ABSTRACT
Adapted, with permission, from Mueller PS, Plevak DJ, Rummans TA. Religious involvement, spirituality, and medicine: implications for clinical practice. Mayo Clin Proc 2001; 76:1225-35
©Copyright 2003 Mayo Foundation
Complementary Therapies in Neurology: An Evidence-Based Approach Edited by Barry S.Oken ISBN 1-84214-200-3 Copyright © 2004 by The Parthenon Publishing Group, London
INTRODUCTION
When people consult clinicians to determine the cause and treatment of an illness, they may also seek answers to existential questions that medical science cannot answer (e.g. ‘Why is this illness happening to me?’)1. Many patients rely on a religious or spiritual framework and call on religious or spiritual care providers to help answer these questions. Indeed, throughout history, religion and spirituality and the practice of medicine have been intertwined. As a result, many religions embrace caring for the sick as a primary mission, and many of the world’s leading medical institutions have religious and spiritual roots.
