Exercising… With God?

By Cindy Williams, RN

Coordinator, Health Ministries

“Pure air, sunlight, abstemiousness, rest, exercise, proper diet, the use of water, trust in divine power – these are the true remedies.” The principles in this quote from Ministry of Healing has formed the basis of Adventist lifestyles and health programs for well over 100 years. We have been looking at them in the context of our immune system and COVID-19 in many of these health tips. There is a lot of research and data validating the benefits of most of these “eight doctors.” What about trust in divine power, specifically its impact on the immune system? Is there evidence supporting it as a remedy?

Yes! A study published in 2011 in the International Heart Journal found that listening to weekly 30-minute sermons lowered levels of inflammation and reduced hospitalization for cardiovascular disease, cerebro-vascular disease and pulmonary disease in very elderly persons. Older participants in religious services had lower mortality and lower levels of interleukin-6 (an inflammatory marker) according to a study published in 2004. A number of other studies published between 1999 and 2019 revealed that people with immune systems that are compromised by cancer or viral infections, such as HIV and hepatitis, have better immune function when they are engaged in religious activity. One randomized controlled trial even showed that spiritual interventions actually improved immune functions in those with viral infections.

Harold G. Koenig, a psychiatrist and researcher, published an article in the May 14 2020 Journal of Religious Health. Its title is "Maintaining Health and Well-Being by Putting Faith into Action During the COVID-19 Pandemic." He talks about the evidence that anxiety and fear negatively affect our immune systems and that positive emotions have the opposite effect. 

Galatians 5:22 and 23 (NLT) says “the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Furthermore, “perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). These are positive emotions that are produced in us as we submit our lives to Christ. We don’t have to try to generate them on our own. They are a gift!

Koenig’s suggestions for those who want to stay healthy during this pandemic include:

• Develop a stronger relationship with God through prayer, meditation, reading and memorizing Scriptures, music, and listening to inspirational programs.
• Look for and take advantage of opportunities to serve others in practical ways. There are many ways to do this with very minimal, if any, risk to your own health and safety.

These sound like great ideas for all of the time, not just during a pandemic!

References

Ministry of Healing, page 127.2

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22008440/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15367066/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18540736/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7224109/#:~:text=This%20research%20shows%20that%20religious,functions%20necessary%20to%20resist%20infection.

This article is part of a continuing series of health during these COVID times. For other articles, please see www.uccsda.org/healthministries.

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash