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What about Reiki for animals? Could it be a Placebo?

4/1/2018

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In general, placebo effect is a human phenomenon. It is observed when a person perceives an improvement due to his or her expectation of positive effect of a specific treatment. 

Every healing modality for humans has some degree of placebo effect. Placebo effect can range widely, from a few % up to about 30%, and the degree of placebo effect depends on multiple factors. 

When it relates to humans, the real question is whether or not the specific treatment is more effective than a placebo. The only way to answer that question, is to conduct a placebo-controlled clinical trial, comparing a specific treatment for a specific problem to a placebo. A large number of people participating in the study is usually needed in order to determine whether or not the difference between the improvement in the placebo and the treatment group is statistically significant. If there is a statistically significant difference in a series of well-designed studies, then we can conclude that the effect of a specific treatment for a specific problem is real, and that it is not just due to a placebo effect. Until this extensive research is completed, we cannot make that determination.

Note, in my case, it was through decade-long observation of Reiki, Healing Touch and Acupuncture being effective for hundreds and hundreds of patients, that I could see that those modalities was effective significantly above 30%. It was only through that extensive observational evidence (and my neutrality towards the final answer) that I was able to come to a scientific conclusion that Alternative Medicine modalities such as Reiki, Healing Touch and Acupuncture can be effective beyond the placebo effect. With that said, it was my conclusion and my conclusion only, which has not been adequately tested by well-designed placebo-controlled clinical trials (at least in case of Reiki and Healing Touch). This means that although I am convinced that Reiki can be very helpful, and helpful beyond the placebo effect, it is by no means a scientific fact, since it has not yet been proven by scientific studies.

When it comes to animals, the placebo effect has not been adequately studied. I would expect, that those animals who can sense a caring human approach would be a subject to a placebo effect. It is not uncommon to see what's called a "caring nurse" phenomenon in human studies. This phenomenon is observed when the clinical research center staff is behaving in a caring way towards research participants, which significantly increases the placebo effect, often to the point, that it is impossible to demonstrate a statistically significant difference even between the treatment that is already known to be effective and placebo. I can imagine that with animals such as cats, dogs, horses, certain birds, etc., we can observe a similar phenomenon, where the effect of a caring healer would increase the degree of a placebo effect of an energy treatment. So just like with humans, the only way to scientifically demonstrate that a healing modality is more effective than a placebo for animals, is to conduct a series of well-designed studies, and specifically studies that take the "caring healer" phenomenon into account. There is no other way to answer that question.

On a different note, people don't utilize energy medicine for themselves or for their pets because it has been scientifically proven to work (it hasn't been), but because they have either heard good things about it or have already experienced it with positive results themselves. So whether or not it is a placebo effect, if what you do it works, it works. :)
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Is Reiki a Placebo?

1/1/2018

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A placebo effect is a psychological phenomenon, in which the recipient perceives an improvement in condition due to personal expectations, rather than the treatment itself. Generally speaking, the more serious the treatment, the higher the extent of the placebo effect. For example, the placebo effect from a ‘fake’ cream will likely be less than from a ‘fake’ pill, which will likely be less than from a ‘fake’ surgery.

The only way to discern whether or not an improvement of a specific condition from a specific treatment is due to a placebo effect is through clinical research. There is no other way of knowing whether or not the effectiveness of treatment (including Reiki) is due to a placebo effect.

Personally, I have a lot of experience with Reiki and based on my observational experience, I am certain that the effectiveness of Reiki is significantly above the placebo effect (and trust me, as a medical doctor and a clinical research physician I approach Reiki with a critical eye, just as I do any other type of treatment).
​
Unfortunately, in spite of numerous studies on the effectiveness of Reiki, there is no definitive proof that it it is helpful beyond a placebo effect. For the most part, this is due to research of inadequate quality. To quote the analysis of multiple studies on Reiki by Sondra vanderVaart et. al (Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.):
“The serious methodological and reporting limitations of limited existing Reiki studies preclude a definitive conclusion on its effectiveness. High-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to address the effectiveness of Reiki over placebo.”

It is not surprising, since most researchers are not Reiki practitioners and most Reiki practitioners are not researchers. How can you study something you know very little about, and how can you create a high quality clinical trial on something you know a lot about if you don’t know anything about research?
​

Just because the clinical research data is limited, it does not mean that the effectiveness of Reiki comes purely from a placebo effect. I have no doubt, that with high quality studies, we will be able to demonstrate clinically significant difference between the effectiveness of Reiki for a wide range of indication vs. placebo. It is simply a question of time and high quality studies.
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12 Common Misconceptions About Reiki

