Judaism and Health

In previous posts I've noted that people of faith are on average happier, live longer, and less likely to commit crimes ("How Religion Benefits Everyone, Even Nonbelievers"), few scholars have focused specifically on Judaism and health. Until now, that is. A recent Research on Religion podcast ("Jeff Levin on Judaism and Health") features epidemiologist Jeff Levin, a Conservative Jew and professor of Epidemiology & Population Health at Baylor University, who has documented that the link between religious faith and good mental and physical health holds for Jews as well (see the cover of his recent book at right). The podcast discusses this link as well as issues such as bioethics, pastoral care, and the contemporary Jewish healing movement. Here's a brief description of the podcast, which can be downloaded from iTunes or accessed at the Research on Religion website (click on the link above):

Judaism is known to be good for the soul, but can it help with what else ails you? Dr. Jeff Levin, an epidemiologist at Baylor University, discusses the connection between Judaism and health. We discuss some of the historical links between the Jewish faith and health, the role of rabbis in sorting out bioethics, the importance of pastoral care to the sick, as well as the contemporary Jewish healing movement.

P.S. Although the positive correlation between religion and health is empirically well-established, it doesn't mean that all people of faith are happy and healthy and secularists never are. That are plenty of exceptions to this general tendency.