Factoids:

There is a special role for the spirit when considering "healing" in the total sense of that word. Throughout medical literature and the recommendations of healthcare practitioners, there has always been a call for the healer to care about an individual's emotional and spiritual well-being as well as physical health.

Did you know that "Breath" and "Spirit" have a number of close links in both healing and spiritual circles? Many cultures, religions, and practitioners often use controlled or focused breathing to accentuate a spiritual event. Consider for a minute that the English word "spirit" comes from the Latin word, spiritus, meaning "breath." Other languages making a similar translation include Greek (pneuma) and Sanskrit (prana). The Danish and Chinese languages also tie the breath and the spirit together in the same word. It is interesting to think about a phrase such as the "breath of life" with this understanding of the word. Or as you meditate using controlled breathing, get in touch with your inner spirit.

Contrary to popular views of Yoga - the word "Yoga" is all about the many spiritual disciplines of the Hindu religion (and to some extent found within Hinduism's offshoots: Buddhism, the Sikh and Jain religions). The words "yoga" and "religion" essentially carry the same definition; i.e., "to yoke" ("yuj/yoga") to the Spirit and "to link or bind" ("religio") to the Spirit.

Other interesting factoids:

     * 82% of the U.S. population believe in prayer.

     * 79% of U.S. patients believe that spiritual faith can help one recover from illness, injury, or disease. 63% believed that doctors should talk to them about their spiritual life.

     * In one study, 56% of families identified religion as the most important factor in helping them cope with a loved one's illness.

     * Participation in religious worship resulted in significant reductions in a wide variety of psychiatric symptoms including depression and anxiety.

     * Patients who were visited by a spiritual care provider in a hospital got better faster and enhanced their readiness to return home. This was felt to be because the visits helped them to feel more hopeful.

     *Surveys show that 85% of Canadians believe in God, yet only one in four regularly attend (religious) services. People believe that there are many ways to reflect their spirituality.

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