Our minds have far more to do with our health and well-being than most doctors appreciate - and, dare we whisper the phrase, so does our 'spirit'.
There have been literally hundreds of studies that suggest we are far more than the naked ape of the neo-Darwinists, such as Richard Dawkins, who continue to ignore these results, and their philosophy is the poorer for it.
Two more landed on our desk this week. The first tells us that people who have religious beliefs, and who practise them in their everyday lives, can ward off Alzheimer's disease.
This echoes earlier studies among heart patients that found those who were involved in their community, and who had spiritual beliefs, had far fewer heart problems.
The second tells us that hypnotherapy is standard practise in Saudi Arabia for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). After 12 sessions of hypnotherapy, the sufferers' quality of life had improved 'significantly' - and that was among the men more than the women, thus killing off a myth in passing.
And perhaps some doctors are waking up to the importance of the spiritual in healthcare. A 'belief scale' has just been translated into Greek, and it's already something that can be used across other languages and cultures in a way that's measurable.
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