Medically Reviewed by Beth Hendrickson, RN
The reason that I use the term complementary therapy for the title of this article is that any suggestions I give here should be taken into consideration as a complement to whatever therapy or medicines that your doctor has prescribed for your health care regimen. For those of you who have been diagnosed with Lupus, you already know that it is a very serious illness. For those of you who think you may have Lupus, see your doctor immediately. Don't try to treat this disease yourself using natural therapies.
I'll have to admit that Lupus is one of those things that even after studying and researching, I have a hard time understanding. We may think we understand how much it hurts, but unless you have Lupus, you just really can't understand. So, most of what you're going to find in this article will deal with the pain that my friends with Lupus have described to me. In Part II, we'll cover sleep, fatigue, depression and self-esteem, as well as any questions that you ask after reading any of the articles.
Pain, however, seems to be the most difficult problem for the Lupus patient, and not only during a flare. I could have called this article "Lupus and Reiki" because this is a therapy that I find ideal for someone with Lupus. Actually, anyone with a chronic illness, disease, or condition should learn Reiki to help themselves with their pain, sleeping problems, depression, anxiety, or other symptoms. Reiki is excellent for these areas, but also many more. There's absolutely nothing that Reiki cannot help heal.
Reiki can be a touchy area for some people, though. People with some specific religious beliefs may not understand what Reiki is, how it works, or how in the world it is going to help them. So, let me start out by saying this: Reiki is a healing energy that comes from your higher power, i.e., God, your Higher Power, the Source, Prana, Ki, Ala, the Great Father, the Universal Energy. The Devil/Evil does not help people heal. If you're like me, and you don't exactly believe in the Devil, then negative energy does not help people heal. Period. Love, compassion, positive energy, and the natural healing power that God has given each and every one of us is what helps to heal.
Okay, why do I think Reiki is the best healing method for chronic pain? Reiki is non-obtrusive. Sometimes, when someone is in extreme pain (especially with a Lupus or Fibromyalgia flare) they can't stand for their skin or body to be touched in any way. It just hurts too badly. With Reiki, the practitioner can hold their hands over the body or even do the Reiki session over distance with the same effects. Reiki is also complete in its healing. It is a holistic healing. Reiki will help with your physical pain, and even the causes of that pain; it will also help heal your mind, your emotions, and your spirit (which in turn helps heal your pain).
Everyone who has described the pain of Lupus say it is quite severe much of the time. There is aching, swelling of the joints, muscle pain, cramping, and burning that doesn't go away for long periods of time. Your skin develops rashes, itches and burns. Of course with all of this going on, you can't get any sleep, and that causes fatigue which leads to depression, which is a large factor in keeping you in a cycle of pain.
Reiki helps with all of these areas. The amazing thing about Reiki is that while it's helping all of these symptoms, it can actually be healing your body all the way down to the DNA. Now, I'm not saying that you should stop taking your medication and get Reiki treatments and that you would be completely healed. However, if you add Reiki to your health care regimen that your doctor has prescribed for you, that prescription of treatment is going to work even better and even faster. Also, if there is a chance that something could help you go into remission and stay there for an extended amount of time, give it a try!
Reiki works. I can't tell you exactly how, exactly why; but I can tell you that I have experienced its healing, and my friends and family have experienced its healing. It works.
For those of you who are familiar with my articles, you also know that hypnosis helps with chronic pain. I'll give you a script for pain in this article, along with the quickie script for pain and a script for itching and burning. In Part II, we're going to cover hypnotherapy to help the pain/lack-of-sleep/fatigue/pain cycle.
Did you find this article helpful? Join us at HealingWell for support and information about Lupus. Connect and share with others like you.
Darlene Cheek is a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist and Reiki Master with years of experience in Holistic Therapy methods, including Reflexology, Aromatherapy, Herbalism, Crystal Healing and more.
