Probability of survival was then estimated by examining the survival rates of children with similar disorders who received standard medical care. The conditions included dehydration, diabetes, epilepsy, measles, pneumonia, and appendicitis. In one dramatic case of preventable death, a two-year old girl choked on a banana and died an hour later while her parents frantically called members of the religious circle to pray for the child. They did not seek medical help. Despite the tremendous progress modern science has made in treating disease, some groups continue to look outside of medicine for health care.
Children are often the innocent victims of such decisions.
David B. Larson, M.D., directs the National Institute for Healthcare Research, a non-profit group that investigates the role of spirituality in health. The majority of the scientific findings show that religious commitment has a beneficial effect on health. However, we have found that religion can have very negative health effects for those at the extremes - particularly when religious fervor leads to the neglect of standard medical care.