Reiki Roundup

Time again for another Reiki Roundup:

Milton Keynes, United Kingdom: Regular readers may recall that a year ago, we told you about an ailing oak tree that sprouted some new leaves after a Reiki treatment. We haven't found any news about it online since then, but we noticed that it recently got its own Facebook page, so we assume it has continued to recover. If you're in that area, please check it out and let us know.

Ireland (nationwide): Retreat centers offering Reiki and other natural healing modalities are becoming increasingly popular all over the Emerald Isle, The Independent reports.

Lincolnshire, United Kingdom: A singer who has been hiccupping for more than two years and has tried everything, including Reiki, to stop has finally been diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Northamptonshire, United Kingdom: Under the heartbreaking headline, "Who should we save first?" The Daily Mail tells us about two young cousins with neuroblastoma and the people trying desperately to raise the money to get them the experimental treatment that might save their lives. Meanwhile, one of the young cousins gets regular Reiki treatments to help her deal with the painful symptoms.

Poynton, United Kingdom: They're calling her "Miracle mum" because she's made it through 18 years even though she's been given six months to live (twice) by doctors and last rites seven times. She's been a day patient at the local hospice for years, and Reiki is one of the services she gets there.

Lafayette, Louisiana: A cancer survivor, Reiki master and traiteur who went into healing work at the suggestion of a Reiki-practicing nun suggests that Reiki, Healing Touch, and the traditional Cajun folk healing tradition of traiteurs (who use Catholic prayers in their work) aren't all that different from each other.

Tucson, Arizona: Integrative medicine advocate Dr. Andrew Weil has been recommending Reiki for years, and this week he recommends it again in his regular "Ask Dr. Weil" column. In this case, he recommends it as a post-surgery treatment. "Scientific evidence for the effectiveness of these methods is contradictory, but the techniques are gentle and harmless and, in my experience, can be a powerful way to enhance the healing process," Dr. Weil says.

Ft. Wayne, Indiana: A local newspaper series on complementary and alternative medicine includes a feature on how Reiki and massage help cancer patients deal with the side effects of chemotherapy as well as fear.

Rockford, Illinois: A health-care administrator who once scoffed at Reiki decided to become more open-minded "when she heard what patients said after they had received the treatments," GateHouse News Service reports. Now she makes Reiki available to patients at SwedishAmerican Hospital’s Holistic Health Services.