It’s a part of my paleo fantasy, it’s a part of my paleo dream

That said, it's interesting that the paragraph you quoted doesn't mention the word "prayer" at all. It refers to "spiritual well-being." Earlier in that page it pointed out that spirituality "is often expressed through religion and/or prayer"", but it doesn't say that it's the prayer which leads to any change.

More specifically, it also says that "Meditation, twelve-step work (as practiced in Alcoholics Anonymous and similar groups), and seeking meaning in life all involve spirituality. Even simple practices such as silent observation, listening, or gratitude can become part of an open-ended spirituality that can infuse everyday life. Some people express their spirituality by spending time with nature, doing creative work, or serving others."

It notably doesn't say (as you suggest) that prayer is an effective method to reduce stress, nor does it say that prayer is any more effective than 'spending time with nature' or 'doing creative work.' (To that list I'll add 'talking with a counselor.')

So I don't understand your point. That page doesn't show that prayer "works", except perhaps as pallative treatment for those who already believe that prayer is effective. But then that's not very surprising, is it? And other forms of palliative care would also be effective. Perhaps even more effective?

You must certainly acknowledge that "spiritual well-being" as given on that page is a rather broad term. Telling a patient to spend time relaxing in the mountains, as an example of spending time with nature, is not specific to alt.med. Indeed, a century ago, going to a spa in the countryside, where one could get away from the stresses of life was the common treatment for well-off people with tuberculosis, 'consumption', and other hard-to-cure diseases. So it's not like these suggestions are foreign or even recent to standard medicine.

(Though once we figured out how to cure tuberculosis, this treatment for tuberculosis disappeared. That's why palliative care is different than treatment.)

Also, don't you find the circular reasoning rather odd? As you quoted, "those who reported spiritual well-being were able to cope more effectively with terminal illnesses and find meaning in their experience", but as I quoted in the second paragraph, "seeking meaning in life [involves] spirituality." In a rather direct sense it says that those who seek meaning are more able to find meaning in their experience. Should anyone be surprised about that?

I also think the idea that one should "find meaning in their experience" is a biased term. What meaning is there in going through cancer treatment? Other than the obvious - a combination of genetic and environmental factors, plus random chance lead to having cancer, and it's pain in the ass to get cancer treatments - why should anyone seek a deeper meaning?

Of course, if you think the universe is constructed around you, perhaps because there's a God or universal spirit who intercedes on your behalf and 'works in mysterious ways', then perhaps thought, prayer, and reflection might help revel that hidden meaning, or perhaps help you accept that it's all for the best. But then it's rather biased metric, because those who don't think there is meaning to cancer will also tend be those who don't have a religious or spiritual faith.

Do you agree with this argument? If not, why not? If both std.med and alt.med make the same recommendation then what's "alt" about alt.med? Otherwise I continue.

You point out that prayer is effective. I respond that intercessory prayer has not been shown to be effective, despite several large-scale experiments. Yes, prayer can be part of palliative care, since it might make some people feel better. But palliative care is not treatment.

It also leads to questions like, is reading a good book on the topic of death or dealing with terminal cancer (as with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibliotherapy) a better, more effective palliative care than telling people to read the Good Book?

You point out that the ACS says that prayer is effective. I point out that you've misread the page, because the ACS page does not say that prayer is effective. It only says that prayer is a visible aspect of how some people carry out their 'spiritual life', and that a spiritual life may help some people feel better.

Furthermore, the definition of 'spiritual life' on that page is so ill-defined that it includes, say, the hobbies of a dyed-in-the-wool hard-core reductionist, atheist, anti-CAM person. Which might also be hobbies that a std.med practitioner would suggest. There is nothing "alt" about a doctor suggesting that someone relax by taking a holiday in the countryside, away from computers and phones.

So no, it's not good enough me as evidence that alt.med is effective. Nor should it be good enough for you.

Yes, there are perhaps a dozen dietary supplements and herbs which might be useful. These are overshadowed by the array of supplements on the market that have no redeeming quality except perhaps to enrich the pockets of the multi-billion dollar supplement manufacturing industry.

Which means that yes, Nursie and I are wrong in that there is a thin sliver of possibly useful treatments to come from alt.med. Most interestingly, these tend to be for anxiety and depression, where effectiveness is much harder to evaluate than "can cure a staphylococcus infection." Thin evidence, I say, but I'll concede that sliver.

Your argument though is that those dozen possible treatments justify the entire alt.med industry? Color me doubtful.

You say that I ignore the evidence. What I ask is that you present the evidence. The ACS page does not seem to provide the evidence that you say it does. The ACS page is, of course, a summary and cannot be held up to full scrutiny, which is why, in order to strengthen my argument, I've made references to some of the experimental research papers on the topic, and they concur with my position.

Surely if there is the good evidence that you say there is then you can either find more experimental research with conclusions that strengthen your viewpoint, or can highlight the flaws in the papers I cite, yes?

It helps to pick something that is actually CAM then, and not part of mainstream health advice that has been coopted by CAM. Eating well and getting lots of exercise isn't exactly revolutionary, outside-the-box, non-mainstream thinking.

"Your argument though is that those dozen possible treatments justify the entire alt.med industry?"