The Reiki Roundup

Tolland, CT, USA: Dr. Joseph Nowinski recently published an article on The Huffington Post, discussing the effectiveness of Reiki and massage in cancer treatment. He gives an honest overview, neither hysterical nor dismissive, saying that both do help, but studies do not have adequate control groups.


Big Bear Valley, CA, USA: The Big Bear Grizzly, a local paper in California, covers a story on a local practitioner - I'm all for promoting a local business, of course, but the author says that Reiki activates healing "with a subtle manipulation of chakras"!! Um, no - chakras are from India - Reiki is from Japan!


Cleveland, OH, USA: Local tv station reports that University Hospital there is conducting a study on Reiki's effect on psoriasis. It calls for volunteers, so check out Cleveland! It's an interesting subject, but may produce only a small test group. It gets most of Reiki right, just calls it an ancient practice.


Irvine, CA, USA: PR Newswire reports that the finalists for the Biggest Loser are using Reiki as part of their push towards health and their final weigh-in.


Oswego, NY, USA : State University of New York at Oswego students were offered Reiki to help prepare for finals! I found this very inspiring and a great way to get young people aware of self-care.


Nevada, USA: Do you all know about Nevada Senate Bill 412? It attempts to create a board to regulate and oversee alternative therapies in the state. The panel would be made up of three medical doctors and three non-practitioners - no alternative healers at all. It is not dissimilar from North Carolina's bill that was seriously amended before passing to keep all healers from being labeled as felons by the state. What do we think about all this? What's happening in your state or country? How can you participate in this process? DISCUSS!