Some people believe that spirituality and religion does more than ease the soul, others have different opinions. In this essay I will discuss if there is a link between religion and health or is it only an association between health and lifestyle practices.
Spirituality and religion are very essential when it comes to dealing with a major illness. In the article "Developing a nursing perspective on Spirituality and Health" by Violet M. Malinski she says life is composed of a variety of aspects such as mind, body, and spirit. These aspects are woven together to form a pretzel shape, if life was a pretzel it wouldn't matter where you began to eat it, either on the part composed of mind, body or spirit it would all still taste like pretzel. Spirituality is an important part in life that cannot be ignored without affecting the other parts of life. Mind, body and spirit are so intertwined that you cannot isolate one from the other. When the aspects of life are unbalanced we are not considered healthy. What is the body without the mind, and what is the mind without the spirit. These are questions that make you think about the relationship the spirit has on the body and mind. Each of these aspects would be considered useless without the others.
Nurses and other health professionals must understand that spirituality cannot be put off or ignored. "The hospice tradition of a good dying is in which comfort, excellent pain relief, psychological and relational well-being, and pastoral-spiritual care combine to often tame the fear of death." (Religion and Mental Health 22). It should be the health professionals job to make sure that the clients needs are met, this includes spiritual needs. If you ignore a patients physical needs it is considered neglect, but ignoring the patients spiritual needs should also be neglect. In a fact sheet from the Rocky Mountain Family Council it said, "Religion can help you recover from serious injury.
