More than two years ago, Dr. Vipin Mudegowder, currently a resident in pulmonary and critical care medicine, was struggling to navigate a demanding internship in the intensive care unit. Witnessing trauma and the fragility of life had begun to take a toll on his health; he found it hard to lift himself out of depressive thoughts.
That’s when he decided to embrace a spiritual routine. He began meditating for a few minutes every day and hasn’t stopped since. According to him, this simple lifestyle change has helped him reclaim his well-being.
He has come a long way from being an anxious and depressed intern to an optimistic, caring, full-time doctor assisting in the emergency room, he shared with The Epoch Times in an interview.
In any case, almost everyone—whether a believer, agnostic, or atheist—tends to probe the realm of spirituality when things go really wrong with health, according to Dr. Kyle Gillett, a dual board-certified physician in family and obesity medicine.
All factors, whether physical or metaphysical, become personal when people start looking for answers to their own health problems.
Religious Services Tied to Longevity
According to a review published in the Review of Religious Research, participation in weekly church services provides a “protective effect against risk of death that is comparable in scope to the harmful effect of smoking a pack of cigarettes a day—about seven years.”“Religious attendance may be more cost-effective than statins,” the author wrote.
Prayer and Meditation Influence Brain Health
In 2024, a research team analyzed the association between prayer and mental well-being in the United States. The study examined how various dimensions of prayer correlate with different indicators, such as happiness, depression, anxiety, a sense of control, purpose, and dignity. It found that positive emotions experienced during prayer were associated with greater overall mental health. In contrast, negative emotions experienced during prayer were linked with raised levels of depression and anxiety.Gillett told The Epoch Times that the studies on prayer show that it leads to an objective improvement in physical health.
“There is certainly something to it,” he said. “We don’t necessarily know why, but even medical science is publishing more and more clinical literature on the benefits of faith and prayer.”
Religious Beliefs Lower Inflammation
Inflammation is a natural protective response of the immune system toward infectious agents; however, if it lingers on for long, it is not a good sign. C-reactive protein (CRP) is one of several markers of inflammation, and raised CRP levels are associated with an increased risk of multiple health issues, such as heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, age-related macular degeneration, and a higher risk of psychological distress and depression.How to Train Your Spiritual Muscles
For beginners who are wondering how to start working on their spiritual fitness without feeling overwhelmed, Mudegowder and Gillett recommended starting gradually to build and train one’s “spiritual muscles.”Mudegowder said spirituality isn’t just about being a religious believer; it is more about what your inner world looks like. According to him, to embark on the path of true spirituality, one should first start cultivating a compassionate bearing: being kind to others and oneself.
He encouraged engaging in random acts of kindness. A compassionate person can even win the hearts of people who don’t care about virtue, Mudegowder said, while rudeness can push away even those who share the same faith.
Gillett said developing spiritual fitness requires a progressive overload strategy, similar to that of weight training. Gradually increase the load and repetitions to build stamina and muscles, as lifting weights beyond your capacity won’t help you grow.
The key is to choose a “spiritual load” that you can handle but that still makes you somewhat uncomfortable so that you keep pushing yourself. For instance, rather than jump-starting a long meditation session, start meditating for a few minutes a day; let your capacity for meditation grow gradually.
Gillett emphasized that total health reflects the harmony of the body, mind, and soul and that you can’t treat one without treating the other. Every individual is unique, and doctors, hand in hand with their patients, should custom-design health plans that don’t shy away from an individual’s spiritual needs.
- What’s your purpose in life?
- What have you, your family, or friends done to set goals or New Year’s resolutions that go beyond the physical realm?
- What types of faith or belief systems do you have?
He said to start with spending a significant amount of quality time, at least once a year, writing down your life purpose and life goal, what reasonable steps you have taken to achieve them, and what steps you can take to improve.
“Think of it as a quality improvement and quality assessment project,” he said. “You can call it metaphysical health if you‘d rather do that. You can call it spiritual health if you’d rather do that—whichever term you like better.”
Then, have monthly meet-ups with your people—your social group—where you share your thoughts and doubts, ask hard questions, see where you are falling short, and ask how to overcome your challenges.
Spiritual and religious dimensions have already been associated with increased psychological and physical health, including higher levels of life satisfaction. Maybe it is time to slow down, take a moment to reflect on your life situation, and see what meaningful change you can make to optimize your well-being.
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