The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that terminal cancer patients with religious faith are more likely to resort to heroic measures to prolong life than their secular counterparts. (see the NIH publication, Medicine Plus)
TUESDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) — People with advanced cancer who turn to their religion to help them cope are more likely to use aggressive measures to prolong their lives at the end, new research shows.
Published in the March 18 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study found that those who turn to their faith for comfort during their illness are significantly more likely to use intensive lifesaving measures, such as mechanical ventilation.
"In a large study of terminally ill cancer patients, we found that patients that rely more heavily on religion to cope are about three times as likely to get aggressive medical care in the last week of life," said study author Dr. Andrea C. Phelps, a senior medical resident at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
Phelps said the study wasn't able to address the question of why people who rely heavily on their religion might be more apt to use any lifesaving measure available, but there are several possible theories. One is that, "they may be more optimistic because they have faith in God, and their religious faith may provide them hope near death," Phelps said. Another possibility is that those who lean on their religion "may want all measures to extend the length of their life because they believe in the sanctity of life." (emphasis mine)
Almost nine in 10 cancer patients involved in a recent multi-center study said that religion and spirituality were important to them in handling their diagnosis, according to background information in the study.
Intensive life-prolonging care was defined as the use of mechanical ventilation or cardiopulmonary resuscitation during the last week of life.
Those who reported a high level of religious coping were much more likely to use intensive life-prolonging measures than those with low levels of reliance on religion for coping — 13.6 percent vs. 4.2 percent. Just over 11 percent of those with high levels of religious coping were placed on mechanical ventilation compared to 3.6 percent of those with low levels. The rate of resuscitation for those with high levels of religious coping was 7.4 percent compared to 1.8 percent of those with low levels of religious coping.
"Many people, within the framework of their belief system, want to make sure we're giving God every opportunity to see if something can change in the course of care," said the Rev. Percy McCray Jr., director of pastoral care and social services at Cancer Treatment Centers of America's Midwestern Regional Medical Center in Zion, Ill.
"People who are religious or faith-based don't want to prematurely give in to the idea of cancer. They want to know that they did everything they could do; they want the sense of having fought," he said. (emphasis mine)
Phelps said this study shows physicians how important religion can be to their patients. "Doctors need to recognize that religion is central in how many people make their decisions, and we need to be really sensitive to this and open to talking about it," she said. At the same time, she said, patients need to let their doctors know that faith is important to them and that it's playing a role in how they adjust to a terminal illness.
Interesting. One would have thought that a strong religious faith would in fact equip a devout person with greater strength and equanimity to face death than those with secular materialistic beliefs. So, why would the religious be more willing to prolong life? (Remember Terri Schiavo) The report speculates on some possibilities. I would like to add a few more.
- Religious people are more satisfied with their earthly lives and therefore more reluctant to let go.
- Afraid of death, many hold fast to the idea of eternal life but when faced with the impending end, begin to waver in their faith.
- Having internalized the concept of heaven and hell, perhaps some are just afraid that the neighborhood where their life after death will be spent lies on the wrong side of the celestial tracks.
Accidental Blogger 
5 responses to “Lust For Life”
The correct answer, I suspect, is “All of the above,” although I wonder whether anybody ever imagines he or she will end up tearing out hair and gnashing teeth. There is also the possibility that religious people are by nature delusional, less capable or willing than others to confront the reality of mortality. But then, gosh, most people are not very eager about acknowledging the end with a cold, clear eye.
I don’t know why this sort of study makes me uncomfortable. It has something to do with the facile identification of “religious people” with “people who rely heavily on their religion” or “who turn to their faith for comfort.” I am skeptical, for instance, about the purported strong religious core of the American populous. Yeah, we have a bunch of church-going loons running around…but we also have a bunch of Nordstrom half-yearly sale loons running around. It seems to me that there are very few really religious people in America. The problem, of course, is getting at the meaning of “really.”
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Consider that in many of the cases, the decision to ventilate or prolong life by any and all means available, is most often delegated to the near and dear of the patient.Even while the patient may have consented to such measures prior to deterioration of health, it’s the patient’s family that thinks and decides for them when things come to a head- and the family, quite understandably, would not want to let go without a fight.
Some of it may be cultural and financial constraints as well as religious beliefs that contribute to an unwillingness to let them go gently.
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My theory: “religious people” tend to be control freaks.
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Following is some information from Wikipidia about the practice of Santhara among the Jains. This religious practice has nothing to do with illness.
Santhara (also Sallekhana, Santhara, Samadhi-marana, Samnyasa-marana), is the Jain religious ritual of voluntary death by fasting. Supporters of the practice believe that Santhara cannot be considered suicide, but rather something one does with full knowledge and intent, while suicide is viewed as emotional and hasty. Due to the prolonged nature of Santhara, the individual is given ample time to reflect on his or her life. The vow of Santhara is taken when one feels that one’s life has served its purpose. The purpose is to purge old karmas and prevent the creation of new ones.
According to the Press Trust of India, on average 240 Jains practice Santhara until death each year in India.
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Jain people says “live and let live”. they won’t live others and live rich
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