title: The effect of intercessory prayer on wound healing in nonhuman primates.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was performed to examine the effects of intercessory prayer (IP) on wound healing and related physiological and behavioral factors in nonhuman primates.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-two bush babies (Otolemur garnettii) with chronic self-injurious behavior (SIB) were stratified by wound severity and matched by total wound area. The animals were then randomized to IP and L-tryptophan or L-tryptophan only for treatment of SIB and related wounds. The IP intervention was conducted in a double-blind, randomized manner. Prayer was conducted daily for 4 weeks. Initiation of prayer was coincident with the first day of L-tryptophan administration. Physiological and behavioral variables were assessed at baseline and end of study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Following IP/L-tryptophan treatment, prayer-group animals had a reduction in wound size compared to non-prayer animals (P=.028). Prayer-group animals had a greater increase in red blood cells (P=.006), hemoglobin (P=.01), and hematocrit (P=.018); a greater reduction in both mean corpuscular hemoglobin (P=.023) and corpuscular volume (P=.008); and a reduction in wound grooming (P=.01) and total grooming behaviors (P=.04) than non-prayer-group animals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study are consistent with prior human trials of IP effectiveness, but suggest IP-induced health improvements may be independent of confounds associated with human participants. Findings may provide direction for study of the mechanisms of IP-induced health improvements in both human and animal models.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Karen T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Lesniak
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D029221:Faith Healing / Q000379:methods*; D005701:Galago / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014364:Tryptophan / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D014364:Tryptophan