Hi Sondra.
As I mentioned, there were more than 700 abstracts under the key words
prayer and/or distant healing in the Medline data base.  The following
are the abstracts (summaries) that appeared in Medline. To see the
entire paper, one would have to find the specific journal in a library.
The abstract to a paper is generally written by the same people who
wrote the paper, who are generally the same people who did the study (or
their long-suffering graduate students).
The following paper by Byrd is the only study reported in Medline that
tested intercessory prayer in a controlled trial.  I caught a snippet of
an interview on TV in which this very paper was being discussed, and the
'expert' said this was the only published paper so far.  Other studies
are in the works.
Byrd RC.  Positive therapeutic effects of intercessory prayer in a
coronary care unit population.  South Med J (1988 Jul) 81(7):826-9
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My concern with studies such as the above is that medical science is
obsessed with measuring things...to the point where it forgets that
things that can't be measured by modern instruments might exist just the
same.  Religion does not require medical science to assess its
legitimacy.
The following paper indicates the value of spiritual health for those
diagnosed with AIDS:
Carson VB.  Prayer, meditation, exercise, and special diets: behaviors
of the hardy person with HIV/AIDS.  J Assoc Nurses AIDS Care (1993
Jul-Sep) 4(3):18-28.
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This next abstract gives a nice description of the compatibility of
religious beliefs and modern medicine:
Hufford DJ.  Epistemologies in religious healing.  J of Medicine and
Philosophy (1993 Apr) 18(2):175-94.
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The next abstract reminds me of things you've said about cancer:
Hawley GR.  THE ROLE OF HOLISTIC VARIABLES IN THE ATTRIBUTION OF CANCER
SURVIVAL.  Diss Abstr Int [B] (1990) 50(11):5369.
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I don't agree with the comment in the above abstract, that those who
attributed their recovery to non-allopathic treatment or to God had lost
their ability to think logically.  These researchers need to learn to
respect their patients, to respect themselves and to respect the human
race.
I enjoyed reading the following because I can relate to the feelings
(and uncertainties) of the people who were surveyed...
Bearon LB Koenig HG.  Religious cognitions and use of prayer in health
and illness.  Gerontologist (1990 Apr) 30(2):249-53
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Here's an interesting survey that reflects the real state of the 'war'
against AIDS:
Sabo CE Paterson MA Carwein VL.  A standardized clinical assessment tool
on the use of alternative therapies by HIV- positive individuals.  Int
Conf AIDS (1996 Jul 7-12) 11(1):19 (abstract no. Mo.B.182)
<<...Results: The results of the survey showed that while only 16% of
the sample used alternative therapies before HIV infection, 100% of the
sample used such therapies after infection. Additionally, there were
strong correlations between groups of therapies suggesting that users of
at least one alternative therapy are highly likely to use other
alternative therapies....>>
This final one is very interesting on the subject of religious
pilgrimages...
Morris PA.  The effect of pilgrimage on anxiety, depression and
religious attitude.  Psychol Med (1982 May) 12(2):291-4.
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I conclude that no one with a physical illness should be discouraged
from praying or going on pilgrimages.  (Nor should people be told to
pray or go on pilgrimages if these are not activities that make sense to
them.)
--- PCBoard 15.2
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