Religion and Medicine - Explaining the Unexplained

Abstract The roots of medicine lie in religion and spirituality. In ancient times, it was the priests who were the healers. The early hospitals were also established and managed by them. Medicine was initially targeted to provide relief and palliation. Subsequently the focus shifted to cure and especially with the emergence of evidence-based medicine. There was dissociation of medicine from religion and spirituality. However there is significant evidence that religion and spirituality may benefit patients suffering from wide range of diseases. On one hand, integration of religion and spirituality in modern medical practice is gaining momentum, while on the other hand, there are still unanswered ethical issues. Although this alignment is time demanding, more so now than ever before, a lot more is yet to be done.