US NAtional Library for Medicine
1. Holistic Nursing Practice – The Science of Health and Healing
- The Holistic Nursing Practice published a blind control study in March / April of 2017 for those undergoing knee surgery, as provided on the US National Library for Medicine website.
- The results are as follows: This blind controlled pilot study investigated the effects of Reiki on 46 patients undergoing knee replacement surgery. Of the 3 groups, Reiki, Sham Reiki, and Standard of Care, only the Reiki group showed significant reductions in pain, blood pressure, respiration rate, and state anxiety, which provides evidence for a full-scale clinical study.
2. Effect of Reiki Therapy on Pain and Anxiety in Adults
- A study was published in February 2014 that calculated the effect of Reiki therapy for pain and anxiety in randomized clinical trials.
- According to the study, 49 articles were examined, and 12 articles received full review. Seven studies met the inclusion criteria as follows: four articles studied cancer patients; one examined post-surgical patients; and two analyzed community dwelling older adults. The results found that Reiki reduces pain and anxiety in all groups.
Forbes Health
The following research results are posted on the Forbes Health website.
1. Additional research suggests Reiki treatments help with depression and insomnia. A 2012 study in the “Indian Journal of Positive Psychology” looked at 40 women who suffered from depression and anxiety. Half of the group received a Reiki treatment twice a week for 10 weeks and the other half received no treatment. The women who received Reiki saw significant improvements in both their depression symptoms and sleep quality.
2. The most well-documented benefits of Reiki revolve around the relaxation response, which practitioners say invokes the body’s natural healing process. Dr. Rachel Lampert, M.D., a professor of medicine at Yale School of Medicine, and her colleagues studied 37 patients after having a heart attack. The patients were randomized into three groups: patients who simply rested, those who received a single session of reiki treatment from a nurse trained in Reiki and those who listened to relaxing music. The researchers measured activity of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which regulates heart rate, breathing, blood pressure and digestion. Lampert’s team zoomed in on heart rate variability (HRV), a measure of the pattern of heartbeats that’s controlled by the ANS. The higher the HRV after a heart attack, the better the outlook for the patient, explains Lampert. In the Yale study, patients who received reiki had a higher HRV and improved emotional state. “Our study was a very nice demonstration that doing things that are relaxing has benefits. We showed increased activity of the healthy arm of the nervous system,” says Lampert.
Cleveland clinic
Due to the fact that the Cleveland Clinic is a leader in research and in the application of alternative healing therapies, with a focus on treating the whole person – body, mind, and spirit, we find it important to highlight the Reflections Wellness Program at the Cleveland Clinic which offers Reiki treatments to cancer patients to reduce anxiety and to promote healing.
