Lesniak Karen T
Department of Psychology, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, USA.
Altern Ther Health Med. 2006 Nov-Dec;12(6):42-8.
This study was performed to examine the effects of intercessory prayer (IP) on wound healing and related physiological and behavioral factors in nonhuman primates.
Twenty-two bush babies (Otolemur garnettii) with chronic self-injurious behavior (SIB) were stratified by wound severity and matched by total wound area. The animals were then randomized to IP and L-tryptophan or L-tryptophan only for treatment of SIB and related wounds. The IP intervention was conducted in a double-blind, randomized manner. Prayer was conducted daily for 4 weeks. Initiation of prayer was coincident with the first day of L-tryptophan administration. Physiological and behavioral variables were assessed at baseline and end of study.
Following IP/L-tryptophan treatment, prayer-group animals had a reduction in wound size compared to non-prayer animals (P=.028). Prayer-group animals had a greater increase in red blood cells (P=.006), hemoglobin (P=.01), and hematocrit (P=.018); a greater reduction in both mean corpuscular hemoglobin (P=.023) and corpuscular volume (P=.008); and a reduction in wound grooming (P=.01) and total grooming behaviors (P=.04) than non-prayer-group animals.
The results of this study are consistent with prior human trials of IP effectiveness, but suggest IP-induced health improvements may be independent of confounds associated with human participants. Findings may provide direction for study of the mechanisms of IP-induced health improvements in both human and animal models.
本研究旨在探讨代祷（IP）对非人灵长类动物伤口愈合及相关生理和行为因素的影响。
22只患有慢性自伤行为（SIB）的婴猴（加氏婴猴）按伤口严重程度分层，并根据伤口总面积进行匹配。然后将这些动物随机分为接受IP和L-色氨酸治疗组或仅接受L-色氨酸治疗组，以治疗SIB及相关伤口。IP干预以双盲、随机的方式进行。每天进行祈祷，持续4周。祈祷从L-色氨酸给药的第一天开始。在基线和研究结束时评估生理和行为变量。
接受IP/L-色氨酸治疗后，与未接受祈祷的动物相比，祈祷组动物的伤口尺寸减小（P = 0.028）。祈祷组动物的红细胞（P = 0.006）、血红蛋白（P = 0.01）和血细胞比容（P = 0.018）增加幅度更大；平均红细胞血红蛋白含量（P = 0.023）和红细胞体积（P = 0.008）降低幅度更大；与未祈祷组动物相比，伤口梳理行为（P = 0.01）和总梳理行为（P = 0.04）减少。
本研究结果与之前关于IP有效性的人体试验一致，但表明IP带来的健康改善可能独立于与人类参与者相关的混杂因素。这些发现可能为研究IP在人类和动物模型中带来健康改善的机制提供方向。
