Benefits Discovered From Praying. Learn of the benefits prayer can bring to your life. Here are ten.

 1) Improving Outlook Among Prostate Cancer Patients

A study of 367 prostate cancer patients at Memorial Sloan-Kettering
Cancer Center in New York found that those whose religion gave them a
sense of meaning and peace were less likely to experience depression and
coped more effectively with their condition. This impact of religious beliefs
and practice was not changed by age, marital status, or the stage of disease.
source: Annals of Behavioral Medicine

2) Enhancing Recovery From Brain Injury
Researchers at Wayne State University, in Detroit, Mich., looked at
the impact of religion on 88 people who had suffered traumatic brain injury,
examining their function up to 20 years after the injury. Those who felt the
strongest connection to a higher power were least distressed, most satisfied
with their lives, and experienced better recovery.
source: Rehabilitation Psychology

3) Protecting Against Stress
When faced with stressful events, older people with strong personal
religious beliefs do not experience significantly elevated blood pressure,
according to a study at Utah State University. Their reaction is much like
that of people who are 30 or 40 years younger. Other research found thatprayer which fosters compassion and a loving attitude reduces a harmful
stress response in the brain.
source: Annals of Behavioral Medicine

4) Reducing Impact of Chronic Pain
Researchers in Belgium studied 202 people with chronic pain and
found that those who prayed with a positive attitude were less affected by
pain in their daily lives. Although on a physical level, the degree of pain did
not appear to change, patients who prayed were better able to manage it and
had a more positive outlook on life.
source: Journal of Behavioral Medicine

5) Decreasing Alcohol Abuse
People who frequently pray and regularly attend church services
are less likely to abuse alcohol, according to a Duke University study of
nearly 3,000 people between the ages of 18 and 97. Watching or listening to
religious television or radio programs does not have the same impact.
source: Hospital & Community Psychiatry

6) Kids Doing Better in School
Kids who are involved in church activities have higher educational
expectations and are likely to do better in math and reading. The National
Survey of Children’s Health found that school-aged children who attend
religious services at least once a month are half as likely to repeat a grade
than those who attend less frequently.
source: Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion

7) Significantly Lowering Health Risks
Numerous studies have shown that people who hold and practice
religious beliefs with a positive outlook have lower health risks, assessed in
studies with the same types of tests used in medical check-ups, including
weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar.
For example, in a study of nearly 6,000 Californians between the ages
of 21 and 75, attending weekly religious services reduced risk of death and
disease for women to the same extent as not smoking, not abusing alcohol,
or being physically active. Benefits for men, although notable, were not as
pronounced.
source: International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine

8) Making Substance Abuse Treatment More Effective
Strength of positive religious beliefs plays an important role in
recovery from drug and/or alcohol abuse, according to numerous studies.
For example, an analysis of data from Veteran Affairs hospitals showed
that among 600 veterans who underwent a substance abuse treatment
program, those who were most religious were 34 percent less likely to need
readmission for further treatment. Other studies of people who were not
veterans show similar benefits.
source: Psychiatric Services

9) Reducing Risk for Diabetes Complications
In a group of 556 people with diabetes, researchers at the Medical
University of South Carolina found that those who attended religious
services, at least occasionally, were less likely to have chronic internal
inflammation (measured as C-reactive protein). Inflammation indicates
increased risk for heart disease and complications of diabetes.
source: Diabetes Care

10) Recovering From the Loss of a Loved One
Researchers at the University of Michigan found that among 1,723
people age 60 and older, those who believed in a good afterlife were less
likely to develop high blood pressure after the death of a loved one. Thus,
they were in better health.
source: Journals of Gerontology