Religion linked to lower blood pressure
19 May 2006 by Sean
Now we have scientists saying people should find more gawd in order to be healthy. Okay… What’s unfortunate here is that there are only two options on the table: “gawd” or “no gawd.”
Okay, that’s the last straw. We rationalists need to come up with something that’s just as compelling and comforting as belief in a magical sky daddy who will take all your fears away. Once we have that, people will flock to it, become just as healthy — and at the same time remain loving and tolerant of others — thereby making the world a safer, saner place to live.
Shit.
We’re fucked, aren’t we?
Religion linked to lower blood pressure
NEW YORK, May 18 (UPI) — A U.S. study of 5,302 African-Americans found those who participated in religious activities had significantly lower blood pressure.
“Cardiovascular health disparities among African-Americans are widely recognized, and hypertension is the most prominent risk factor in the development of cardiovascular disease in African-Americans,” said study author Sharon Wyatt of the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
“Our findings show that the integration of religion and spirituality — attending church and praying — may buffer individuals exposed to stress and delay the deleterious effects of hypertension. These practices can be useful for individuals to incorporate into their daily lives.”
… The findings were presented Wednesday in New York at the 21st Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Society of Hypertension.
However, once you do have some kind of heart disease, apparently praying doesn’t do shit for you. At least other people praying on your behalf, that is.
What’s with all these studies anyway?
19 May 2006, on 6:54 am
Yeah, um, call me crazy, but isn’t it just a little bit possible that we could hiave higher blood pressure because we have to deal with their goofy bullshit all day every day?
We wouldn’t have high blood pressure if dumbass theists weren’t trying to destroy American Democracy, trying to gulag gays and us and now brown people, inexplicably. If they were crying about being persecuted in a country where they are the STAGGERING majority. If they were trying to force bullshit creationism in a bad suit into SCIENCE classrooms. If they weren’t going over seas and enying aid to people in need but who won’t convert. If they weren’t constantly coming here with their canards, strawman and absurdities and then LYING about us and THEN crying about us being mean when they have their ignorant asses handed to them. And . . .
Whew. I need to sit down. No wonder my blood pressures high.
>:) Actually, it’s not. But, you get the picture. Perhaps lower blood pressure in theists is not proof that religion is beneficial but that it keeps their head so far up their asses that they can’t smell anything but their own stink so they don’t know how far gone things are. Or their happy about it, in which case, fuck them.
19 May 2006, on 7:11 am
I wonder what the average blood pressure is for groups of patients in a psycho ward? Or for people in a coma? How about the mentally retarded?
Besides, this study doesn’t say that non-believers have high blood pressure, it just says that out of a group of african americans, those who regularly go to church had lower average blood pressure than the group as a whole. I wonder if one of their survey questions was to see if the person identified as an “atheist” ?
19 May 2006, on 8:39 am
I prefer high blood pressure to delusion.
19 May 2006, on 8:46 am
Besides, this study doesn’t say that non-believers have high blood pressure, it just says that out of a group of african americans, those who regularly go to church had lower average blood pressure than the group as a whole. I wonder if one of their survey questions was to see if the person identified as an “atheist” ?
DING! Lya and Randy get to go on to the bonus round. Nice.
When scientific claims hit the media, run for cover. One or two questions about the procedures and methods for the experiment can negate so much of the bullshit of the overall claims, which, after questioning, will become (conveniently) much more ambiguous.
19 May 2006, on 11:54 am
Might be a ‘placebo effect’ going on here. Humans are social beings, after all (pesky little primates that we are). So, a church congregation is a social support network for an individual and the worship service itself might be somewhat cathartic of stress (thinking that black churches tend to have energetic services and lots of great music).
I’ll bet a person that has a circle of supportive friends/family and meditates to relax would have also tend to have lower blood pressure (meditation does not have to be religious in content).
19 May 2006, on 2:47 pm
Ya’ll need to understand where this study is coming from, Mississippi. I live here, though I am not a native to this state. Take any study or anything from Ole Miss with a grain of salt. I can’t wait to move to southern New Hampshire/northern Massachusetts.
19 May 2006, on 4:14 pm
Ok folks is this a great surprise? One of the benefits of faith is that many (not all) get to unburden themselves. Prayer, confession, and the sense of community will reduce stress; delusion has it’s benefits. Until we come up with a secular alternative to the community benefits of religion, we will never get people to give it up. And spinning this particular subject up our bullshit quotient, though we have along way to go before we get near theirs.
19 May 2006, on 8:57 pm
“The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one.”
George Bernard Shaw
19 May 2006, on 9:06 pm
Righteous quote, Polecat!
19 May 2006, on 9:06 pm
Great quote, Polecat. Awesome.
20 May 2006, on 2:04 am
Welcome Hilary and Polecat!