A religião como alternativa complementar no tratamento das neoplasias mamárias: as interfaces da influência do líder espiritual.

Abstract

Religion is an object of study for humans in the quest of achieving of the essence in humanity. Finding religion as an alternative to their problems, the faithful find spiritual leaders as main guiding in the pathological process. In this case, it is unknown whether spirituality and religion used as a complementary alternative for the treatment of breast neoplasms attenuate the suffering of illness, so it is necessary that the medical and religious care occur simultaneously during the care to the patient. This study aimed to analyze the limits and possibilities of influence of the spiritual leader for the patients who seek religion as a complementary alternative to the oncological treatment of breast tumors. It is a qualitative study methodologically based on historical and dialectical materialism, carried out with 19 patients diagnosed with breast cancer at a hospital school and philanthropist in the city of Campina Grande, Paraiba. After data collection began the analysis of the empirical material though the technique of discourse analysis proposed by Fiorin. In this context from existing contradictions it enabled to get the essence of concrete thought, visualizing two analytical categories (religion and their interfaces in facing breast cancer and spiritual leader: limits and potential of its influence on coping with breast cancer) and seven empirical categories (religion and faith as alternatives for dealing with breast cancer, religious practices used as treatment for breast cancer, faith in God as their therapeutic possibilities and cure of breast cancer, the church promoting religious practices for relief from suffering, treatment provided by spiritual leaders to face the breast neoplastic process, healing therapeutic alternatives motivated by spiritual leaders on the breast tumors and denial the assistance of spiritual leaders in the face of breast cancer). This study made it possible to elucidate the religious therapy has been used as a supplement for the treatment of breast cancer, which should emphasize the union of religion and science on the coping of the breast cancer process of individuals, once the spiritual leaders have limitations and potentials to motivate religiosity against the illness.