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BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care Dec 2019The use of complementary and alternative therapies is growing year after year, and Reiki therapy takes a place of choice. Reiki therapy, classed as a biofield energy... (Review)
Review
The use of complementary and alternative therapies is growing year after year, and Reiki therapy takes a place of choice. Reiki therapy, classed as a biofield energy therapy, raises the question of validity when applied to patients, especially in palliative care. The purpose of this review is to highlight the effects of Reiki therapy on pain, anxiety/depression and quality of life of patients, specifically in palliative care. The current article indicates that Reiki therapy is useful for relieving pain, decreasing anxiety/depression and improving quality of life in several conditions. Due to the small number of studies in palliative care, we were unable to clearly identify the benefits of Reiki therapy, but preliminary results tend to show some positive effects of Reiki therapy for the end-of-life population. These results should encourage teams working in palliative care to conduct more studies to determine the benefits of Reiki therapy on pain, anxiety/depression and quality of life in palliative care.
Topics: Anxiety; Complementary Therapies; Humans; Pain; Pain Management; Palliative Care; Quality of Life; Terminal Care; Therapeutic Touch
PubMed: 30948444
DOI: 10.1136/bmjspcare-2019-001775 -
Complementary Therapies in Clinical... May 2018Pain is one of the most common symptoms and may lead to important psychological, mental, and physiological problems in individuals. According to data by The Center for... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
OBJECTIVE
Pain is one of the most common symptoms and may lead to important psychological, mental, and physiological problems in individuals. According to data by The Center for Reiki Research, Reiki is an effective approach to decrease the levels of pain, depression, and anxiety. Therefore, the aim of this meta-analysis was to investigate the effect of Reiki on pain level.
METHODS
Randomized controlled clinical trials in databases of Pubmed, ISI Web of Sciences, and Google Scholar were investigated. 4 randomized controlled studies involving 212 participants were included in the meta-analysis.
RESULTS
The result obtained after the final Reiki application was evaluated in VAS pain score. When Reiki (n = 104) group was compared with control group (n = 108), standardized mean difference was observed to be -0.927 (95% CI: -1.867 to 0.0124). Reiki was observed to cause a statistically significant decrease in VAS score.
CONCLUSION
Consequently, this meta-analysis revealed that Reiki was an effective approach in relieving the pain.
Topics: Humans; Pain; Pain Management; Pain Measurement; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Therapeutic Touch
PubMed: 29551623
DOI: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2018.02.020 -
The Nursing Clinics of North America Dec 2020Health care organizations are responding to consumer demand by offering more complementary and integrative health services in inpatient, outpatient, and clinic settings.... (Review)
Review
Health care organizations are responding to consumer demand by offering more complementary and integrative health services in inpatient, outpatient, and clinic settings. Nursing has long embraced energy-based modalities such as Reiki and has been at the forefront of introducing body, mind, and spirit healing practices into health care settings. This article describes how nurses can integrate Reiki into both their personal lives for self-care as well as their professional patient care practices. An overview of Reiki's integration into hospital systems is presented as well as Reiki's use with various patient populations. The status of Reiki research is discussed.
Topics: Complementary Therapies; Holistic Nursing; Humans; Therapeutic Touch
PubMed: 33131628
DOI: 10.1016/j.cnur.2020.06.018 -
The Nursing Clinics of North America Dec 2020More Americans are embracing complementary and integrative healing modalities such as Reiki to enhance the efficacy of allopathic medicine. It is important that nurses... (Review)
Review
More Americans are embracing complementary and integrative healing modalities such as Reiki to enhance the efficacy of allopathic medicine. It is important that nurses and other health care professionals be knowledgeable about these modalities. Reiki is a wellness practice that offers whole-person healing of body, mind, and spirit. The study of Reiki offers nurses an opportunity to care for themselves as well as create an optimal healing environment for their patients. This article offer nurses a comprehensive overview of the system of Reiki; it includes the core elements of Reiki, its history, Reiki training, and examples of its applications.
Topics: Humans; Nursing Care; Therapeutic Touch
PubMed: 33131629
DOI: 10.1016/j.cnur.2020.06.017 -
Journal of Alternative and... Dec 2019The main purpose of this study was to measure the effect of a single session of Reiki on physical and psychological health in a large nonclinical sample. The study...
