Role of Faith healers: A barrier or a support system to medical care- a cross sectional studyRole of faith healers: A barrier or a support system to medical care, a cross sectional study

Abstract

Background and Aims: Faith healing is a method of treating illnesses through the exercise of faith rather than medical methods. The current study was done with the objective to find out demographic variables of faith healers, various conditions for which the people approach them, various practices and processes used and to look for scope of integrated approach to healthcare with faith healers. Settings and Design: RHTC village was a sub center village of PHC Morad. Hence, for the study, all the villages which comes under PHC Morad were selected. The design of the study was a cross-sectional study. Methods and Material: The study was a cross sectional study where faith healers were interviewed based on a semi structured questionnaire comprising of both close and open-ended questions. Statistical Analysis Used: Absolute numbers. Results: Different reasons for which the persons usually came for ranged from supernatural possession, unemployment, family problems etc., and various different processes were used by these healers to solve the problems included giving charms and amulets, personal sacrifices like “ baddha” (Nischay/praan) and many others. Conclusion: The study concludes that faith healers in many conditions and situations became the first point of contact as the faith of the community in these faith healers is deeply rooted.

Perception of the general population on Epilepsy and Antiepileptic drugs: A questionnaire-based study

“…More than 90% of our respondents favored treatment by faith healers as opposed to other fact-findings (19-34%) 2,10,11,14,16 . According to Sharma et al, integrating spiritual healing traditions and medical practitioners at the local level may aid in early referral and the beginning of appropriate therapy 31 .Most of our surveyees believed in surgical treatment for epilepsy, similar to a work by Santhosh NS 7 . Nonetheless, in other investigations, the majority were unaware of the same 13,18,27,30 .…”

Prognostic Awareness in Terminally Ill Cancer Patients: A Narrative Literature Review of the Processes Involved

“…It represents the practice of treating illness through prayers, rituals, and the exercise of faith. 54 In a recent study conducted in Ghana, 55 researchers deduced that the trust in faith healers and positive perception of them is quite high. Faith healers reported that they provide flexibility in terms of location and time to people and that this could be one of the reasons why people are prone to approach them more freely.…”

“… 56 This might lead to delayed treatment-seeking and delayed contact with the medical healthcare professional, which may result in adverse outcomes. 55 For this reason, it has been suggested that faith healers and formal medical institutions could consider working in tandem. 55 , 56 This strategy could be useful for preventive and curative purposes, although the literature lacks insights on the relationship between faith healing and the PA of terminal patients.…”

“…55 For this reason, it has been suggested that faith healers and formal medical institutions could consider working in tandem. 55,56 This strategy could be useful for preventive and curative purposes, although the literature lacks insights on the relationship between faith healing and the PA of terminal patients. Another aspect of spirituality that may favor the well-being of a patient is the sense of belonging and support from the https://doi.org/10.2147/CMAR.S395259…”

The Impact of Fine Particulate Matters (PM10, PM2.5) from Incense Smokes on the Various Organ Systems: A Review of an Invisible Killer

“…[17,18] Incense sticks and incense are generally used to purify the environment with fragrances on various occasions like marriages, rituals, funerals, ghost festivals, and other religious activities, especially in Southeast Asian countries. [19][20][21] The smoke released from incense and incense sticks burning may alleviate an allergic response in some people, via inhalation of micron and submicron particles that cause pulmonary disorders via aggravated oxidative stress. [9,22,23] Earlier numerous investigators have shown the adverse effects of the incense smoke from houses and temples.…”