Reiki and Breast Cancer

Originally from Ontario Reiki Programme Centre
www.magma.ca/~peterz/index.htm –
given to The Healing Pages by kind permission

A 45-year-old Caucasian woman whose 1^st child
was born when she was between 20-24 years of age has an 8% chance of contracting
breast cancer before age 90[i].
In addition to coping with the illness itself, chemotherapy and radiotherapy
have undesirable and challenging side effects, and radical surgeries leave patients
psychologically as well as physically changed. This article examines some of
the effects of breast cancer on the patient, and how Reiki can address them.

For Reiki to be applicable in
breast cancer treatment requires that it address in some way the primary symptoms.
Other than healing the tumor itself (for which there is anecdotal – but
not experimental – evidence that Reiki can be helpful), the primary effects
of breast cancer on a woman are pain, the side effects of the chemotherapy or
radiotherapy, and the psychological impact of the disease and the surgery.

Breast Cancer Pain

“For women affected by breast cancer, overcoming pain
can be a major part of dealing with the disease and its treatment. Surgery can
cause discomfort in the breast and underarm area, chemotherapy can cause joint
pain and mouth sores, and metastatic disease can cause pain in other parts of
the body.” [ii]
– Dr. Marisa Weiss, Oncologist specializing in breast cancer, Author of Living
Beyond Breast Cancer (Random House)

Reiki has been found to be effective for dealing with pain.
“We use probably 50-80 percent of nonpharmacologic methods in our NIH
pain clinic, meaning non-medication. The things we use include massage, relaxation,
hypnosis, and Reiki therapy, which is also very helpful in fibromyalgia and
chronic fatigue syndromes.” [iii]
– Ann Berger, R.N., M.S.N., M.D., Medical oncologist specializing in pain treatment,
Chief of the Pain and Palliative Care Service at the National Institute of Health
in Washington, D.C.

Medical studies using sham practitioners have been carried
out with Reiki, and it has been shown to be effective for pain management. One
double-blind study[iv]
found that “Reiki is an effective modality for reducing pain, depression,
and anxiety”; Hartford hospital reports that Reiki provides significant
pain relief for surgery patients[v];
Edmonton’s Cross Cancer Institute concluded that Reiki showed a highly
significant reduction in pain in a pain management study including cancer.

In a study of Reiki for treating HIV-related pain and anxiety[vi],
Pamela Miles found that newly trained Reiki practitioners perceived reductions
in pain and anxiety when they performed Reiki on themselves or classmates. Breast
cancer patients can, similarly, be taught first-level Reiki (which only takes
about a day, and has no significant age or ability barriers). Miles found no
significant differences between improvements whether oneself or a classmate
did the treatments. The argument for Level 1 Reiki training for breast cancer
patients is compelling, both for pain management and empowerment.

Chemo- and Radiotherapy Side Effects

Other than hair loss, common side effects of chemotherapy
are fatigue, nausea and vomiting, pain, and infection due to a reduction in
white blood cells known as neutropenia. Neutropenia affects as many as one-in-three
patients receiving chemotherapy treatment for cancer. Patients can develop fever
and infections, particularly in the mouth, throat, sinuses, lungs and skin.[vii] 

Reiki may be an appropriate vehicle to help address these
undesirable effects. Reiki causes significant increase in salivary Immunoglobulin
A (IgA) [viii],
and decreases in blood pressure and anxiety. Immunoglobulin A protects the body’s
mucosal surfaces from infections and is the main mechanism for providing local
immunity against infections in the gut and respiratory tract. This increase
in immune system function would tend to negate the effects of the therapy on
the patient’s immune system. (Author has proposed a clinical study with
CHEO to attempt to demonstrate this mechanism.)

Reiki is already used in several hospitals for cancer patients[ix]:
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (Lebanon, NH), Integrative Medicine Outpatient
Center at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York, NY), Integrative
Therapies Program for Children with Cancer at Columbia Presbyterian Medical
Center (New York, NY), Metropolitan South Health Center (” Direccion de
Servicios Metropolitano Sur”, Santiago, Chile)

Used in conjunction with conventional cancer treatments,
Reiki is reported (anecdotally) to ease the side effects of chemotherapy and
radiation, improve immune function, ease anxiety, enhance positive emotional
attitude, decrease pain, and promote relaxation[x].
Reiki can be part of an integrated approach to managing cancer with reduced
patient impact.

Psychological Effects

In “Depression and Breast Cancer,
Jennifer Covitch explores the psychological effects of the cancer on women with
breast cancer: [xi]“These
women have a difficult battle to fight, not only because of their physical problems,
but also as a result of developing psychological problems. … With up to
58% of the breast cancer population developing psychological problems (Alagaratnam
& Kung, 1986; Hinton, 1972), it is incumbent upon the psychological community
to increase its awareness of the issues that women with the disease face.” 

While Reiki is not a replacement for counselling
and psychological support, one group[xii]
specifically found that “Reiki is an effective modality for reducing …depression,
and anxiety”. A recent review of Reiki practice in the US found that hospital
“…staff, patients, and program administrators report a number of
benefits including reduced anxiety and …decreased numbers of self-reported
common gerontological complaints such as anxiety, loneliness, insomnia, and
pain…” [xiii]

Summary

Reiki therapy is safe and non-invasive. It is proving useful
in hospices, nursing homes, emergency rooms, operating rooms, organ transplantation
care units, pediatric, neonatal and OB/GYN units; facilitating relaxation and
recovery and decreasing anxiety and pain[xiv].
It can be a helpful addition to conventional therapy for HIV/AIDS and
cancer patients[xv],
[xvi]. 
Reiki provides the patient tools to deal with the effects on body, mind,
and spirit of the cancer, the therapies, surgery, and the state of their bodies
upon recovery. That it can be learned by anyone and that it is useful immediately
upon learning to address the secondary (non-tumor) symptoms, make a compelling
argument for teaching Reiki to every woman who is diagnosed with breast cancer.

References

Return to  previous page