It is hard to find a health professional who would not be supportive of intercessory prayers made on behalf of the patient as part of the patient's own religious tradition.  However, the issue of health professionals actually prescribing prayer or spirituality as a complementary medical therapy brings up many ethical issues.  Here are some arguments made by health professionals:

• Physicians should stick to their area of expertise….medicine.  Physicians have great influence on their patients as a result of their medical expertise. Some people argue that it is an inappropriate use of this influence for a physician to provide religious advice or support just as it is inappropriate for the clergy to give medical advice.  Schiedermayer, a physician in support of prayer warns,

"...more than a few patients endow their health professional with godlike powers, and more than a few doctors are willing to assume that mantle of power.  This is an error, and a misinterpretation and misuse of the power of prayer".

• Physicians should stay out of a patient’s personal decisions.        Even if we know that prayer can improve a patient’s health status, it isn’t appropriate for a physician to recommend this as a complementary therapy. This would be similar to a physician recommending a patient get married because we have research showing that marriage is beneficial to health.
• Linking prayer to good health can be harmful.  Some patients may hold the belief that illness is a punishment from God or that God will answer prayers only if you are a good person or deserving of better health. If a person who does not regularly attend church or pray does not get better after having prayed for healing, will they blame themselves for not being holy enough?