Matthews D A, Marlowe S M, MacNutt F S
Arthritis/Pain Treatment Center, Clearwater, Fla, USA.
South Med J. 2000 Dec;93(12):1177-86.
Many individuals pray during times of illness, but the clinical effects of prayer are not well-understood.
We prospectively studied a cohort of 40 patients (mean age, 62 years; 100% white; 82% women) at a private rheumatology practice. All had class II or III rheumatoid arthritis and took stable doses of antirheumatic medications. All received a 3-day intervention, including 6 hours of education and 6 hours of direct-contact intercessory prayer. Nineteen randomly selected sample patients had 6 months of daily, supplemental intercessory prayer by individuals located elsewhere. Ten arthritis-specific outcome variables were measured at baseline and at 3-month intervals for 1 year.
Patients receiving in-person intercessory prayer showed significant overall improvement during 1-year follow-up. No additional effects from supplemental, distant intercessory prayer were found.
In-person intercessory prayer may be a useful adjunct to standard medical care for certain patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Supplemental, distant intercessory prayer offers no additional benefits.
许多人在患病期间会祈祷，但祈祷的临床效果尚未得到充分理解。
我们对一家私人风湿病诊所的40名患者（平均年龄62岁；100%为白人；82%为女性）进行了前瞻性研究。所有患者均患有II级或III级类风湿性关节炎，并服用稳定剂量的抗风湿药物。所有患者都接受了为期3天的干预，包括6小时的教育和6小时的直接接触代祷。19名随机抽取的样本患者在6个月内每天接受来自其他地方的个人的补充代祷。在基线时以及之后1年中每3个月测量10个关节炎特异性结局变量。
接受亲自代祷的患者在1年随访期间总体有显著改善。未发现补充性远程代祷有额外效果。
对于某些类风湿性关节炎患者，亲自代祷可能是标准医疗护理的有益辅助手段。补充性远程代祷没有额外益处。
