Recent research has demonstrated improved patient outcomes when spirituality is incorporated into medical practice. Yet, addressing spirituality is often neglected. It may be overshadowed by the challenges of time constraints and prioritizing care, and many health care providers simply do not have the comfort level, specific tools or skills needed to incorporate spirituality into the hectic pace of modern day healthcare delivery. This full day, regional conference provides the knowledge, skills and tools for addressing patients’ spiritual needs for best practices in any health care setting.
The keynote speaker will be Christina M. Puchalski, MD, MS, FACP, founder and executive director of George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health. Discounted registration is available through September 7th.
See the link above for more information and to register.
I’ve been reading the daily devotionals the magazine from InTouch Ministries for over 10 years. Below is an excerpt of an article by Robert Bruce titled Confessions of a Couch Potato from this month’s issue.
“The most important thing I’ve learned since starting this (running and fitness) journey is that my health and my faith are not part of two separate worlds. For most of my life, I’ve pretty much eaten whatever I wanted and lived a fairly inactive lifestyle—all while trying to be a “good Christian.” I never saw the connection between physical fitness and faith, though the two are inextricably linked. Paul said that our bodies are temples designed to glorify God (1 Cor. 6:19-20). In other words, the way we manage our physical health affects our spiritual well-being.”
In the article, Bruce shares how he embarked on becoming fit through becoming a long distance runner. I was able to relate well to his comments because I have been running since I was in high school for over 40 years. More importantly I appreciated his insight into the connection between his health and his faith, as that is the focus of my writings and speaking.
Running is probably not the right choice of physical activity for everyone, but it’s one vehicle you can use to take good care of your physical health. The important thing is that we do something on a regular basis to move our bodies… to care for the temple that they are for God’s Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
So, go move your body. Go for a walk. Then read Bruce’s entire article on page 26 of this pdf file in the June 2010 issue of InTouch Magazine.
Questions for Reflection on Spiritual Fitness
How physically fit are you?
How spiritually fit are you?
How well are you caring for and honoring your body, the temple of God’s Spirit?
Over the past few days I’ve been reflecting on how I might simplify the message I’ve been writing and speaking about. My thought has been that the more concise I can articulate this message, the easier it will be to explain to others and for them to understand. With that in mind, I thought I’d share this condensed version with you.
An Inspiring Day
As I’ve pulled this together, all my senses have been engaged. I’ve been sipping on a few cups of great tasting coffee, listening to the trickling of the water in our small fountain, hearing the birds chirp, listening to a playlist of soft, instrumental Christian music on iTunes, feeling the warm spring air as it breezes through an open window, and seeing the bright sun shine on the trees and flowers in the back yard. It’s been quite an inspiring morning and early afternoon!
Understanding the Faith and Health Connection
This is, I believe, the essence of the faith and health connection:
This is a somewhat creative attempt to capture my ideas on many of the key aspects of the connection between one’s faith and their health. I used a mind mapping website to create this. It has limitations, but I’m pretty pleased with the connections it allows and the associated graphics.
Any feedback you’d like to provide would be appreciated.
Osteoporosis is the most widespread degenerative disease in the developed world, afflicting 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men over 50.
Despite the accumulating evidence for a connection between depression and decreased bone density, official authorities, such as the US National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization, have not yet acknowledged depression as a risk factor for osteoporosis, due to the lack of studies in large samples.
A study of several research efforts including thousands of people by Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers has shown a clear connection between depression and a loss of bone mass, leading to osteoporosis and fractures. The results, say the researchers, show clearly that depressed individuals have a substantially lower bone density than non-depressed people and that depression is associated with a markedly elevated activity of cells that breakdown bone (osteoclasts).
What the Bible Says
God inspired writers of the Bible to share his truth and principles about the connection between our emotional and spiritual health and our physical health. Take a look at the following verses related to this topic:
“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22
“A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.“ Proverbs 14:30
“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.” Proverbs 3:7-8
“My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak.” Psalm 31:10
What You Can Do
Seek to have a cheerful heart.
If you’re carrying bitterness towards someone, forgive them.
Have a reverential fear of God and his principles, and turn away from evil and sin.
If you’re jealous towards someone, ask God to take that nature away from you. Be content with what you have and trust God to provide for your most basic and deepest needs.
If you are a believer in Christ, turn to God in a more dependant and surrendered way and allow his Spirit to have more influence and control of your thought life and attitude. Ask him to change you… to transform you from the inside out. (Romans 12:2)
As we walk with God in a personal way, following his commandments and principles out of love, we are able to become more and more like his Son, Jesus. This transformation brings us greater inner peace, gentleness and joy. This often goes hand in hand with good physical health.
God seems to make it pretty clear in the Bible – the guidebook he has given us to live by. Perhaps this is the best explanation concerning the link between depression and bone health.
Questions to Reflect On
What has your experience been regarding depression and bone health? Can you personally see a link between the scriptures listed above and your health?
I’ve had a wonderful opportunity to spend some time with students at North Greenville University over the last two weeks. The school, affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention, is tucked up against the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains about a short drive south of Asheville and southwest of Charlotte, NC.
I was fortunate to spend two class periods with 12 students discussing spiritual fitness and wellness as Terry Sellers, a professor in the Science and Biology department, asked me to supplement his course, ‘Emotional, Mental and Spiritual Wellness’ with my material. For the most part, I used content from the workshop package “Your Personal Wellness – What’s Faith Got to Do with It?”
