I find it puzzling why some "academics" as they are referred to here, are so anxious to disprove the existence of a higher power.
This study was mainly by religious people. The author is a firm believer that prayer on the part of the patient is beneficial, and he works at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (a combination Jewish and Methodist hospital). And two of the participating hospitals were Baptist.
I do think this controlled study gave strong evidence that third-party prayer does nothing. However, other studies do show that prayer on the part of the patient does help. On the other hand, so does meditation. It's not about a deity helping a recovery, but about the mental state of the patient. The mental state of the patient is a known factor in health care, and both prayer and meditation put the patient in a mental state that helps recovery.
So in the end, go ahead and pray. It can't hurt, but prayer on the part of the patient does help.
Simple.
Academic atheists are typically arrogant narcissists who condescendingly "speak down" to other people.
They angrily defy all things Judeo-Christian because they know they will be judged in the hereafter, but pretending it away allows their conceited shallowness to endure.
They are in for a big surprise when they die.
> I find it puzzling why some "academics" as they are referred to here, are so anxious to disprove the existence of a higher power.
What I find puzzling is your belief that that was their goal. Consider two possibilities:
1) The researchers find no correlation between prayer and effect. Result: Shrug.
2) Researchers find Evidence Of God. Result: Nobel prizes all 'round. Buckets of money. Scientific knowledge of a staggering order. Groupies. Some idea regarding eternal life.
Scientists are humans. The results of #2 would be more appealing than #1.