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1. For abdomen pains pray to St Charles Borromeo , a nephew of Pope Pius V and key figure in the 16th century Catholic counter-reformation who improved the morals of the clergy and allegedly attempted to feed 60,000 – 70,000 people a day during the 1576 famine and plague.
2. To alleviate chest pain try St Bernadine of Siena who, by the age of 20, was running his local hospital. When other hospital workers succumbed to plague, St Bernardine ended up in sole charge. He needed two years to recover from exhaustion afterwards. Then he became a preacher allegedly attracting audiences of up to 30,000 to hear his sermons. He's also the patron saint of gamblers and those with lung complaints.
3. For Inflammatory diseases and kidney troubles pray to St Benedict. The founder of Western monasticism, and patron saint of Europe, St Benedict is famous for his “rule” on how to live in a religious community. Written in the 6th century specifically for life in a religious community, the "rule" has been adapted as a guide to family life and how to run a modern business. St Benedict's medal is said to offer protection against the Devil.
4. Stiff necked? Pray to St Urscinius of Saint Ursannne, a 7th century missionary in Switzerland who detested wine and those who tried to serve it to him.
5. Got an uncontrollabe twitch? Pray to St Bartholomew. He's also the patron saint of bookbinders, butchers, cobblers, leather workers, nervous diseases, neurological diseases, plasterers, shoemakers, tanners and trappers. Bartholomew, one of Christ’s 12 apostles, is said to have preached in India and Armenia before his beheading.
6. St Aloysius Gonzaga is the patron saint of Aids sufferers. A Jesuit who caught the plague while tending victims in a hospital in Rome, Gonzaga died aged 23 in 1591.
7. Struggling with drink? St John of God is the patron saint of those with alcohol problems.
Committed to a mental hospital for beating himself in public in repentance for sin,
St John was visited by a preacher, Blessed John of Avila, who advised him to care for others in need rather than inflict hardships upon himself. Until his death in 1550, John of God worked among the poor.
8. Another patron saint for alcoholics is St Martin of Tours. A reluctant soldier in the 4th century who refused prize booty from the Roman emperor, St Martin became a monk and was tricked into becoming a bishop, at the demand of the people of Tours, who lured him into the city saying he was needed to help a sick person. Famous for allegedly slashing his cloak in half to give one half to a beggar whom he later saw in a dream as Christ, St Martin is also the patron saint of horses.
9. And a third holy helper for alcoholics is St Monica, the Christian mother of St Augustine who prayed relentlessly for his conversion in the 4th century while he enjoyed the pagan high life.
10. Angina sufferers can pray to St Swithbert, the 7th century Northumbrian who took part in a evangelising trip to Holland with St Willibrod and later founded a monastery on an island on the Rhine.
11. And for apoplexy (strokes) try St Wolfgang. According to legend, this 10th century German bishop forced the devil to help him build a church. Sometimes he is painted holding an axe, a reference to a story that seeking a solitary spot to worship God, he threw his axe into a thicket in a wood, and regarded the place where it landed as divine indication of the spot he should build his hermit’s cell.
12. Those stricken with arthritis might try St Alphonsus of Ligouri. The founder of the Redemptorists, he wrote a famous work on moral theology in the 18th century, and tried to resist being made a bishop. In old age, Alphonsus apparently suffered poor sight and terrible rheumatism and was tricked by his followers into signing a document changing their rule.
13. For bowel problems try St Bonaventure. This 13th century theologian was allegedly healed from a childhood sickness by praying to St Francis of Assisi.
14. Women with Breast cancer might want to pray to St Agatha, a Sicilian imprisoned in a brothel for a month in the 3rd century by a wealthy admirer frustrated that Agatha had resisted him. According to legend, she was subsequently tortured and her breasts were cut off and placed on a plate. She is also prayed to for protection against fire: her intercession is said to have prevented, at one stage, the eruptions of Mount Etna.
15. If you have broken bones try St Drogo. A Flemish saint who lived in the 12th century, Drogo was so deformed by an illness that local people were said to be terrified by him. So he lived out of sight in a tiny cell attached to a church.