12/1/2017

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  1. Reiki does not involve physical touch. Although in some Reiki styles (as well as due to legal regulations in different states), some Reiki practitioners may hold their hands just above the receiver’s body, the original practice of Reiki has always involved direct contact and physical touch.
  2. Reiki is a massage. This misconception may arise from the fact that many massage therapists also practice Reiki, and the clients may be unaware when massage ends and Reiki begins. Although Reiki does generally involve light touch, and, in some Reiki styles, it may even involve light patting and brushing over the back and the legs of the receiver, most definitely, Reiki is not a massage. There is no pressure or tissue manipulation during Reiki. The benefits from Reiki arise from energy shift in the body, with the body naturally readjusting itself to the most comfortable position, without manual manipulation.
  3. Reiki is not real. Those people, who claim that Reiki is not real, approach the subject from the perspective of "if you can't see it, it is not real". If you use this kind of argument, then radio waves, electrons, and microorganisms that cannot be seen with a naked eye are also not real. We can't be this narrow minded in the 21st century. If we think this way, we are putting ourselves in the same category with some of our predecessors, who ​thought that Earth was flat, did not believe that matter was made of particles, and that many diseases were caused by germs. At the time they could not see it, and therefore it did not appear real to them. Fortunately, we have an advantage over them, since we know about many scientific discoveries that revealed what was previously hidden from our view, proving that it is indeed there, and it is real. This allows us to look at the world with an open mind. There are things that do not have an explanation (yet), but let's not ignore them by default, let's give them a chance. The truth about Reiki, is that although the actual Reiki energy itself has not been measured or quantified by science, this does not mean that Reiki does exist. Truth is stranger than fiction, and you really have to experience Reiki for yourself and see the benefits, which can be remarkable for many people. So let's not wait until the science is able to explain the Reiki phenomenon, let's enjoy it now. 
  4. Reiki is the same thing as Healing Touch. While both can be considered ‘energy therapies’, and both may have similar helpful effects that promote relaxation and natural self-healing, the origins and the actual practice of these two holistic modalities are quite different. Reiki was founded by Mikao Usui in Japan, and it is heavily rooted in the Japanese culture. Healing Touch was founded in 1989 by an American nurse Janet Mentgen, and it is based on her own experience with Energy work. Reiki (in its original form) involves direct hands-on touch; while Healing Touch practitioners generally have their hands hovering or gliding over the receiver’s body. There are many other hands-on healing techniques that exist around the world, and although there are many parallels between them, they are not all the same.
  5. Reiki is the same thing as Chakra Clearing. Many people associate Reiki with working on the Chakra energy centers of the body. While Reiki may be beneficial for Chakra clearing, in reality, the Indian concept of Chakras was never a part of the original Reiki teaching, but was rather added onto the Japanese healing art of Reiki sometime after the 1970s. Any Chakra balancing and clearing techniques taught as a part of Reiki training, is extra information that was not a part of the technique developed by the Usui sensei.
  6. Reiki is a Religious healing art. Reiki is not a Religious healing art neither in theory, nor in practice. The founder of Reiki, Mikao Usui sensei himself, had clearly stated that Reiki is not a religious healing method.
  7. Reiki is just a placebo effect. Currently, there is no clear scientific explanation for how Reiki works; however, this does not mean that it either does not work or that it is a ‘placebo’ effect. As a medical doctor, I have over ten years of direct observational evidence of the effectiveness of Reiki at inpatient hospice unit, where it was utilized as a complementary therapy. In addition, I have several years of experience of using Reiki personally, and its effectiveness, by far exceeds what one would expect from a placebo effect.
  8. Only few select people can learn Reiki and be good at it. Although some people may have a natural inclination towards holistic healing arts, anyone can learn Reiki. The beauty of Reiki is in its simplicity, and anyone can learn how to do it in just a few days. As with any healing art, practice makes perfect, and ongoing practice is encouraged after the training has been completed, to maintain and improve the Reiki ability.
  9. I can learn Reiki online. Reiki is a hands-on healing art and the process of teaching Reiki involves certain elements that simply cannot be demonstrated or done online. You can certainly learn history of Reiki or various Reiki concepts online, but you may soon discover that when you try using Reiki, it will likely be only marginally effective. (After an online course you may get the “It felt relaxing”, type of a reaction from your clients, as opposed to, “Wow, this was amazing!” that you can expect after learning Reiki from a credentialed teacher at an in-person Reiki seminar.)
  10. Reiki practitioners can absorb their client’s negative energy. Reiki energy flows through the practitioner, and out of the practitioners hands, promoting the flow of natural Ki within the person. The practitioner himself or herself is neither giving his or her energy, nor absorbing the client’s energy. So no “negative” energy can be absorbed by the practitioner.
  11. Reiki can be sent to place, object, or a situation. Reiki can be done on living things, but not on objects or situations. When Mikao Usui developed Reiki, he developed it to help human beings on a mind-body level, and healing of objects or situations was not a part of the original Reiki. So if a Reiki practitioner is using techniques to send Reiki to an object or a situation, then those techniques are actually separate from Reiki as were developed taught by Usui sensei (even if the practitioner has learned them in a Reiki class.)
  12. Reiki does not require regular appointments. Being completely different from something like a massage, Reiki should be done daily (or almost daily) until the problem is resolved. Think of it the way you would think of physical therapy, one session might help, but in order to get the full benefit, you must complete the whole course, and not just one session. With that said, in many cases, people experience immediate improvements of their symptoms with Reiki, and for many Reiki clients just a few sessions are needed to achieve great results.​

P.S.: I am using the word "Reiki" referring to both Reiki energy (靈氣 - REI-KI) as well as the Reiki technique developed by Mikao Usui (心身改善臼井靈氣療法 - SHIN SHIN KAIZEN USUI REIKI RYOHO ) You can easily understand which "Reiki"  I refer to based on the context.
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    Dr. Maria Danilychev, MD is a hospice doctor, clinical research physician, and a Jikiden Reiki Shihan (master/teacher).

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