Handbook Of Religion And Health

The Handbook of Religion and Health has become the seminal research text on religion spirituality and health outlining a rational argument for the connection between religion and health. The Second Edition completely revises and updates the first edition. Its authors are physicians: a psychiatrist and geriatrician a primary care physician and a psychiatrist and theologian all with advanced degrees in epidemiology and public health. The Second Edition surveys the historical connections between religion and health and grapples with the distinction between the terms religion" and "spirituality" in research and clinical practice. It reviews research on religion and mental health as well as extensive research literature on the mind-body relationship and develops a model to
explain how religious involvement may impact physical health through the mind-body mechanisms. It also explores the direct relationships between religion and physical health covering such topics as immune and endocrine function heart disease hypertension and stroke neurological disorders cancer and infectious diseases; and examines the consequences of illness including chronic pain disability and quality of life. Finally the Handbook reviews research methods and addresses applications to clinical practice. Theological perspectives are interwoven throughout the chapters. The Handbook is the most insightful and authoritative resource available to anyone who wants to understand the relationship between religion and health."