The importance of faith in wellbeing
When those of us who consider ourselves either experts or at least enthusiasts in the practice of Lifestyle Medicine talk about the pillars of wellbeing, we trot out the standard areas that even those of us who are neither experts nor enthusiasts are already well aware of: sleep, nutrition, movement, stress & relaxation, relationships. All these are interconnected and important. But for me the missing pillar here (and in my view one of the most important) is having a sense of meaning and purpose in life.
Having a sense of purpose in life (PiL) is associated with a reduced risk of heart attack and stroke as well as protection against declining brain function. In looking at what it means to live a purpose-driven life, we need to consider the issue of faith. There is evidence to suggest the benefits of this too. In 2016, the think tank Theos reviewed 139 studies conducted over 30 years and looked at the association between faith and wellbeing. Three key findings were noted. Firstly, the more genuinely held and practised a faith, the greater the effect on wellbeing. Secondly, having faith gave suffering meaning and provided a framework for coping with life’s challenges. Thirdly, belief alone did not promote wellbeing without personal practice or participation. In other words, it’s much better to be “spiritual but not religious” than the other way around.
A positive correlation has been found between faith and mortality that is probably the equivalent of eating the recommended daily amount of fruit and vegetables or taking a cholesterol lowering medication – good news for those that want to invest in their wellbeing but don’t like the idea of eating kale or swallowing pills. A study conducted at Harvard University found that regular attendance at religious services was associated with significantly lower risk of death from all causes, including cardiovascular disease and cancer. It concluded that ‘religion and spirituality may be an underappreciated resource that physicians could explore with their patients as appropriate’.
My experience as a christian and a doctor
After over fifteen years practising as a GP, I was struggling personally and professionally. Life was tough at home with my oldest son having severe complex epilepsy and a learning disability. He’s the best person I know and a blessing to everyone he meets, but as a family we were suffering physically and mentally with the stress of providing twenty four hour care for him. At work I was increasingly frustrated with the realisation that I was unable to help my patients with the root cause of the majority of their problems using a disease-based medical model. I was prescribing antidepressants and painkillers to people whose physical and mental pain was due to problems medicine couldn’t fix: loneliness, poverty, lack of purpose, and dissatisfaction with life. I came to the realisation that I had to make changes to how I lived my life including how I practised my faith and my medicine. Going back to basics and considering what really matters worked for me. I can’t do anything but share this with my patients otherwise I’m failing in my duty of care to them. If the moment is right, I will talk to them about exploring their sense of meaning and purpose in life and whether they are living in a satisfying way that is consistent with their values. In keeping with professional best practice, I don’t promote my faith but I’m happy to share if asked, which sometimes I am.
The problem with healing
In the church, health is often addressed in the context of miraculous healing. I have a big problem with this. Miraculous healing by its very definition is mysterious and (based on actual objective evidence) rare. Emphasis on this takes control away from individuals who are left dependent on an act of God, rather than understanding the root cause of their health and wellbeing-related issues, taking responsibility where appropriate, asking for help and being able to plan and take control of their destiny. Is curing your own diabetes by changing your lifestyle any less significant than having your back pain or tinnitus apparently cured by prayer? Healing, or at least improved quality of life, is something that should be within the grasp of the many, not the few. With that power and control comes responsibility.
Are we too heavenly- minded to be of any earthly use?
Wellbeing is experienced in body, mind and soul. Attempting to separate these is not just artificial but dangerous. It’s easy to criticise secular society for ignoring the value of faith. However, just as big a challenge needs to be thrown down to the faith community where historically there has been an emphasis on spiritual health whilst neglecting the physical. We would question the credibility of the church leader turning up drunk or hungover to preach but what about that same leader turning up exhausted, malnourished and with dysfunctional relationships? For many years I have seen people publicly sacrifice their physical and mental health on the alter of spirituality, shrugging ruefully as they do so. Sometimes it’s worn overtly as a badge of honour. The fruit of our relationship with God should be observable and measurable. If someone tells me that they have lots of spiritual gifts (such as prophecy, discernment and speaking in tongues), but their physical and mental health, their relationships, their career or finances are a disaster, I would question whether they truly understand what wellbeing really means, and whether they’ve got the balance right. I’m not saying we need to be spiritually or physically perfect specimens. God loves us as we are. We should however be honest works in progress.
If we are to live life to the full, it all comes down to having the right balance. Just as we need to acknowledge our spirituality to fulfil our potential as human beings, we also need to recognize our humanity as being integral to us achieving our true spiritual potential.
Dr Richard Pile is a GP specialist in Cardiology & Lifestyle Medicine. He is also Co-founder & Director of Living Life Better and recently published Fit for Life: Your Guild to Better Health, Wellbeing and Living a Meaningful life, HarperCollins (2021) Richard is also the Clinical Advisor to the GoHealth team, and co producer of The LiFT Programme.