Faith, Spirit & Science
Weaving Belief into Treatment Choices
When Alzheimer's enters your family's life, the weight of decision-making can feel crushing. You're suddenly responsible for choices you never imagined having to make—choices about medications with unfamiliar names, clinical trials with uncertain outcomes, and treatment paths that stretch into an unknown future.
And if you're a person of faith, you're carrying an additional question that many doctors never ask: How do I honor what I believe while navigating what medicine offers?
Some families lean heavily on medical data, research studies, and clinical trial results. Others find their compass in prayer, scripture, meditation, or spiritual practice. Many of us walk somewhere in between, seeking a way to honor both the science that informs our minds and the faith that steadies our hearts.
Here's what I've learned through my own journey with my mother, and through walking alongside dozens of other families: Faith and science don't have to compete. They can complement each other, guiding choices that honor both your beliefs and the best medical evidence available.
Why This Balance Matters
In Alzheimer's care, the decisions you face aren't simple yes-or-no questions. They're complex, nuanced choices that involve:
Starting or declining disease-modifying medications like Leqembi or Kisunla—treatments that can slow progression but require regular infusions and careful monitoring
Joining a clinical trial—becoming part of the research that will help future families, but with unknowns about side effects and efficacy
Choosing comfort-focused care over aggressive treatment—prioritizing quality of life and peace over potential disease modification.
Deciding who will speak for you if you can no longer make decisions yourself
Determining what "quality of life" actually means for you and your loved one.
These choices are rarely black and white. They live in the gray spaces where medical facts meet personal values, where hope wrestles with fear, and where what's possible must be weighed against what's meaningful.
Blending faith and science allows you to ask not just "What is medically possible?" but also "What aligns with who we are and what we believe?"
Faith and Science: Two Lenses, One Goal
Think of it this way:
Science offers the data—how a treatment works, what the clinical trials showed, what the risks and benefits are, and what the MRI results indicate.
Faith offers the perspective—why you might choose this path, how you'll approach the journey, where you'll find peace when outcomes are uncertain, and how you'll hold onto hope when fear threatens to overwhelm you.
For many families I work with, one lens informs the other. They pray for wisdom, then schedule an appointment with their neurologist. They look at biomarker test results, then ask, "What would align with our values and beliefs?" They read the research, then sit in meditation or prayer, asking for clarity.
Neither approach is wrong. In fact, when woven together thoughtfully, they create a stronger foundation for decision-making than either could provide alone.
Real-Life Story: Meet "Marjorie"
Marjorie, 74, came to me after her neurologist confirmed she was eligible for Leqembi. The science made sense to her—she understood how anti-amyloid therapy works, she'd read about the clinical trials, and she met all the criteria.
But she was terrified of the risks. ARIA—the brain swelling and bleeding that can occur with these medications—felt like a terrifying gamble.
"I couldn't sleep," she told me. "I kept praying for clarity, asking God for a sign that I was making the right choice."
Then one Sunday at church, she met another woman whose husband was already on Leqembi. They talked for over an hour after the service—about his experience, about the monitoring process, about how their family made the decision, about the small improvements they'd noticed.
"That conversation," Marjorie said, "felt like the answer to my prayers."
Marjorie decided to start treatment. But she didn't stop there. She also committed to daily prayer and gratitude journaling as part of her healing journey. On infusion days, she brings her prayer book. When she's waiting for MRI results, she meditates.
"For me, it's not either/or," she explained. "God gave us doctors and medicine and brilliant researchers. But God also gave us the peace that passes understanding. I need both."
Quantum Healing: Where Science Meets Spirit
Last week, I wrote about Quantum Healing Meditations—guided practices that blend neuroscience, quantum physics principles, and spiritual wisdom to support healing at the deepest levels.
This is another beautiful example of how science and spirit can work together.
Quantum Healing Meditations don't replace medical treatment. They complement it. When you're sitting in that infusion chair every two weeks, when you're anxious about your next MRI, when you're worried about what tomorrow will bring—these practices give you tools to calm your nervous system, reduce stress, and activate your body's natural healing responses.
