Dr. John Spallino does more than treat patients.
He prays for them.
In addition to medication, Dr. Saurabh Chokshi writes prescriptions for patients to take "nature walks three times a week" or "appreciate the beauty of a rose."
When Dr. Michael Cromer senses a patient needs something more than medical attention, he sends up a faith flag.
The business of medicine for some also means attending to spiritual health needs. But mixing church and state of health issues doesn't come without controversy.
The Christian Medical and Dental Associations encourages members to offer "faith flags'' or words that convey their faith and provide the patient an opportunity to pursue spiritual issues with them.
A faith flag might be "I hope God blesses you this Christmas,'' said Cromer, a family medicine doctor. Cromer said he treads carefully, gauging the patient's receptiveness before dispensing spiritual balm.
Although they don't advertise their religious beliefs, Cromer and Spallino said they believe word of their practice style has spread among like-minded Christians who appreciate their nod to a higher power.
Spallino, Chokshi and Cromer believe doctors should nurture a person's spirit as well as their bodies. The Tampa doctors said they broach the subject with patients, being careful not to force anything.
But Dr. Richard Sloan, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University in New York, said discussing religion is inappropriate and violates the doctor-patient relationship. If a doctor expresses a belief that spirituality heals, a person who doesn't get well may think it's because he hasn't been devout enough, Sloan said.
"It's confusing," he said. "It can cause feelings of remorse and guilt."
If a doctor thinks a patient's religious activity is pertinent, he should ask about it while gathering the patient history, Sloan said.
"Do it directly," he said. "There's no need to be devious about it."
But the doctors who focus on spiritual issues said no one ever turned down their offers to pray for them.
The state also has never pursued a complaint against a physician for attempting to pray with a patient, said a Florida Department of Health spokesman.
Treating mind, body and spirit Sickness occurs because a patient's mind, body and spirit are not in harmony, said Chokshi, a cardiologist. To help patients fully heal, "you must open your heart to them and let them open their hearts to you," Chokshi said.
The process often requires a box of tissues, he said.
Health is like a three-legged stool, with the mind, body and spirit each representing a leg, Cromer said. If any of the three are lacking, the stool won't be balanced.
"If someone's spiritual life is out of balance, life is going to be less than it could be," Cromer said.
Chokshi, who practices Hindu, encourages his patients to pray before surgery. If he and the patient are of different faiths, he offers to stand with them as they pray. Later as he operates, he will pray the prayers of his religion.
Prayer is important, Spallino said.
"You can't heal a body without prayer," said Spallino, an internal medicine doctor.
He prays with patients in his office. He also prays each morning for wisdom in treating patients.
The numerous studies claiming links between prayer and good health didn't convince Spallino to use prayer in his practice.
But his faith did.
"I know it because I've seen it,'' he said.
Spallino also believes his convictions give peace and comfort to his patients.
"I'm not God, but I know him," he said. "There's a healing in that."
Although they question studies claiming a link between prayer and good health, Sloan and other critics support doctors' rights to pray for patients -- as long as they do it on their time.
Mixing science and medicine When Cromer started his practice he adopted a philosophy he learned at Oral Roberts University: Medicine is best delivered when science is mixed with prayer.
Although Cromer said he understands patients who rely more heavily on faith than science, he incorporates both.
Patients generally embrace spiritual messages when they accompany state-of-the-art medical care, said Chokshi, a leader in his field who routinely performs cutting-edge procedures.
He would like to convince the business side of medicine of the value of spirituality. He recently took part in a study where some bypass patients received spiritual counseling and others did not. The group that received counseling had fewer incidences of irregular heart rhythms and needed less pain medication, Chokshi said.
If providing spiritual care means people recover quicker and leave the hospital sooner, it has the potential of saving hundreds of thousands of dollars, he said.
Meanwhile, religion and prayer help Cromer cope with stress.
Sharing his faith helps in spiritual and practical ways, he said. Cromer attributes the rapid growth of his practice to his approach with patients.
"I have something to offer that (patients) can't get everywhere else,'' he said.