NCI overview explaining that cancer patients may use CAM to cope with treatment side effects, comfort themselves, or try to treat cancer, and that CAM should be discussed with the care team. Used to frame grounding as supportive rather than curative.
Prayer and Spiritual Support
Prayer represents a profound, non-pharmaceutical intervention that aligns with the principles of natural health and the recognition of human consciousness as a real, causative force. In the context of cancer, prayer is not merely a passive hope but an active, measurable biological and spiritual practice that supports the body’s innate healing mechanisms.
Randomized controlled trial of a spiritual intervention for hope and spiritual well-being in people with cancer.
Clinical trial of religious psychotherapy emphasizing prayers for mental health and pain in cancer patients.
Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials evaluating spiritual interventions for cancer-related spiritual, psychological, and quality-of-life outcomes.
Randomized blinded study of intercessory prayer added to normal cancer treatment, measuring spiritual well-being and quality-of-life outcomes.
Study of prayer types, depressive symptoms, rumination, and social support among ambulatory cancer outpatients.
Study of spiritual support, religiousness, treatment preferences, and quality of life among advanced cancer patients.
Qualitative study describing praying, receiving support, and coping with cancer among men with prostate cancer.