I am encouraged that the students were very interested in discussing how the spiritual, emotional and physical aspects of health and wellness are intertwined. They appreciated the opportunity to take the Spiritual Fitness Assessment that I’ve developed and talk about the relevance of the various Spiritual Exercises in their personal lives. As a followup discussion to that, we spent most of the second class discussing how the application of other Christian principles might affect their emotional and physical health. We used the poster presentation I made at this year’s annual meeting of the Society of Spirituality, Theology and Health as a springboard for this discussion. They had a difficult time selecting the 10 most relevant principles of the 41 I identified in my presentation. It made for a lively and worthwhile discussion!
As I think about my time with these young adults, I am encouraged that they had some time dedicated to reflect on and discuss the interrelated nature of our spirit, soul and body and the relevance to their personal lives. I’m also thankful that the professor and the school leadership made a decision to dedicate some time for this topic.
The discussions I was able to have with Terry before and after the classes were also insightful and helpful to me as, among other things, we talked about ways that I might go deeper with the insight that God has given me in the area of spiritual fitness.
Obesity and diabetes levels are still on the rise. That’s according to the State of the States Report released this week.
According to this Gallup Poll, my state, North Carolina had a nearly 2% increase since last year. Twenty eight percent of North Carolinian’s are now obese – a Body Mass Index of 30 or greater. (Calculate your own BMI) Almost 12% of the people in North Carolina have diabetes – the 9th highest state.
Obesity Rates in America - 2009
Certainly, many people in our country die of weight-related problems each and every day. These deaths are preventable. Let’s take a deeper look.
There are many factors that contribute to the high obesity and type 2 diabetes rates in our nation. Access to health care, the environment, annual income/poverty level and heredity all play a role. But the cornerstone of these two conditions are physical activity and eating habits. The bottom line is that these two lifestyle choices most contribute to both of these conditions and they are almost totally under one’s control. These are choices we make, day in and day out.
Faith and Health
High levels of body fat and high glucose both represent a form of “death.” The Bible tells us that we have a choice. We can choose between life and death. In the Old Testament, God tells his people -
“Look, today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse! You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today. But you will be cursed if you reject the commands of the Lord your God and turn away from him and worship gods you have not known before.” Deuteronomy 11:26-28
Later in the same book, God continues to share his instructions about the choices we have between life and death. He says “Today I am giving you a choice between life and death.” (Deut. 30:15) In verse 19 he urges us “Oh that you would choose life, that you and your descendants may live.”
We Can Choose "Life" or "Death"
We all have choices to make each and every day or our life – all throughout the day. We can make choices that are life-enhancing or death-enhancing; good health-enhancing or poor health-enhancing. The choice is ours.
With God in our life in a big way, it’s easier to make healthy choices. It’s easier to make the countless healthy choices that are important in managing our weight. But even that begins with a choice. We must make a conscious choice to involve God in our life day in and day out. It really all begins with this decision.
The more diligent we are in involving God in our life, the more strength he will provide for living and making wise and healthy choices. God can enable us - empower us – to choose to be more active and to eat more nutritious food. One key to this is to relinquish control of your life to God and to live in a more surrendered way to him.
The Bible tells us that God’s Spirit lives in us if we have accepted Jesus into our life as our Savior. Imagine, God lives in us. When we relinquish control to his Spirit, it is actually God that is empowering us as we live. In this case, it is God’s Spirit that helps us to get off our seats and be physically active. It is his Spirit that prompts us to buy and eat healthier food. His Spirit gives us greater discipline. It is God’s Spirit that comforts us when we are stressed and feel like opening the refrigerator and eating a carton of ice cream or devouring a box of cookies.
My hope and prayers for all of you who might struggle with your weight is that you lean more heavily on God and a deeper faith to assist you in making healthier lifestyle choices. That you’ll make a conscious choice to tell him in your prayers that you need his help and that you are unable to make these desired changes on your own.
I hope that you will experience the love of God in it’s full measure and that that you will be empowered by God to make the kind of healthy changes in your life that you might want to make. See the verses in Ephesians 3:16-19
Questions To Reflect On
If your health is impacted by your weight, what lifestyle changes could you make that will help you lose weight?
How much are you really depending on God to help you with these changes?
Does God’s Holy Spirit live in you that he might enable you to make any desired changes in your life?
Struggling with life as well as your weight? Desire to know God in a personal way? Desire to have God’s Spirit in your life to empower you to live? Read about God’s love.
I’m pleased to announce this free 1-hour webinar, or online seminar, on September 3rd, at 7:00 PM EDT. As of Wed, Sep 2nd, we have over 40 people participating. Hope you’ll join us.
My intent and heart is to provide an overview of the Spirituality-Health Connection from a Christian faith perspective in an interactive session. I’m looking forward to using this technique to share my insight about this very interesting and relevant topic. Hope to meet with you on the 3rd!
Topics Covered will Include:
God’s Design for Man – How the spirit, soul and body interact
Your Most Basic Needs – How your choices affect our health
Life, Stress and Your Health
Spiritual Exercises for a Healthier Life
You can pre-register for the webinar by providing your email in the box below. After you register, you’ll receive a confirmation email with details on how to join the Webinar on the day of the event. (A phone number and link to view and hear the presentation will be provided.)
POWERPOINT FOR PURCHASE
Preview this 85-slide package. Includes permission to administer a Spiritual Fitness Assessment & a 30-page booklet, Spiritual Exercises for a Healthier Life. Fully customizable.
Shenandoah University and Valley Health are sponsors of a one-day conference titled Spirituality: Weaving Wholeness Into Healthcare on October 27th, 2010 in Winchester, Virginia.
I want to pass along a link that I also made available here a year ago at this time.
Over the past few days I’ve been reflecting on how I might simplify the message I’ve been writing and speaking about. My thought has been that the more concise I can articulate this message, the easier it will be to explain to others and for them to understand. With that in mind, I thought I’d share this condensed version with you.
What the Research Says