The main purpose of this study was to measure the effect of a single session of Reiki on physical and psychological health in a large nonclinical sample. The study design was a single arm effectiveness trial with measures at pre-and postintervention. The study took place at private Reiki practices across the United States. Reiki practitioners were recruited from an online mailing list to participate in the study with their Reiki clients. A total of 99 Reiki practitioners met the inclusion criteria and participated in the study. Reiki practitioners were instructed to give a flyer to each of their Reiki clients that contained information about the study and invited the client to complete a survey before and after their Reiki session. Trained and certified Reiki Masters conducted the Reiki sessions in person, with each session lasting between 45 and 90 min. The well-validated 20-item Positive and Negative Affect Schedule was used to assess affect, and brief, single-item self-report measures were used to assess a wide range of physical and psychological variables immediately before (pre) and after (post) the Reiki session. A total of = 1411 Reiki sessions were conducted and included in the analysis. Statistically significant improvements were observed for all outcome measures, including positive affect, negative affect, pain, drowsiness, tiredness, nausea, appetite, shortness of breath, anxiety, depression, and overall well-being (all -values <0.001). The results from this large-scale multisite effectiveness trial suggest that a single session of Reiki improves multiple variables related to physical and psychological health.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anxiety; Appetite; Depression; Dyspnea; Feasibility Studies; Female; Health Promotion; Humans; Male; Mental Health; Middle Aged; Pain Management; Research Design; Surveys and Questionnaires; Therapeutic Touch; Treatment Outcome; Young Adult
PubMed: 31638407
DOI: 10.1089/acm.2019.0022 -
Pain Management Nursing : Official... Dec 2014The objective of this study was to calculate the effect of Reiki therapy for pain and anxiety in randomized clinical trials. A systematic search of PubMed, ProQuest,... (Review)
Review
The objective of this study was to calculate the effect of Reiki therapy for pain and anxiety in randomized clinical trials. A systematic search of PubMed, ProQuest, Cochrane, PsychInfo, CINAHL, Web of Science, Global Health, and Medline databases was conducted using the search terms pain, anxiety, and Reiki. The Center for Reiki Research also was examined for articles. Studies that used randomization and a control or usual care group, used Reiki therapy in one arm of the study, were published in 2000 or later in peer-reviewed journals in English, and measured pain or anxiety were included. After removing duplicates, 49 articles were examined and 12 articles received full review. Seven studies met the inclusion criteria: four articles studied cancer patients, one examined post-surgical patients, and two analyzed community dwelling older adults. Effect sizes were calculated for all studies using Cohen's d statistic. Effect sizes for within group differences ranged from d = 0.24 for decrease in anxiety in women undergoing breast biopsy to d = 2.08 for decreased pain in community dwelling adults. The between group differences ranged from d = 0.32 for decrease of pain in a Reiki versus rest intervention for cancer patients to d = 4.5 for decrease in pain in community dwelling adults. Although the number of studies is limited, based on the size Cohen's d statistics calculated in this review, there is evidence to suggest that Reiki therapy may be effective for pain and anxiety. Continued research using Reiki therapy with larger sample sizes, consistently randomized groups, and standardized treatment protocols is recommended.
Topics: Adult; Anxiety; Depression; Humans; Pain; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Stress, Psychological; Therapeutic Touch
PubMed: 24582620
DOI: 10.1016/j.pmn.2013.07.008 -
The Cochrane Database of Systematic... Apr 2015Anxiety and depression affect many people. Treatments do not have complete success and often require people to take drugs for long periods of time. Many people look for... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Anxiety and depression affect many people. Treatments do not have complete success and often require people to take drugs for long periods of time. Many people look for other treatments that may help. One of those is Reiki, a 2500 year old treatment described as a vibrational or subtle energy therapy, and is most commonly facilitated by light touch on or above the body. There have been reports of Reiki alleviating anxiety and depression, but no specific systematic review.
OBJECTIVES
To assess the effectiveness of Reiki for treating anxiety and depression in people aged 16 and over.
SEARCH METHODS
Search of the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL - all years), the Cochrane Depression, Anxiety and Neurosis Review Group's Specialised Register (CCDANCTR - all years), EMBASE, (1974 to November 2014), MEDLINE (1950 to November 2014), PsycINFO (1967 to November 2014) and AMED (1985 to November 2014). Additional searches were carried out on the World Health Organization Trials Portal (ICTRP) together with ClinicalTrials.gov to identify any ongoing or unpublished studies. All searches were up to date as of 4 November 2014.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomised trials in adults with anxiety or depression or both, with at least one arm treated with Reiki delivered by a trained Reiki practitioner.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
The two authors independently decided on inclusion/exclusion of studies and extracted data. A prior analysis plan had been specified but was not needed as the data were too sparse.
