Pilot study to test the effectiveness of Healing Touch on agitation in people with dementia

Wang KL, Hermann C.
Northern Arizona Healthcare System, Department of Veterans Affairs, Prescott, USA.

A pilot study was conducted to investigate the effects of Healing Touch (HT) on agitation in persons with dementia. Because of the restricted availability of patients, the main purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of HT on dementia patients who demonstrated similar high levels of agitation as measured by the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory. Results indicated that agitation levels were significantly lowered and that HT is worthy of further study.

In vitro effect of Reiki treatment on bacterial cultures: Role of experimental context and practitioner well-being

Rubik B, Brooks AJ, Schwartz GE.
Institute for Frontier Science, Oakland, CA 94611, USA. brubik@earthlink.net

The objective of this study was to measure effects of Reiki treatments on growth of heat-shocked bacteria, and to determine the influence of healing context and practitioner well-being. Overnight cultures of Escherichia coli K12 in fresh medium were used. Culture samples were paired with controls to minimize any ordering effects. Samples were heat-shocked prior to Reiki treatment, which was performed by Reiki practitioners for up to 15 minutes, with untreated controls. Plate-count assay using an automated colony counter determined the number of viable bacteria. Fourteen Reiki practitioners each completed 3 runs without healing context, and another 2 runs in which they first treated a pain patient for 30 minutes (healing context). Well-being questionnaires were administered to practitioners pre-post all sessions.

No overall difference was found between the Reiki and control plates in the nonhealing context. In the healing context, the Reiki treated cultures overall exhibited significantly more bacteria than controls. Practitioner social and emotional well-being correlated with Reiki treatment outcome on bacterial cultures in the nonhealing context. Practitioner social, physical, and emotional well-being correlated with Reiki treatment outcome on the bacterial cultures in the healing context. For practitioners starting with diminished well-being, control counts were likely to be higher than Reiki-treated bacterial counts. For practitioners starting with a higher level of well-being, Reiki counts were likely to be higher than control counts. Reiki improved growth of heat-shocked bacterial cultures in a healing context. The initial level of well-being of the Reiki practitioners correlates with the outcome of Reiki on bacterial culture growth and is key to the results obtained.

Personal interaction with a Reiki practitioner decreases noise-induced microvascular damage in an animal model

Baldwin AL, Schwartz GE.
Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724-5051, USA. abaldwin@u.arizona.edu

The objective of this study was to determine whether Reiki, a process of transmission of healing energy, can significantly reduce microvascular leakage caused by exposure to excessive noise using an animal model. Reiki is beginning to be used in hospitals to accelerate recovery. Despite many anecdotes describing Reiki's success, few scientific studies are reported and none of those use animals. Animal models have the advantage over human subjects in that they provide well-controlled, easily interpretable experiments. The use of noise is relevant to hospital patients because of the excessive ambient noise in hospitals in the United Kingdom and United States. Loud noise can lead to several nonauditory disorders in humans and animals that impair recovery. In the rat, stress from noise damages the mesenteric microvasculature, leading to leakage of plasma into the surrounding tissue.

One group of four rats simultaneously received daily noise and Reiki, while two other groups received "sham" Reiki or noise alone. A fourth group did not receive noise or additional treatment. The experiment was performed three times to test for reproducibility. In all three experiments, Reiki significantly reduced the outcome measures compared to the other noise groups (sham Reiki and noise alone). Application of Reiki significantly reduces noise-induced microvascular leakage in an animal model. Whether or not these effects are caused by Reiki itself, or the relaxing effect of the Reiki practitioner, this procedure could be useful for minimizing effects of environmental stress on research animals and hospital patients.

Using Reiki to decrease memory and behavior problems in mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer's disease

Crawford SE, Leaver VW, Mahoney SD.
Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point, Perry, ME, USA. phadrus@ptc-me.net

This empirical study explored the efficacy of using Reiki treatment to improve memory and behavior deficiencies in patients with mild cognitive impairment or mild Alzheimer's disease. The study compared pre- and post-test scores of the Annotated Mini-Mental State Examination (AMMSE) and Revised Memory and Behavior Problems Checklist (RMBPC) after four weekly treatments of Reiki to a control group.

