditions. It is up to the health care professional to respect and understand the ideals that affect our patients and their family members. In this paper we will compare the philosophies of three diverse faiths. The faiths chosen are Islam, Christian Science and Buddhism, and how they compare to Christianity. We will learn about basic beliefs, spiritual perspectives on healing, and the components of healing such as meditation, prayer and other rituals they follow. Furthermore,

We reflecting the author’s own culture, she like many people in the United States are a blend of many different cultures and ethnicity. By not having one single ethnic culture her family views health traditions based on their religion of Christian Scientist. Being raised in this religion molded views of health promotion, prevention and treatment that influence her health behaviors today. There is a difference of opinion between Christian Science and traditional medical views. “Christian Scientist interpret disease from a spiritual view where medicine interprets disease from a material point of view” (Stoddard, 2010). As a child our family was raised with the belief that good nutrition, physical activity, and the role of positive thinking and mind over matter, would provide health and help us remain strong and healthy. Not having over the counter medications or turning to traditional medicine for simple medical issues was chosen as our families way of viewing illness. Growing up with the view of health and illness as spiritual using techniques such as meditation, prayer and positive thinking, has stayed as a health tradition among our families beliefs and practices to this day. Today modern medicine is looking at the mind as a valuable tool to prepare persons and bodys for wellness and rehabilitation. An example of this would be biofeedback. This is a technique where people are

The Christian faith views death and disease as byproducts of sin and are a part of life due to sinful human nature. Jesus was a healer of people and the followers have followed in His footsteps. The early health care system was started by nuns and other followers in the church (Preston, 2000). By following the teachings of their religion they sought to address health and suffering by taking a holistic approach to healing. By taking into consideration the mental and spiritual, along side the physical, they believe a deeper level of healing can be given. Health is not just addressing the physical symptoms but, helping achieve a peaceful state of mind and having meaningful relationships with those

All throughout history nursing and medicine was based on the roots of Christianity. Many healthcare providers based their practices from the bible “I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me” (Matthew 25:36, NIV). Furthermore, spirituality is an important aspect to remain in our nursing practice. In order to provide holistic care for our patients during their healing process, which includes body, soul, and spirit, Christianity should continue to be practiced with our patients. The purpose of this paper is to discuss my personal worldview based upon the meaning of spiritualty, worldviews, prime reality, human person, the meaning of death, epistemology, ethics, and the meaning of human

쀀쀀e in become more evolved as a nation one of the problem that needs to be address is how to response to diverse faith within our healthcare practices. This essay serves to compare these three different religious philosophies: Yoruba, Hinduism (karma) and Buddhism, to a Christian’s perspective. These religions have wide perspectives but one will key in on health management and what to expect from healthcare point of view while caring for these patients. Yoruba religion is based on nature worshipping and is rooted deeply on respect for the environment. Their divinities is called Òrìsà, when it work is complete they become thunderstorm with lightning. Then the formation of the river adjoining into the ocean all of these actions are classified as divinities (Abimbola 2010). All living things are considered sacred and need to be reverenced. Religion cannot be free from the influence of the culture of the people where it is established, Gaiya substantiating this view wrote that culture and religion are two sides of the same coin and that a change in one affects the other (Awoniyi 2011).One will hear words such as Ori which is the soul or the unconscious mind, Èmí-the divine breathe enclosed in our heart and Òlódùmare, our High God.. (Awoniyi 2011).

For health care providers to deliver the best holistic care that patients deserve, a thorough spiritual assessment must be included during their care. With more research showing a relationship between supporting a patient’s spirituality with their health and ability to cope with illness, it is now a requirement of organizations to include a spiritual assessment to maintain accreditation with The Joint Commission. The minimum required of a spiritual assessment by The Joint Commission is to determine the patient’s religion and

In both Buddhism and Christianity, there are critical component of healing such as prayers, meditation, belief and yoga. In holistic medical care, the medical personnel must take care of all aspect of the patient which includes the body, the emotions and the spiritual. The doctors and nurses should ensure that that they offer all necessary support that is

cure. Hospitals not only have to meet the demands of curing illnesses, but also have to accommodate the spiritual needs and comfort of patients. Hospitals are generally built and organized in the effort to help patients gain support by having the opportunity to turn towards religion during difficult times. Hospitals in general have various religious leaders on call if a patient were to request them. They also have places of worship available to serve as a sanctuary for patients. These places are equipped with sacred texts from different religions such as the Koran, the Bhagavad Gita and the Holy Bible. As described in the article, “Sacred spaces in public places: religious and spiritual plurality in health care”, “These spaces evoked a feeling of sacredness of space and time – a sense of transcendence, immanence or connectedness in the everyday” (Reimer-Kirkham 203). This tranquil feeling can help to relieve the stress of the body, being proved to help the bodies process of healing, or in the case of terminally ill patients, helps them to develop a more positive outlook on what is happening. They are able to turn towards religion as support for the difficult time.

Traditional hospitals using standard medical treatment and Western-educated personnel tend to treat the patient's physical being while ignoring other equally important aspects of the patient and the caregiver. Fortunately, healing hospitals have transformed the concept of healing through the principle of "Radical Love." Recognizing the equal importance of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing for all members of the hospital environment, Radical Love enhances the entire wellbeing of the entire community.

Hope creates a God’s presence and help us persevere in difficult situations. This allows us to channel hope to patients and that they are not alone, God will always be there for them. Patients who lose hope tend to be self-destructive and have no goals in life, this can be detrimental to patient health recover.