REIKI-- anybody try that

Mel,
I think a lot of this stuff falls under the placebo effect. If you believe it helps it probably will. Most always when these types of treatments are compared using a control group they just don't hold up.
I recall reading several acupuncture studies where needles were never inserted, the patient just thought they were. Many of the patients said their symptoms had improved or went away when nothing was actually done. We really don't yet understand what effect our minds have on our health.
There have been documented cases where some have actually died after being voodooed by witch doctors. Talk about the power of the mind.

Mel,

A friend of mine was all about it - I suspect it is like any meditation. Never saw any damage done by it.

I suspect Johnt is spot on about the placebo effect. It just occured to me that The placebo effect may not be hocus pocus, to borrow Mel's term in another context, but another reality that we do not understand, so tend to minimize its reality, so as to maximize, to ourselves, the limited understanding of things we think we understand fully. This would include all the esoteric, holistic aspects of the, Carl Jungs term, collective unconsciousness, including myths, fables, parables, prayer and other "truths". I can not get away from the word dis ease. Its not necessarily our fault that we are not at ease, but if we are in a state of dis ease, it will produce disease. Prayer, belief, lidat puts us at ease as well as the accepted healing aspects in modern medicine, hence healing. Spirituality and science are different sides to the same coin. One " is", the other tries to discover what "is". The question of the day is , of the 2, which of the 2 words is the seeker. Im sorry, I writes what I see's…. I hope its applicable to the thread and not just another of my wonderings….

Thats beautiful coming from you, Mel, Im just trying to do what you advised, quite awhile back to me. Focus Logo focus…. See, I listen too, when i can still my mind! tanks eh!

Mel, like others have said, this stuff will work only if you believe it will.

A co-worker of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to undergo 6 months of chemo plus radiation. She's into "new age" meditations and visualizations, and used them during her chemo treatment. She swears that her creative visualization not only helped her through the chemo without any side effects (didn't miss one day of work) but also helped destroy the cancer cells. In addition, she drank noni juice regularly which she claims also helped with the side effects of chemo and radiation. Up here we have a saying: "whatever floats your boat". If it works and does not harm, good for you.

For us women who have gone through menopause, one of the "supplements" often mentioned to offset some of the more uncomfortable SEs is black cohash. Don't know if it would be appropriate (or even safe) for men undergoing HT, but it might be worth talking to Dr. Lam about it.

Good luck with your treatment this week, Mel...we'll be thinking about you and praying that all goes well.

Thanks for the responses.

It does appear that success of Reiki requires a "belief" that it will work.

I tend to be one of those non-believers. However, the Reiki practitioners seem to claim that belief is not a requirement for success.

Anyway, I'll be trying it. I've set up a session for Wednesday afternoon. I'll report back.

Skeptical Mel