16. While for burns turn to St John the Apostle. The “beloved disciple” of Christ, John was famed for purifying water, allegedly driving out demons and for surviving when the Roman Emperor Dometian had him beaten, poisoned, and thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil. Afterwards, he went to live on Patmos.
17. For cancer pray to St Peregrine Laziosi a priest who in the 13th century imposed a penance on himself of standing whenever it was not necessary to sit. Eventually he got cancer of the foot, when medical treatment failed, he was told his foot would need to be amputated. The night before the operation, Peregrine prayed before a crucifix and, while asleep, allegedly had a vision of Jesus leaving the cross and touching his cancerous leg. When he awoke his leg was cured and he is said to have lived for another 20 years.
18. The patron saint of colic is St Erasmus or Elmo who had hot iron hooks stuck in his stomach on the orders of the Roman emperor Diocletian, but miraculously endured them. Blue lights seen at mastheads prior to and after a storm are called “St Elmo’s Fire” and traditionally seen as a sign of his protection.
19. The patron saints of deafness is St Francis de Sales. Bishop of Geneva and a prolific 16th century writer, Francis was famed for his gentle approach to evangelising. He said “a spoonful of honey attracts more flies than a barrelful of vinegar.”
20. The patron saint for depression is St Benedict Joseph Labre. An 18th century mendicant known as the “Beggar of Rome” Benedict dressed in rags, and lived in the Colosseum sharing his food with the poor. Also patron of the homeless.
21. St Lucy, whose eyes were removed on the orders of the Roman emperor Diocletian, is patron of the blind.
22. And St Clare, a lifelong friend of St Francis of Assisi, is the patron saint of those with eye problems. She is also patron saint of television due to a legend that unable to attend Mass with St Francis of Assisi in the 13th century she miraculously observed the liturgy on her cell wall.
23. For dizzy spells turn to St Ulric a 10th century German saint, who is also patron of pregnant women. Those who drank from his chalice were said to be guaranteed easy deliveries, while his cross was said to cure those bitten by rabid dogs.
24. Drug addicts can ask for the help of St Maxmilian Kolbe a Franciscan who volunteered to take the place of Jewish husband and father selected for the gas chambers of Auschwitz in 1941. He is also patron saint of journalists.
25. Eczema sufferers and those with skin problems in general can ask for the help of St Antony the Abbot. Also known as Anthony the Eygptian, he founded desert monasticism in the 3rd century and is often depicted with a pig, as pork was occasionally used to reduce inflammation or itching of the skin.
26. St Willibrod is the patron saint for epileptics. An 8th century bishop, Willibrod died in Luxemburg where he is remembered in an annual procession in which participants hold hands and hop on one leg to the basilica which contains his remains.
27. For earache pray to St Polycarp of Smyrna. A second century martyr, Polycarp is said to have predicted he would be burned to death, after dreaming of a pillow in flames. When cast into the fire, the 86-year-old bishop was said to have glowed golden like baking bread.
28. Feverish? Try St Genevieve, a 5th century saint who told Parisians they could avert slaughter by the surging hordes of Attila the Hun by prayer and fasting. Often depicted with a loaf of bread to symbolise her generosity to the hungry.
29. Suffering from gallstones? Pray to St Liborius, the 4th century bishop of Le Mans, who is patron of Paderborn. He is often shown either with a peacock or carrying a book with small stones on it.
30.For hangovers, pray to St Bibiana, a 4th century Roman scourged to death. In the garden of the church built over her grave, a herb grew which was reputed to cure headaches and epilepsy.
31.Headache sufferers can pray to the 16th century Spaniard, St Teresa of Avila. She founded convents of Reformed Carmelites and wrote three spiritual bestsellers, but initially struggled as a nun to resist temptations to gossip in the convent parlour. A paralysing sickness for which she prayed to St Joseph for a cure, is said to have radically transformed her spiritual journey.
32. The patron saint for hernias is St Alban of Mainz, a 5th century missionary beheaded while praying. A church was built at his graveside.
33. Feeling hopeless? Ask for help from St Jude, one of the 12 apostles who is associated with desperate cases because the Epistle he wrote to the Churches in the East, ( it is in the New Testament) speaks of the need to preserve in faith in difficult circumstances.