The science shows us that stress hormones like cortisol can interfere with healing. Meditation, prayer, and intentional breathing practices lower cortisol, reduce inflammation, and support immune function. That's measurable. That's real.
But these practices also offer something science can't quantify: peace, connection, hope, and the felt sense that you're not alone in this journey.
If you'd like to explore Quantum Healing Meditations designed specifically for Alzheimer's patients and caregivers, you can find them on my website or through my upcoming book, which includes both written meditations and QR codes linking to audio versions.
Questions to Help Weave Faith into Medical Decisions
If you're trying to navigate this intersection of faith and science, these questions might help:
1. What does my faith or belief system say about health, healing, and the use of medicine?
Different faith traditions have different perspectives. Some emphasize divine healing and prayer as primary. Others see medicine as a gift from God, a tool for healing that should be used alongside faith. Some focus on surrender and acceptance of God's will, whatever that may be.
There's no single "right" answer. What matters is understanding your beliefs and how they inform your choices.
2. How can I bring prayer, meditation, or reflection into my decision-making process?
This isn't about making decisions based solely on feelings or spiritual impressions. It's about creating space for both information and intuition, both research and reflection.
You might:
Pray before major appointments, asking for wisdom and clarity
Meditate after receiving new information, allowing it to settle
Journal about your fears and hopes, exploring what feels true for you
Seek counsel from trusted faith leaders who understand your medical situation
3. Am I seeking guidance from both trusted faith leaders and medical experts?
You don't have to choose between your pastor and your neurologist. Bring both into the conversation.
Many faith leaders are comfortable discussing medical decisions and can help you think through how your beliefs apply. Most doctors, when approached respectfully, are open to understanding how faith influences your choices.
4. What would help me feel at peace with my choice, even if the outcome is uncertain?
This might be the most important question of all.
In Alzheimer's care, there are no guarantees. Treatments might work beautifully—or they might not. Clinical trials might show promise—or they might show nothing. Faith doesn't eliminate uncertainty, but it can give you a foundation to stand on when everything else feels shaky.
What would you need—spiritually, emotionally, relationally—to feel at peace with your decision, regardless of how it turns out?
Real-Life Story: Meet "David & Ruth"
David, 68, was invited to join a clinical trial for a promising new Alzheimer's treatment. The science was compelling—early results showed significant cognitive improvements in trial participants.
But his wife, Ruth, was hesitant. Not because she doubted the science, but because she believed God would guide them to the right decision, and she wanted to make sure they were listening.
"I didn't want us to rush into something just because it sounded good on paper," Ruth told me. "I wanted to know it was right for us."
They spent a week in prayer. They also spent that week researching—reading the trial protocol, talking to the research coordinator, learning about the monitoring requirements, and potential side effects.
Then they met with the doctor together.
"The science answered our heads," Ruth says. "It gave us the facts we needed to understand what we were considering. The prayer answered our hearts. It gave us the peace we needed to say yes."
David enrolled in the trial. And Ruth says her faith continues to steady her when fear creeps in—when they're waiting for test results, when David has a bad day, when she wonders if they made the right choice.
"I remind myself," she says, "that we prayed, we researched, and we felt peace. That has to be enough. The outcome is in God's hands, but we did our part."
Practical Ways to Integrate Faith and Science in Alzheimer's Care
Here are some concrete strategies families have found helpful:
Before Major Appointments
Start your day with prayer, meditation, or whatever spiritual practice grounds you. Ask for wisdom, discernment, and peace. Write down your questions and your intentions.
During Medical Appointments
It's okay to say to your doctor: "My faith is important to me, and I want to make sure my decisions honor both the medical evidence and my beliefs. Can we talk about how these two things work together?"
Most doctors will respect this. If yours doesn't, that might be a sign to find a new doctor.
After Receiving New Information
Don't make immediate decisions. Give yourself time to process—both intellectually and spiritually. Sit with the information. Pray about it. Meditate on it. Journal about it. Talk it through with people you trust.
Invite Faith Leaders into the Process
Ask your pastor, rabbi, imam, or spiritual advisor if they'd be willing to join a family care meeting—either in person or virtually. Having someone who understands your faith tradition can help you think through the spiritual dimensions of medical choices.
