Reiki and HIV/AIDS

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

Many complementary and alternative therapies are used daily
in Canada; 70% of the populace uses them, but for those living with HIV/AIDS,
the proportion is more than 89%[i]. One such therapy is Reiki,
a hands-on healing modality that is being widely used as an adjunct to conventional
therapies in the US, and is starting to be recognized in Canada. Reiki therapy
is safe and non-invasive. It is being used 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[ii].
It can be a helpful addition to conventional therapy for HIV/AIDS and
cancer patients[iii], [iv]. For
instance, St.-Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Centre in NY
and Siloam in Philadelphia provide Reiki treatment and training for HIV/AIDS
patients and family[v].

According to the classification of the National Center for
Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the US National Institute of Health
(NIH), Reiki belongs to “Biofield Medicine, which involves systems that use
subtle energy fields in and around the body for medical purposes”^[vi]. One Reiki study being conducted under
the NIH auspices, “The Use of Reiki for Patients with Advanced AIDS” is currently
recruiting patients. This study investigates the use of Reiki, an energy-based
complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) intervention, as an approach to
improve well-being for patients with advanced HIV/AIDS. The study is looking
at changes in participants’ anxiety, depression, pain, quality of life, and
spiritual well being[vii] – Reiki has been found effective
in all of these areas at various times.

For Reiki to be applicable in HIV/AIDS treatment requires that
it address in some way the primary symptoms. In addition to a
compromised immune system, the effects of HIV/AIDS that this article
will focus on are pain, side effects of the drug therapy, and the psychological
impact of the disease and its prognosis.

Immune System Function

Reiki has a salutary effect on the immune system, though the
full extent of it has yet to be determined. One-half hour of 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.) An increase in a primary immune system component
is significant – any enhancement of the function of the immune system must be
carefully explored to determine how extensive it is and how it affects a disease
that compromises that system.

“Both anxiety and depression have been independently associated
with suppression of immune function (decrease in natural killer cell activity
and other measures of lymphocyte function, increase in cortisol)”. [ix]  As Reiki
has been shown to be “an effective modality for reducing pain, depression,
and anxiety” [x], its effect on negative emotional states
may help improve the immune functions over time. Indeed,
this effect may go part way to explaining its support of the immune system,
but is not likely the entire mechanism (considering a significant increase in
IgA was measured after only a half-hour of treatment).  

HIV/AIDS Pain

Reiki has been found to be effective for dealing with pain,
including severe 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.”[xi] – 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. Hartford
hospital reports that Reiki provides significant pain relief for surgery patients[xii]; Edmonton’s Cross Cancer Institute
concluded that Reiki showed a highly significant reduction in pain in a pain
management study including cancer.

Medical studies using sham and blinded practitioners have been
carried out with Reiki, and it has been shown to be effective for pain management
significantly more than can be explained by placebo or just caring. In a study
of Reiki for treating HIV-related pain and anxiety
[xiii], Pamela Miles found that newly trained
Reiki practitioners perceived reductions in pain and anxiety when they performed
Reiki on themselves or classmates. “In an evaluation of the program, it was
noted there was a decline in reported pain after the Reiki treatment; on an
11-point scale, the average pain rating dropped from 2.73 to 1.83. Results were
similar for the anxiety scale, with mean anxiety dropping from 32.6 to 22.8.”
Learning first-level Reiki 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.

HIV/AIDS Medication Side Effects

Some of the side effects of HIV/AIDS medication
[xiv] that
Reiki may be able to address are: pain (Abdominal, Arthralgia (joint pain),
Headache, Neuropathy (pain in arms/legs/hands/feet)
and Myalgia (muscle pain)), Depression, Fatigue, Insomnia (sleep problems)[xv], and general Malaise.  The
list of medication side effects is extensive[xvi], and the impact of a treatment
on an individual will vary – while other effects may be reduced, specific studies
would have to be done. Reiki’s effect on pain was considered
above; the psychological impact of Reiki treatments is discussed below.

Psychological Effects

The impact of Reiki is on three levels: physical,
mental, and spiritual – the Ki state is considered one of coordinated body,
mind, and spirit, similar to the state brought about by practising meditation,
yoga, or qigong. One of the early Reiki studies
[xvii] found that not only is Reiki “an
effective modality for reducing pain, depression, and anxiety”, but that it
is also “effective in enhancing desirable changes in personality and strengthening
the faith in God.” Reiki has no religious affiliation, nor is an enhanced religiosity
per se an intended outcome of Reiki. However, spiritual growth may
enhance the patients’ ability to cope with the life changes resulting
from their illness.

 “Outpatients with HIV/AIDS have been
able to reduce psychiatric medications under medical supervision when using
Reiki Self-treatment. It is of interest that people with HIV/AIDS also report
greater openness to availing themselves of the benefits of conventional pharmaceutical
treatment and increased ease of compliance after user using Reiki self-treatment.”
[xviii]  The secondary impact then is that
patients will likely have better outcomes from their conventional treatments,
providing a “positive feedback” effect (one improvement begets another, which
improves the first result, and so on).

There is also the
matter of empowerment, both for the person with HIV/AIDS and
their partner or caregiver. Anyone with a serious illness loses some
sense of control, due to the illness, to their dependence on other people for
help, and due to their dependence on the doctors and hospitals for their recovery.
Especially as anxiety and depression can amplify these feelings, leading to
a downward spiral. Partners and caregivers can suffer themselves, both from feeling
like they cannot help enough, and in their own right as caregivers, die to stress.
Having a tools to help relieve
some symptoms on their own or for their partner can provide people with a renewed
sense of having some input and control over their lives.

Summary

Reiki provides persons with HIV/AIDS
and their caregivers tools to deal with body, mind,
and spirit, all of which are adversely affected by the illness, the medications,
and the long-term prognosis. Anyone can learn Reiki, and it is useful immediately
upon learning. Experimental results showing reduction in pain by one-third by
newly trained HIV/AIDS patients provides a compelling argument for making
Reiki available to everyone who is diagnosed with HIV/AIDS
when they are ready for a mind/body treatment to augment their other treatments.

Reiki can help HIV/AIDS patients reduce pain, anxiety, depression,
and more – they can improve their outcomes with other therapies that they are
undergoing. Reiki’s salutary effect on the immune system may have long-term
impact.  Experiments are needed to determine the full extent of the effect
of Reiki on the immune system. New programmes could contain
protocols to monitor the immune system functions of treated patients (as compared
to those not receiving the treatments). But we should not wait for experimental
results to institute training and treatment programmes in legitimate care centres
for patients and their families. Such programmes, like those at St.-Luke’s Roosevelt
Hospital Centre (NY) and Siloam (Philadelphia)[xix], can begin providing immediate
relief and support to HIV/AIDS patients.

References

Common: P. Miles, G. True, Reiki – Review of a Biofield Therapy. History,
Theory, Practice, and Research, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine,
Vol. 9, No 2, pp. 62-71 (2003) http://www.alternative-therapies.com/at/pdfarticles/0103reiki.pdf

Return to  previous page