Comments on CPR and hand-washing

Registered nurse and Reiki Master Teacher Lilia Marquez in New York City sent in these comments in response to last week's item on the value of learning cardiopulmonary resuscitation:

Hi Janet :-)

Few comments :
1. It's great that you mentioned about the value of CPR, as a Critical Care Nurse working primarily in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit for more than 20 years, learning Basic Cardiac Life Support(BCLS) is highly recommended. If any Reiki practitioner is interested in learning Basic Cardiac Life Support, I highly recommend training at Emergency Care Institute (Bellevue Hospital Center) Phone # 212 562-6561, February is actually The Heart Month, learning Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) is a great gift that an individual should consider to learn to save lives.

2. As to using Reiki in emergency situation, it's a MUST to call 911 first. Every minute wasted means death to heart muscle/brain. As a Critical Care and Holistic Nurse, I feel very blessed to have the best of both worlds. Reiki is a blessing and I feel very blessed to have the gift of Reiki. Reiki is one the healing modality that I am passionate about.

I will quote Hyakuten Inamoto Sensei:
"Reiki energy will flow of its own accord (You cannot direct or manipulate it).
No conscious focusing (a mind concentration) is necessary." In my experience, I know that Reiki is flowing anywhere, anytime and being directed to whoever needs it the most.

3. I can't emphasize enough the importance of handwashing and/or use of hand gels in between clients/Reiki practitioners.

I hope you'll share this comments to the rest of your readers.

Love and light,
-Lilia

Thanks, Lilia. Her comments came to us with a background of rainbow hues -- unfortunately that couldn't be reproduced here.

That's a good point about hand-washing. I know many Reiki practitioners use hand gels between clients. And since I'm allergic to most perfumes (aah-choo!), I recommend unscented gels. The Mayo Clinic has some good advice on proper hand-washing technique, including (optional) singing to make sure you wash long enough.