Almost can't help but say something.

[Lea]

When family members say they will pray for me and my family, I let them and say "thank you."

I'm my mind I interpret their "I will pray for you" to "I hope you get better soon." (or whatever fits the situation)  I don't want to completely alienate my relatives. If someone else in the family is having a difficult time, it works as well.  When everyone gives their pledge to pray for the person, I just say what I hope happens in their situation.  For someone who lost their job for example, "I will be thinking about you, and hope you find a new job soon.  I will bring you dinner on Thursdays, if thats okay."  

Its hard not to burst their bubble of delusion, but hey, they enjoy their belief in the invisible man in the sky. IMO its best to show them that atheists can actually be compassionate and supportive.  If they approach you about your non-belief, thats the time to discuss and debate.  (If they can keep it civil.)  

I'm sorry you feel excluded from your family.  The path we have chosen can be lonely, but you have us!  

[Ninteen45]

Prayer is quite odd. It can come as a form of of the placebo effect, which in this case it may have helped, or the more common mocebo.

I don't have the link at hand. But didn't a study into prayer discover that it either had no effect, or either made patients do slightly worse due to complications?

Yes, because most people who Know it think the Don't need to have a healing mentality, and thus the Mocebo effect will happen, but sometimes it can have a placebo effect.

Basically it's like the "You are now breathing manually" thing. While underwater. In a cage. With sharks. That shoot lasers. Underwater.