(Coral Gables, Florida)—The Miami Herald has published a penetrating report on the power of faith in the field of medicine. A top University of Miami psychology professor and researcher, Michael E. McCullough, has been studying the relationship between faith and health—mostly with Christians—for over a decade and believes faith has a huge impact on personal well-being. The caveat? You must be sincere in your faith. Superficiality has no benefits.

''It's kind of hard to find a downside to religion,'' he said, adding that prayer, in particular, is powerful as scientists have found that "images of the brain in prayer resemble that of a person interacting with somebody they love.'' (Photo: www.psy.miami.edu/faculty/mmccullough)

The key, says McCullough, as to how faith actually impacts physical health, is self-control. ''Religious people tend to have good self-control,'' he said, noting that it is that belief in a power higher than one's self that motivates and equips.

Not surprisingly, other attributes of faith that promote health are the ability to forgive and give thanks, even in dire circumstances. According to the report, the regular practice of gratitude—even something as simple as making a list of a few things to be thankful for—can increase happiness more than 25 percent.

For those who might accuse McCullough of being biased (making the assumption that he is a Christian), he is quoted as saying that although he was raised in a ''loving Baptist church," he and his wife are not raising their children in any particular faith.

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Used by permission www.breakingchristiannews.com Jaweed Kaleem - The Miami Herald http://www.miamiherald.com/486/story/995989.html