Study of the therapeutic effects of proximal intercessory prayer (STEPP) on auditory and visual impairments in rural Mozambique
Loading...
If you need an accessible version of this item, please email your request to iusw@iu.edu so that they may create one and provide it to you.
Date
2010-09
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Permanent Link
Abstract
Background. Proximal intercessory prayer (PIP) is a common complementary and alternative
medicine (CAM) therapy, but clinical effects are poorly understood partly because studies have
focused on distant intercessory prayer (DIP).
Methods. This prospective study used an audiometer (Earscan 3) and vision charts (40 cm, 6 m
“Illiterate E”) to evaluate 24 consecutive Mozambican subjects (19 males/5 females) reporting
impaired hearing (14) and/or vision (11) who subsequently received PIP interventions.
Results. We measured significant improvements in auditory (p < 0.003) and visual (p < 0.02)
function across both tested populations.
Conclusions. Rural Mozambican subjects exhibited improved audition and/or visual acuity
subsequent to PIP. The magnitude of measured effects exceeds that reported in previous
suggestion and hypnosis studies. Future study seems warranted to assess whether PIP may be a
useful adjunct to standard medical care for certain patients with auditory and/or visual
impairments, especially in contexts where access to conventional treatment is limited.
Description
Keywords
audition; complementary and alternative medicine (CAM); intercessory prayer; spirituality; vision
Citation
Brown, Candy Gunther PhD; Mory, Stephen C. MD; Williams, Rebecca MB BChir, DTM&H; McClymond, Michael J. PhD. Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Proximal Intercessory Prayer (STEPP) on Auditory and Visual Impairments in Rural Mozambique. Southern Medical Journal: September 2010, Volume 103, Issue 9. pp 864-869
DOI
Link(s) to data and video for this item
Relation
Rights
© 2010 Southern Medical Association
Type
Article