| Is Reiki healing legitimate? The short answer is "yes", | | | | healers and most of us have heard the stories about |
| if the practitioner has been trained in the art. Just as | | | | faith healers like Peter Popoff, whose so-called |
| with any other type of therapy, the "therapist" can | | | | miracles were proven to be fraudulent. But, Reiki is a |
| make all the difference. Here's a little general | | | | legitimate form of energy medicine or "healing touch |
| information about Reiki and those who practice it. | | | | therapy". It is not practiced by ministers or |
| Reiki is considered a form of "complementary" | | | | preachers, but by licensed massage therapists, nurses |
| medicine. People who are seriously ill and have other | | | | and anyone who is interested in learning to tap into |
| treatment options should not choose Reiki instead of | | | | the "universal life force". |
| conventional treatment, but as a complementary or | | | | Reiki is actually more closely related to Ayurvedic and |
| adjunctive therapy, it can be very helpful in many | | | | traditional Chinese medicine than to faith healing. |
| conditions. | | | | Ayurvedic medicine is widely practiced throughout |
| Skeptics generally say that people who practice Reiki | | | | India and is recognized as a legitimate form of |
| and other forms of non-conventional medicine are | | | | medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine, while |
| playing on the desperation of those who are seriously | | | | considered a form of alternative medicine in the |
| ill. But, no reputable therapist would advise patients to | | | | West, is an integral part of the health care system in |
| stop other forms of treatment, to stop seeing their | | | | China and Taiwan. |
| doctors or to keep "secrets" from their doctors | | | | In the United States, the National Center for |
| about what complementary treatments they are | | | | Complementary and Alternative Medicine is currently |
| using. Whether it be Reiki, herbal remedies or any | | | | sponsoring scientific research to answer is Reiki |
| thing else, in order to receive the most effective | | | | healing legitimate, to learn how it may work and to |
| treatment, patients need to be able to openly discuss | | | | identify conditions in which it may be most beneficial. |
| all of their options with their doctors. | | | | With research of this nature, it is difficult to be sure |
| It is no surprise that people wonder is Reiki healing | | | | that everything is conducted scientifically. In other |
| legitimate. At one time, the fundamentals of this type | | | | words, it may be hard to "prove". As yet, we have |
| of medicine were kept secret. High fees were | | | | been unable to "prove" that the life energy or "Ki" |
| charged for training and for healing. The secrecy and | | | | that is used in Reiki healing exists, but maybe, with |
| fee structure alone were enough to draw criticism. | | | | time. |
| Reiki healers are sometimes compared to faith | | | | |