Qom University of Medical Sciences Journal

Recently, there has been a tremendous surge in scientists and health care providers working in the field of religion and spiritual medicine and their therapeutic effects. Prayer and worship as “the most important” spiritual and religious activities and with a very old history have not yet attracted adequate attention of professional researchers. In this review study, the effects of religious activities on treatment trends of patients with different diagnoses have been investigated utilizing related literature and online resources.  Results of this study support the hypothesis that prayer, worship and other religious activities associated with therapeutic interventions have a positive and favorable influence on the clinical course and outcome of many diseases. Based on these findings, many researchers studying in this field suggest that religious and spiritual activities can be effectively used as an adjunct to medical treatment.