Reiki For Pain Management and Healing
Reiki For Pain Management and Healing. A Journey Of Discovery.
We recently decided to welcome in new healers to our medical center who offer services we respect and are complementary to acupuncture and Traditional Chinese herbal medicine, but offer modalities in areas where we are not experts ourselves. We treat a lot of pain in our medical center ranging from: musculoskeletal pain, fibromyalgia, myalgic encephalomyelitis pain, muscle pain from Lyme, joint pain from arthritis, sports injury, CRPS, ulcerative colitis, dysmenorrhea with severe menstrual cramps, and endometriosis with uterine, bowel and breast pain. The form of healing these new providers studied and are proficient in is called Reiki. Reiki is an energy transfer technique that comes from Japan. It is an energetic, hands-off practice that is gentle, subtle and non-invasive.
“Reiki may be done with a light gentle pressure static touch or the Practitioner’s hands may be a few inches/centimeters above your body at the hand positions with no actual touch. There are standard hand placements beginning at your head or feet, avoiding all sensitive body parts” 1. according to the International Association of Reiki Professionals.
“The practice of Reiki — a form of energy healing— is now being utilized in major healthcare systems around the United States, including the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and University of Washington Medicine in Seattle. “ 2. (Upham, B. 2016).
I found this reassuring as the Mayo Clinic tends to be overall quite conservative in their medical advice. It is also a highly respected clinic known throughout the U.S. to be one of the places people go when other doctors cannot heal them. I believe this adds credibility to adding the practice of Reiki to the clinical setting.
Although limited and difficult to produce sham Reiki, there are some studies that are proving the efficacy of Reiki outside of thousands of years of empirical evidence. One study found by compiling evidence from twelve different studies with a variety of different participants, they not only found Reiki to be effective for pain reduction but also for anxiety. The results were found after reviewing 49 articles yet, only 12 articles received full review. They further deduced that only seven studies met their inclusion criteria. Four of the articles studied cancer patients; one examined post-surgical patients; and two reviewed community dwelling older adults.
“Reductions in pain were calculated using Cohen’s d statistic analysis. 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.” 3. (Thrane, S., Cohen, S. 2014)
Skeptical of this form of healing, I decided to receive a session from the Reiki master we were hiring to be part of our health center. Rose is a certified intuitive sound healing, USUI/holy fire III Reiki I/II practitioner and Brigit is a second degree certified Reiki practitioner in Usui Shiki Ryoho in the Usui System of Natural Healing. We felt it was critical for us to research, respect, understand, and believe in the work the new providers would be offering to our patients. I went into my session quite frazzled. I didn’t know what to expect going in. After an hour of Reiki with Rose, I felt calm, grounded, and a lot less hectic. The overwhelming feeling that was buzzing in my body seemed to dissipate. I carried that feeling with me for days.
If I had to put a value to it, I would say my anxiety went from a level 7 down to a level 3 and my pain feels less overall: it went from a 4 to a level 2. I am encouraged by this personal, clinical pearl and will relay my experience to my patients who may want to experience Reiki for themselves. We welcome you to book a relaxing session and experience it for yourself.
1. 2023, September 29. Reiki Sessions What to Expect. International Association of Reiki
Professionals. https://iarp.org/
2. B. Upham, 2020, June16, Can Reiki Help Manage Your Chronic Pain, Everyday Health,
https://www.everydayhealth.com/pain-management/can-reiki-help-your-chronic-pain.aspx
3. Thrane, S., Cohen, S. 2014 , Effect of Reiki Therapy on Pain and Anxiety in Adults: An In Depth
Literature Review of Randomized Trials with Effect Size Calculations, Pain Management
Nursing. 2014 December ; 15(4): 897–908. doi:10.1016/j.pmn.2013.07.008.
Case History 1 : Endometriosis with Menorrhagia Resolved with Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine
By: Kristen Burris, L.Ac., M.S.T.O.M. Doctoral Student of DAc and DCHM
This is a case history of a middle aged female who suffered pain levels of 10 for over a decade. She was diagnosed with menorrhagia ten years ago and endometriosis 6 years ago. Patient denied western medical conventional treatment of uterine ablation and hysterectomy and instead pursued alternative medicine to resolve her pain and reduce her pain. Her OBGYN referred her to our care after refusal of their repeated suggestion of an ablation or a partial hysterectomy. After 3 months of treatment her pain level went from a 10 to a 5 and her blood flow went from heavy to moderate. By month six of Traditional Chinese Herbal medicine and acupuncture two times a week, the patient reported levels of pain between 2-3 that did not elicit the desire to take any pain medication. Her flow remained moderately and she was able to go to work fulltime every day of the week.
Female Patient, Age 36, 5’8” 181 pounds with no known allergies other than seasonal when sage is in bloom and report only mild symptoms, on no medications except rarely take ibuprofen 500 mg 3 x day with menstrual cramps. She reports stronger medications do not work for her menstrual pain.
Chief Complaint: Severe menstrual pain with menstruation and heavy menstrual bleeding.
Physical Review of Systems:
General: Alert, positive and engaging in interaction
Eyes: No exam done
HENT: No exam done
Lungs: No auscultation done
Cardiovascular: Pulse was fast and choppy
Abdomen: Abdomen was soft, non-tender and non-distended. No palpable masses. Patient denies abdominal pain, vomiting or nausea, constipation or diarrhea except when menstruating. Then GI fluctuates between loose and constipated.
