Faith and Health: Two Sides of the Same Coin

In some capacity, whether knowingly or unknowingly, we move through our lives on a quest for a semblance of peace, love, happiness, harmony, and good health. The sustaining mind/body health behaviors that we regularly integrate may be derived from reputable scientific sources, the media, friends and family, or possibly our own trial and error experiences by which we learn to navigate and cope with life’s inevitable suffering and difficulty.  Scientific inquiry takes a logical, stepwise approach to the investigation of what makes us well, increases our lifespan, reduces disease, optimizes happiness, and enhances activities of daily living.

The findings clearly present having at least a few intimate emotional relationships, expressing and being loved, and serving and taking care of others (a more selfless than selfish life) all positively impact health and length of life. What may be surprising to some, is this health prescription based on science can also be found in the Bible. There the teachings and scripture highlight ways to function, survive, and thrive that are paralleled in the current-day scientific literature (loving, serving, community) covering physiological, emotional, and psychological health. Further correlations are found in both the Bible and the scientific data on the impact of practicing gratitude, forgiveness, and compassion. Researchers have discovered that these practices improve resilience, immune function, outlook, relationships, and self-care. Similarly, biblical teachings are rife with these concepts as if they were written with an awareness of the scientific findings and were determined to guide the reader toward optimal well-being. Finally, the concept of hope or hoping is a relatively new scientific finding impacting health and well-being—as stated in a previous blog post on hope—“Further scientific exploration provides that hope is correlated with better quality of life and purpose, emotional resilience, and social well-being.  Neuroscience research demonstrates that hope causes the brain to release neurochemicals called endorphins and enkephalins, and their effects are similar to that of morphine. Watching someone else receive what they hope for also elevates the release of these feel-good neurochemicals.”—Of course, , in the Bible we find our hope stands on the promises of and our relationship with God. As it turns out the Bible is quite a manual for health promotion, resilience, and well-being—who knew!