[AKA_Monet]

Although as a responsible research scientist and I would be unable to condone using a form of prayer to SOLELY treat any horrendous illness, there are scientific research articles in top journals that show the benefits of prayer (and meditation) to relieve pain, induce a "trance like" status and "the power of positive thinking". The psychologists call it the PLACEBO effect and most clinical trials for new experimental drugs include the "sugar pills" in randomized patients...

I have never seen an athetist turn very quickly to spiritual or agnostic when hit with a chronic or terminal illness... I guess the absoluteness of death permeates one's psyche when faced with it's ultimate occurrence...

So in some ways, prayer or meditation (and the research that I am referring to studied with Zen Buddhists monks), has some relevency to the overall "quality of life" issues with seriously ill people...

Look, say what you want, but I just had the opportunity to see a man in the critical care unit hooked up on 50 machines to test if his heart could handle a surgical procedure... The M.D.'s found that he cannot... So there is something to be said about how one lives there life and the stress it causes...

Stress reduction is what?