MAIN RESULTS
We found three studies for inclusion in the review. One recruited males with a biopsy-proven diagnosis of non-metastatic prostate cancer who were not receiving chemotherapy and had elected to receive external-beam radiation therapy; the second study recruited community-living participants who were aged 55 years and older; the third study recruited university students.These studies included subgroups with anxiety and depression as defined by symptom scores and provided data separately for those subgroups. As this included only 25 people with anxiety and 17 with depression and 20 more with either anxiety or depression, but which was not specified, the results could only be reported narratively. They show no evidence that Reiki is either beneficial or harmful in this population. The risk of bias for the included studies was generally rated as unclear or high for most domains, which reduces the certainty of the evidence.
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
There is insufficient evidence to say whether or not Reiki is useful for people over 16 years of age with anxiety or depression or both.
Topics: Adult; Anxiety; Depression; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Prostatic Neoplasms; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Therapeutic Touch
PubMed: 25835541
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD006833.pub2 -
Journal of Evidence-based Complementary... Oct 2017This study reviews the available clinical studies of Reiki to determine whether there is evidence for Reiki providing more than just a placebo effect. The available... (Review)
Review
This study reviews the available clinical studies of Reiki to determine whether there is evidence for Reiki providing more than just a placebo effect. The available English-language literature of Reiki was reviewed, specifically for peer-reviewed clinical studies with more than 20 participants in the Reiki treatment arm, controlling for a placebo effect. Of the 13 suitable studies, 8 demonstrated Reiki being more effective than placebo, 4 found no difference but had questionable statistical resolving power, and only one provided clear evidence for not providing benefit. Viewed collectively, these studies provide reasonably strong support for Reiki being more effective than placebo. From the information currently available, Reiki is a safe and gentle "complementary" therapy that activates the parasympathetic nervous system to heal body and mind. It has potential for broader use in management of chronic health conditions, and possibly in postoperative recovery. Research is needed to optimize the delivery of Reiki.
Topics: Heart Rate; Humans; Therapeutic Touch; Vagus Nerve
PubMed: 28874060
DOI: 10.1177/2156587217728644 -
Holistic Nursing PracticePain, the most common and major source of fear in patients with cancer, reduces the quality of life. This systematic review was conducted to determine the effect of... (Review)
Review
Pain, the most common and major source of fear in patients with cancer, reduces the quality of life. This systematic review was conducted to determine the effect of Reiki on pain applied to patients with cancer. The creation of a systematic review protocol and the writing of the article were based on the PRISMA-P (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols) criteria. The literature review was carried out in PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases. Seven experimental and quasi-experimental studies met the inclusion criteria, and a total of 572 patients with cancer with sample sizes ranging from 18 to 180 were included. In-person Reiki was applied in 6 of the studies included in the systematic review, while in one of them, distance Reiki was applied. Although Reiki was found to reduce pain in 5 studies included in the review, it was determined that it was not effective on pain in 2 studies. A limited number of studies show that Reiki applied to patients with cancer has a positive effect on pain. It is recommended to conduct more randomized controlled trials with a high methodological quality that examine the effectiveness of Reiki application for patients with cancer.
Topics: Humans; Meta-Analysis as Topic; Neoplasms; Pain; Quality of Life; Systematic Reviews as Topic; Therapeutic Touch
PubMed: 37595119
DOI: 10.1097/HNP.0000000000000601 -
Alternative Therapies in Health and... 2003Reiki is a vibrational, or subtle energy, therapy most commonly facilitated by light touch, which is believed to balance the biofield and strengthen the body's ability... (Review)
Review
Reiki is a vibrational, or subtle energy, therapy most commonly facilitated by light touch, which is believed to balance the biofield and strengthen the body's ability to heal itself. Although systematic study of efficacy is scant thus far, Reiki is increasingly used as an adjunct to conventional medical care, both in and out of hospital settings. This article will describe the practice and review the history and theory of Reiki, giving readers a context for the growing popularity of this healing modality. Programs that incorporate Reiki into the clinical setting will be discussed, as well as important considerations in setting up such a program. Finally, the research literature to date on Reiki will be reviewed and evaluated, and directions for future Reiki research will be suggested.
Topics: Delivery of Health Care, Integrated; Humans; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Therapeutic Touch; United States
PubMed: 12652885
DOI: No ID Found