Historically, it has been difficult to find reliable medical evidence to prove that spiritual healing methods work. Part of the blame for this might lie within the medical community’s general unwillingness to see some of these methods as worthy of research.
There have been many, many studies done on the effectiveness of prayer. These studies have proven that prayer can have a positive effect on someone with a medical problem even if that person didn’t know he or she was being prayed for. In one study, hospital patients who were prayed for were significantly less likely to need antibiotics than the others, less likely to develop pulmonary edema, less likely to need a breathing tube and less likely to die. It was also found that prayer had no barriers – people who prayed inside a lead-lined, locked room in one study still found results significantly higher than the control group.
In another study, it was discovered that prayer worked on non-human objects, as it caused crab grass to grow more quickly than grass that was not prayed for. It was found that prayer could be done miles away from its subject and still be effective. But prayer is a relatively non-controversial form of healing.
So what about one of the more questioned methods? Reiki, a healing technique created in early 20th Century Japan by Mikao Usui, involves a practitioner using his or her hands to direct chi, or “life force,” through the body of the client. Reiki has been known to be somewhat controversial within the medical community but in recent years has begun to show up as a service offered by hospitals, hospices and other medical facilities. Positive outcomes of Reiki have been recorded in some alternative medical journals, claiming that its proven benefits included reduced heart rate, pain, depression and anxiety; increased relaxation and immunity and improved blood pressure. Critics argue that any of these could be a result of a placebo effect.
A 2002 study of Reiki on the effects of depression yielded that the Reiki-treated patients were less depressed than the placebo group. When re-checked a year later, the result stayed the same. In two separate studies (conducted in the United States and Japan), the energy waves that passed through Reiki practitioners’ hands were tested. It was found that the hands emitted a biomagnetic field which pulsated with the same frequencies as brain waves. This, many believe, causes healing throughout the body. If nothing else, spiritual healing serves to offer hope to many people who otherwise might have nothing to hold on to.
Does it work? Maybe. And if so, is it only really a placebo effect? Maybe. But to the ill, it represents another option in a world in which options are sometimes limited. It should be noted that over half of the medical schools in the United States now offer at least one course on spiritual healing and alternative medicines. If you are considering adding a spiritual component to your current medical treatment, be sure to discuss your plans with your doctor. While you may run into some resistance, most doctors are at least somewhat aware of many of these spiritual healing methods, and will generally support your desire to improve your emotional and spiritual well-being. But they will likely urge you to continue with your prescribed course of medical treatment as well. If you find that your doctor refuses to consider that spiritual healing might be a good addition to your overall treatment plan, it may be time to shop around for a health care provider with more modern sensibilities.
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