Use Reflective Journaling
Write about what you're learning medically and what you're sensing spiritually. Sometimes patterns emerge when you see both kinds of information on the page together.
Seek Support Groups That Welcome Both Perspectives
Look for caregiver support groups that honor the intersection of faith and medicine. My Thursday and Saturday Care Circles welcome people of all faith backgrounds (and no faith background) and create space for these conversations.
Ask for Plain Language
Tell your medical team: "Can you explain this in terms I can really understand? I need to be able to reflect on this spiritually, and I can't do that if I don't fully grasp what you're saying medically."
Create Rituals Around Treatment
If you start infusions or join a trial, consider creating small rituals that honor both the medical and spiritual aspects. Maybe you say a prayer before each infusion. Maybe you bring a sacred object with you. Maybe you practice a specific meditation afterward.
These rituals can transform medical procedures from something you endure into something meaningful.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Not Talking Openly with Your Doctor About Your Beliefs
Many people worry their doctor will judge them for bringing faith into medical decisions. But most doctors appreciate understanding what matters to you. It helps them provide better care.
If you don't tell them, they can't support you.
Making Decisions Too Quickly
When you're scared and overwhelmed, it's tempting to just make a decision and be done with it. But Alzheimer's decisions deserve time—time to research, time to pray, time to reflect, time to consult with people you trust.
Obviously, don't delay unnecessarily. But also don't rush when you don't have to.
Feeling Pressure to Choose What Others Would Choose
Your faith is yours. Your values are yours. Your journey is yours.
What your sister would choose, what your church friend chose, what "most people" do—none of that matters as much as what feels true and right for you.
Ignoring Either Science or Faith
Some people lean so heavily on faith that they ignore medical evidence that could help them. Others lean so heavily on science that they dismiss the spiritual dimensions that give their life meaning.
The goal isn't to choose one over the other. It's to let both inform your path.
Expecting Certainty
Neither faith nor science can guarantee outcomes in Alzheimer's care. Faith doesn't promise miracles (though miracles sometimes happen). Science doesn't promise cures (though treatments are improving).
What both can offer is guidance, clarity, and peace in the midst of uncertainty.
The Bottom Line
Faith, spirit, and science can work together beautifully in Alzheimer's care.
Science offers the knowledge to guide your mind—the data, the research, the clinical evidence, the measurable outcomes.
Faith offers the wisdom to guide your heart—the values, the meaning, the peace, the hope that carries you through the hardest days.
Together, they can help you make choices that feel both medically sound and spiritually aligned. Choices you can live with. Choices that honor who you are and what you believe.
You don't have to abandon your faith to embrace medical treatment. And you don't have to reject medical treatment to honor your faith.
You can hold both. And in the holding of both, you might just find the clarity and courage you've been seeking.
Need Help Balancing Medical Facts with Your Personal Beliefs?
I help families navigate Alzheimer's treatment decisions in a way that honors their faith, values, and the best available science. I've walked this road myself with my mother, and I understand how hard it is to make these choices.
If you'd like support as you figure out your path—whether that's starting treatment, joining a trial, or choosing comfort care—I'm here.
📅 Book your free 10-minute clarity call: https://www.memorytreatmentadvisors.com/schedule
memorytreatmentadvisors.com/schedule
🧘 Explore Quantum Healing Meditations:
Designed specifically for Alzheimer's patients and caregivers, these guided practices support healing at the intersection of science and spirit.
📖 Join our Care Circles:
Thursday evenings at 7 PM and Saturday afternoons at 2 PM. A safe space to talk about the challenges, the fears, the hopes, and the questions—including how faith fits into this journey.
You don't have to walk this road alone. And you don't have to choose between your head and your heart.
There's a path that honors both.
Teri Youngdale is the founder of Memory Treatment Advisors and Alzheimer's Survivor. She has been her mother's study partner through Leqembi clinical trials since 2019 and is passionate about helping families navigate Alzheimer's treatment decisions with clarity, courage, and care.
