Reiki for dementia patients: case studies encouraging, more research needed
Elderly dementia patients experienced less anxiety and pain after receiving Reiki treatments, according to a series of case reports just published in the journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. There were only six patients involved in the research, so the results don't involve enough people to be considered statistically significant, but the findings may lead to larger studies.
Reiki Master Pamela Miles, who is on the editorial board of Alternative Therapies, said that,
"It's not really a study; it's a series of documented case reports with some statistical analysis of the data collected, but the stats are not meaningful because of the very small number. The 'study' is descriptive and anecdotal and although the data are encouraging, it shouldn't be cited as proving anything." Miles has arranged to make the article available on her web site, where she has a growing collection of medical papers about Reiki.
"It's not really a study; it's a series of documented case reports with some statistical analysis of the data collected, but the stats are not meaningful because of the very small number. The 'study' is descriptive and anecdotal and although the data are encouraging, it shouldn't be cited as proving anything." Miles has arranged to make the article available on her web site, where she has a growing collection of medical papers about Reiki.
The research was conducted by Reiki Master Teacher Beverly Meland at an adult day care facility in Skokie, Illinois.
In addition to the effects on the patients, the article states that staff members were secondary beneficiaries because patients were more relaxed, more social, and more willing to participate in group activities, and caregivers "found their loved ones less anxious, less depressed, and less irritable."
1 Comments:
I worked in lockdown dementia units in Florida for seven years and used Reiki on a daily basis. I have had nurses witness behavior changes, physical changes and it lallowed a male resident with "sun-downers" who walked up to eighteen miles per day get a good nights rest. Although this man did not communicate verbally he would physically try to push the energy away with his hands as so he would beable to continue his walking. Not only did it help residents, it was common to have requests for Reiki from the staff including administrators down to the CNA's
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