34. Another alternative for the desperate is St Rita of Cascia the 16th century Italian housewife who is also patron saints of parents and those who are infertile. She was pressured into marrying a cruel man eventually murdered in a brawl. Afterwards she became a nun famous for tending the sick.
35. Jaundice sufferers may pray to St Odilo an 11th century abbot of Cluny whose relics were burned “on the alter of the fatherland” in the French Revolution
36. Bad knees? St Roch is your man. Born in 1295 with a birthmark on his chest in the shape of a red cross, St Roch was said to be able to cure plague victims by making the sign of the cross. In the 15th century, public processions were held in his honour in Constance during an outbreak of plague, which according to legend, subsequently ceased.
37. St Giles is the patron saint of the disabled. Giles, who died in the 8th century, was shot in the leg with an arrow by huntsman who misaimed while chasing a deer. Hugely popular in England where many hospitals and churches were devoted to him, Giles was one of the '14 holy helpers’ a group of saints prayed to for recovery from illness and spiritual strength at the hour of death.
38.The patron of mental illness is St Dympna, the daughter of a 7th century Irish chieftain maddened by grief when his wife died. He decided to marry the teenage Dympna who ran away from home, and beheaded 15 of the friends she sought refuge with before killing her too.
39. The patron saint of migraine sufferers is St Gereon known as the “Golden Saint”. He was a soldier who was beheaded in 4th century Cologne for refusing to sacrifice to pagan Gods to ensure victory in battle.
40. The patron saint of neuralgia is St Ubald Baldassini an Italian bishop who died in 1168 and was said to have great power over evil spirits
41. The patron saint of polio sufferers is St Margaret Mary Alacoque, a French nun who had visions in the 17th century of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. They inspired her to pray lying face down on the floor for an hour on the first Friday of every month in memory of Christ’s agony when abandoned by his apostles in the garden of Gethsemene.
42. The patron saint of those with rheumatism is St Coloman. An 11th century monk accused of being a spy while on pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Coloman was captured and killed near Vienna during conflicts between Austria and Moravia. Speaking no German he could not defend himself, and was hanged alongside robbers, but the scaffold on which he died is said to have taken root in the ground and grown branches.
43. The patron saint of childbirth is St Gerard Majella, an 18th century Italian falsely accused of impregnating a woman. He said nothing, she retracted the claim.
44. For a stomach upset pray to St Timothy, the apostle who worked with St Paul, and was appointed by him to represent the Church in Ephesus. One of Paul’s most frequently quoted lines was addressed to him: “Stop drinking only water, but have a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent illnesses” (1 Timothy 5:23).
45. Bad toothache? Pray to St Apollonia. The patron saint of dentists, victim of a 2nd century anti-Christian mob in Alexandria who knocked out her teeth.
46. Bad throat? Ask for the help of St Blaize. A 3rd century bishop in Armenia, St Blaize is said to have miraculously commanded a child with a fish bone stuck in his throat to cough up the bone. Also patron of English wool combers, as he was suspended from a tree and his flesh torn with iron combs for his refusal to worship pagan Gods.
47. St Thérèse of Lisieux is the patron saint of tuberculosis sufferers. Known as “the little Flower,” and also patron of the Missions, St Therese said “to pick up a pin for love can convert a soul". She died aged 24 of tuberculosis
48. St Adalard is the patron saint for those afflicted with typhus and typhoid. A cousin of the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne he became a monk and served as prime minister to Charlemagne’s son Pepin in Italy. Involved in the political struggles of the royal family, he spent seven years in exile, and is also the patron of French churches and towns.
49. The patron saint of VD sufferers is St Fiacre. He's also patron saint for those sick with
haemorrhoids, as well as gardeners and French cab drivers. An Irish priest, Fiacre lived as a hermit in France where he was said have cured many diseases.
50. St Lazarus, the patron saint of lepers, appears in the New Testament parable told by Christ of a begger excluded from a rich man’s feast, who is given the place of honour in a banquet in heaven after his death, while the rich man is excluded. The 12th century order of St Lazarus was manned by knights with leprosy who cared for the sick but had military duties. They founded a leper’s hospital in Jersualem.
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