EBOOK Handbook of Religion and Health

The Handbook of Religion and Health has become the seminal research text on        religion, spirituality, and health, outlining a rational argument for the connection        between religion and health. The Second Edition completely revises and updates the        first edition. Its authors are physicians: a psychiatrist and geriatrician, a        primary care physician, and a professor of nursing and specialist in mental health        nursing.The Second Edition surveys the historical connections between religion and        health and grapples with the distinction between the terms ''religion'' and        ''spirituality'' in research and clinical practice. It reviews research on religion        and mental health, as well as extensive research literature on the mind-body        relationship, and develops a model to explain how religious involvement may impact        physical health through the mind-body mechanisms. It also explores the direct        relationships between religion and physical health, covering such topics as immune        and endocrine function, heart disease, hypertension and stroke, neurological        disorders, cancer, and infectious diseases; and examines the consequences of illness        including chronic pain, disability, and quality of life.Finally, the Handbook        reviews research methods and addresses applications to clinical practice.          Theological perspectives are interwoven throughout the chapters. The Handbook is the        most insightful and authoritative resource available to anyone who wants to        understand the relationship between religion and health.