How Reiki Benefits & Heal Our Body!

Reiki originated in Japan with the meaning of universal life energy. The technique is based on the principle that the therapist can channel energy into the patient by means of light touch or sort of hovering of the hands to then activate the natural healing processes of the patient’s body and restore physical and emotional well-being.

The Reiki technique is designed to help relieve stress, promote relaxation and bring complete wellness to life. The intention is that by “laying on hands,” a “life force energy” will flow through us, giving us life. If your “life force energy” is low, you’re likely to be more susceptible to illness and stress. However, if it’s high, the body will feel a happy and healthy energy that instills a more positive well-being.

You have probably heard of how positive thoughts yield positive results. It’s similar to that concept.

Benefits of Reiki

1. Helps Cancer Patients

One of the most stressful symptoms in pediatric oncology patients is cancer-related fatigue. The intention of a study, published in the European Journal of Cancer Care, was to evaluate intervention using natural methods to help manage fatigue and psychological stress in patients with cancer. The study reviewed physical exercise, healing touch, music therapy, therapeutic massage, nursing interventions and health education methods of healing. Several showed that they helped reduce fatigue and stress levels. These methods may be complementary to conventional treatments and, perhaps over time, may help reduce psychological stress.

Further studies have shown that, in addition to promoting relaxation among patients, Reiki can also be used to encourage healing and provide other benefits, and it may be a great option while undergoing other traditional treatments. As a natural cancer treatment, it helps promote positive thoughts regarding healing and reduces stresses cancer can cause.

2. May Treat Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type I in Children

Complex regional pain syndrome type I (CRPSI) is known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome and typically occurs after an illness or injury of a limb that did not receive nerve damage. About 90 percent of people with complex regional pain syndrome have type 1. CRPSI can be disabling, especially in children.

Studies indicate that patients who were instructed to self-administer massage experienced no or little pain. In particular, research from the University of Iowa’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation found that further administration of light-touch therapies could have a significant effect, be risk-free and a more inexpensive approach to managing CRPSI. One thing that’s important to note is that often patients become highly dependent on others for therapy. However, with Rieki, it’s possible to self-administer with proper training.

3. Aids in Dementia Management

There are relationships between dementia and impairments in hearing, vision, smell and even taste that have been identified. Because our senses play a huge role in our memory and day-to-day function, the disturbance of them causes a major imbalance in the body and life that adds a lot of stress.

When our sense of smell is impaired, for instance, research has shown symptoms that may start as a mild cognitive impairment may lead to Alzheimer’s disease with 85.2 percent sensitivity rates. As our cognitive function deteriorates, it greatly affects how we live in our environment, and because anyone living with dementia is typically very sensitive to experiences observed through the senses, it’s crucial that the environment be managed carefully so it’s as understandable, comfortable and even therapeutic as possible.

Studies have shown that various therapies can help bring a balance through rhythm. Music therapy, aromatherapy, massage and multisensory stimulation are recommended by the National Institute for Health Care Management (NICE) for the management of symptoms of dementia. NICE suggests that these sensory-type therapeutic mechanisms are probably going to play a greater role in dementia health care in the future, which is very good news.

4. Helps Promote Mental and Physical Well-Being in Infants

Infant massage is becoming a more sought-after natural treatment for healthy development in babies. It’s been reported that massage provides many benefits, such as better sleep, improved breathing patterns, regular pooping, less colic and gas, and improved growth. Infant massage may help reduce infant stress and provide a healthy environment for parent-infant interaction and relationship building.

Though more studies need to be conducted, there were positive results in terms of time spent upset, crying, fussing, decreased levels of blood bilirubin and fewer cases of diarrhea in research conducted by Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry in the U.K. on the effects of infant massage. Because babies are more open to energy flow, they’re very receptive to energy types of therapy. A short Reiki session of about 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the baby’s circumstances, may be all that’s needed for positive results and to help mom and dad get a good night of sleep.

5. Relieves Anxiety and Depression

UCLA reported on studies stating that Reiki treatments, when conducted on stress-induced subjects, not only showed a significant decrease in stress, but also in anxiety and depression. In addition, further testing in another study showed that Reiki treatments were useful in reducing pain.

How Does Reiki Help Heal Our Body?

Reiki is described as coming from a holistic perspective. What that means is that the general health of the body, as a whole, is in balance and able to maintain that balance because it’s very resilient. The thought is that a healthy person can handle day-to-day stress because of this holistic approach to living.

This mode of resilience is known as homeostasis with internal bodily conditions able to remain stable and somewhat constant. Some examples of homeostasis include the regulation of temperature and the balance between acidity and alkalinity, or the body’s pH levels. Reiki is thought to help provide human homeostasis through the stability of body’s internal environment in response to surrounding environmental changes.

Because stress, including anything from emotional stress to physical or financial stress, affects the natural balance of the body and the body’s ability to restore homeostasis, it’s critical to address it sooner than later. So, yes, Reiki may help prevent a decline in your health and well-being because it lessens the impact by releasing tension from the body, helping move you toward your own unique balance in mind, body and spirit. When this happens, our bodies function more effectively.

Though more research is needed, more and more evidence points to the positive effects of Reiki, such as lowered heart rate, blood pressure and stress hormones, as well as increased immune strength. It’s the positive response to Reiki that suggests how stress responds to relaxation so the body can use its own healing mechanisms.

Theories present Reiki’s physical, mental, emotional and spiritual healing effect as being prompted on a “subphysical level, perhaps in what science refers to as the biofield… The biofield is the term medical science has adopted for the intricately layered vibrational energy field that is said to surround and penetrate the physical body. For thousands of years, traditional, indigenous, pre-scientific medical systems have recognized a balanced, evenly pulsing biofield as the foundation of health and wellbeing.” If this balance is disrupted, it may cause illness of some sort.

Reiki Precautions

Reiki is safe, but it should not be used to replace conventional care or to postpone a visit to your doctor. Make sure to let your doctor know of any additional methods that you may be practicing for your health care.

Reiki can be performed through self-healing techniques or through a Reiki professional. It’s probably best to experience the support of a professional who can teach you the right methods for self-application.