There is no proof that faith helps people get better when they are ill.

But….there are lots of stories that say that people who have some sort of faith develop posititive thinking and attitudes about their illness. They then recover faster than those who are more gloomy and pessimistic in their attitudes. This is as true for both usual medical care and alternative medical care (e.g. homeopathy).

Faith and healers
People have lots of choices about who to go to when ill, some examples include:-

People who are gifted with abundant natural energy and/ or healing powers

Orthodox medical workers (e.g. your GP or nurse, or physiotherapist)

Acupuncturists

reflexologists

Success is more likely when the person has trust and faith in the person giving the treatment.

Religious faith happens because people try and understand life?s unanswerable questions ? like

· ?why is there suffering??
· ?what happens when you die?.

To answer these sort of questions, people may believe in a superhuman, extra-terrestrial power, or powers that govern the universe. People with religious faiths will be reverent about this, like, through worship or deference.

Other people don?t hold such beliefs, but put their trust in things like
· the collective goodness of humanity,
· earth?s rhythms (see Gaia)
· or in a particular political system.

People may believe in these with the same intensity and independence from proof, although they are not religions.