The sample included 24 participants scoring between 20 and 24 on the AMMSE. Demographic characteristics of the sample included an age range from 60 to 80, with 67% female, 46% American Indian, and the remainder white. Twelve participants were exposed to 4 weeks of weekly treatments of Reiki from two Reiki Master-level practitioners; 12 participants served as controls and received no treatment. The two groups were compared on pre- and post-treatment scores on the AMMSE and the Revised Memory and Behavior Problems Checklist (RMBPC).

Results indicated statistically significant increases in mental functioning (as demonstrated by improved scores of the AMMSE) and memory and behavior problems (as measured by the RMBPC) after Reiki treatment. This research adds to a very sparse database from empirical studies on Reiki results. The results indicate that Reiki treatments show promise for improving certain behavior and memory problems in patients with mild cognitive impairment or mild Alzheimer's disease. Caregivers can administer Reiki at little or no cost, resulting in significant societal value by potentially reducing the needs for medication and hospitalization.

A phase II trial of Reiki for the management of pain in advanced cancer patients

Olson K, Hanson J, Michaud M.
Faculty of Nursing and International Institute for Qualitative Methodology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

This trial compared pain, quality of life, and analgesic use in a sample of 24 patients with cancer pain who received either standard opioid management plus rest (Arm A) or standard opioid management plus Reiki (Arm B). Participants either rested for 1.5 hr on Days 1 and 4 or received two Reiki treatments (Days 1 and 4) one hour after their first afternoon analgesic dose. Visual analogue scale (VAS) pain ratings, blood pressure, heart rate, and respirations were obtained before and after each treatment/rest period. Analgesic use and VAS pain scores were reported for 7 days. Quality of life was assessed on Days 1 and 7. Participants in Arm B experienced improved pain control on Days 1 and 4 following treatment, compared to Arm A, and improved quality of life, but no overall reduction in opioid use. Future research will determine the extent to which the benefits attributed to Reiki in this study may have been due to touch.

Using Reiki to manage pain

A preliminary report by Olson and Hanson (1997)
Cross Cancer Institute, Edmonton, Alta. karino@cancerboard.ab.ca

The purpose of this study was to explore the usefulness of Reiki as an adjuvant to opioid therapy in the management of pain. Since no studies in this area could be found, a pilot study was carried out involving 20 volunteers experiencing pain at 55 sites for a variety of reasons, including cancer. All Reiki treatments were provided by a certified second-degree Reiki therapist. Pain was measured using both a visual analogue scale (VAS) and a Likert scale immediately before and after the Reiki treatment. Both instruments showed a highly significant reduction in pain following the Reiki treatment.

Long-term effects of energetic healing on symptoms of psychological depression and self-perceived stress

A study by A G Shore

The long-term effects of energetic healing were examined in an experimental design employing a 3 x 3 factorial MANOVA on symptoms of psychological depression and self-perceived stress as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Hopelessness, and Perceived Stress scales.

Forty-six participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: hands-on Reiki, distance Reiki, or distance Reiki placebo, and remained blind to treatment condition. Each participant received a 1 to 1.5 hour treatment each week for 6 weeks. Pretest data collected prior to treatment demonstrated no preexisting significant differences among groups. Upon completion of treatment, there was a significant reduction in symptoms of psychological distress in treatment groups as compared with controls, and these differences continued to be present 1 year later.

Autonomic nervous system changes during Reiki treatment

A preliminary study by Mackay, Hansen and McFarlane (2004)

The objectives of the study were to investigate whether Reiki had any effect on indices of autonomic nervous system function. This was a blind trial with 45 subjects assigned to one of three groups at random. The three treatment conditions were no treatment (rest only); Reiki treatment by experienced Reiki practitioner; and placebo treatment by a person with no knowledge of Reiki and who mimicked the Reiki treatment.

Quantitative measures of the autonomic nervous system function such as heart rate, cardiac vagal tone, blood pressure, cardiac sensitivity to baroreflex, and breathing activity were recorded continuously for each heartbeat. Values during and after the treatment period were compared with baseline data.

Results: Heart rate and diastolic blood pressure decreased significantly in the Reiki group compared to both placebo and control groups.

Conclusions: The study indicates that Reiki has some effect on the autonomic nervous system. However, this was a pilot study with relatively few subjects and the changes were relatively small. The results justify further, larger studies to look at the biological effects of Reiki treatment.