Extremities: No edema, non-tender , cold hands and feet
Skin: No rashes, abrasions or lesions
Neurologic: No exam performed
Psychiatric: Patient was cooperative, had an appropriate mood and responses. Patient got mildly teary-eyed when discussed level of pain experienced. She denies anxiety or depression.
Typical western medical treatment includes but it not limited to: birth control bills, or continuous birth control bills for 3 months, NSAIDS non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, uterine ablation or hysterectomy.
Patient diagnosed with endometriosis with laparoscopy, exploratory surgery 6 years ago, a gynecologic condition resulting in the appearance and attachment of endometrial tissue inside and outside of the uterus causing pelvic pain 1. (Cambridge Dictionary, n.d.). This disease is further explained where tissue that grows inside the uterus also grows outside of the uterus where it does not belong. This tissue thickens and breaks down and bleeds but when not located inside the uterus has nowhere to go but to be reabsorbed by the body. The level of pain experienced is often debilitating and disrupts school or work activities.
In addition this patient was diagnosed with menorrhagia 10 years ago, after giving birth to her first child. Menorrhagia is defined as having abnormally heavy bleeding during menstruation (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). Patients often can recognized menorrhagia themselves if they bleed through a super plus, an ultra tampon, an overnight pad or a menstrual cup within 1-2 hours of wearing one. Average women’s menstrual flow can wear a menstrual cup all day or ½ a day or a pad overnight.
The 36 year old patient presented with severe dysmenorrhea from endometriosis at a pain level of 10 peaking on Day 1. Her pain ranged between 6-10 the week leading up to the start of her menstrual period. By day 2 of her menstrual cycle she needed to change her ultra tampon or her menstrual cup every hour or she would bleed through her clothing. At nighttime she would have to use two ultra tampons just to sleep a mere 3 hours where she would awaken to insert two more ultra tampons. It was recommended to her by 3 different OBGYN’s that she first get a uterine ablation and take 800mg of ibuprofen at the first sign of cramping or bleeding. The then suggested if this did not abate her pain or menstrual flow that she should consider a full hysterectomy if she did not want to have any more children. Concerned about the inability to detect uterine cancer and not sure if she was absolutely finished having children she refrained from this medical advice and sought alternative medicine for pain relief and to reduce her blood flow.
With a purple tongue, blood clots in her menstrual cycle, cold hands and feet, pain before her blood flow started and stabbing pains in her uterus and up her rectum she was diagnosed with: blood stagnation and cold trapped in lower jiao and in the chong and ren conception vessels. She was recommended to take herbal medicine that warms her uterus, invigorates menstrual blood and alleviates pain from Evergreen Herbs 5 capsules 2 times a day all month long. She was then instructed to stop those herbs and start a separate formula that alleviates menstrual pain, reduces inflammation and reduces uterine blood flow, 5 days prior to her menstrual cycle and add an herbal formula that stops excessive uterine bleeding by cooling the blood and breaking up blood stagnation 6 pills 3 times a day on day 1-3 of her menstrual cycle. Some of these herbal prescriptions contain herbs: Mu Dan Pi (Cortex Moutan, Pu Huang (Pollen Typhae), Wu Yao ( Radix Linderae) and Xiang Fu (Rhizoma Cyperi) all of which exert tremendous anti-inflammatory effects by their inhibitory activities on the production of inflammatory mediators in the body. 3. (Department of Pharmacology of Chinese Materia Medica) It was also suggested she get acupuncture 2 times a week with moxabustion. The points used in rotating sequence depending on the follicular cycle or luteal phase of her cycler were as follows:
Day 1-14 Use St 36, Liv8, Ren 12, Ht 7, Pc 6 Sp 4, Kid 7, Ren 3, 4
Day 15-Day 1 Add Liv 3, Liv 6, LI 4, Ren 3, 4, St 30, Kid 13, zi gong xue
Day 1-3 Moxa on Sp 1 and Rn 4
After two months of treatment her pain levels decreased by half and her flow was tolerable. She not longer had to get up 2 or 3 times in the night to change her menstrual cup or pads. She was so encouraged she continued with treatment. By her fourth month in treatment she had a period that snuck up on her and had no menstrual cramping at all. She could not believe that she had previously had pain at a level 10 in the extreme and she was startled to have no pain and her blood arrived as a complete shock. During the day she still used super plus tampons but could go 4 hours without needing to change. This created a much better quality of life and she was encouraged that her menstrual pain and suffering was now in her past.
1. The Cambridge English Dictionary, n.d. (2023), Endometriosis. In https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/ Retrieved September 19, 2023 from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/endometriosis
2. Merriam-Webster Unabridged, n.d. (2023), Menorrhagia. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved September 19, 2023 from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/menorrhagia
3. Luo Y. , Lius M. Yao x. Xia Y. Dai Y., Chou Ge., Wang Z., Total alkaloids from Radix Linderae prevent the production of inflammatory mediators in lipopolysaccharide-stimlated RAW 264.7 cells suppressing NF-kappaB and MAPKs activation. Department of Pharmacology of Chinese Materia Medica, China Pharmaceutical University , Cytokine 2009, Apr; 46 (1):104-110.