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Research: WARDELL and ENGEBRETSO
Listed in Issue 67
Abstract
WARDELL and ENGEBRETSON, School of Nursing, University of Texas Houston Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, USA, dwardell@sonl.nur.uth.tmc.edu, have investigated the relaxing effects of Reiki in order to establish a mechanism for the healing effect of various touch therapies .
Background
Touch therapies are popular but poorly understood, and their biological outcomes are not well investigated. This study aimed to reveal if relaxation could be the main effect of those therapies .
Methodology
23 healthy subjects were treated with a 30-minute session of Reiki, and a number of biological parameters, including salivary IgA, cortisol, galvanic skin response, anxiety, blood pressure, and muscle tension, were measured before, during and after treatment.
Results
Anxiety was significantly reduced after the Reiki treatment, and IgA levels were significantly raised . Blood pressure dropped significantly . Skin temperature increased and muscle tension decreased but not to a significant degree. No significant changes were recorded in the other parameters measured.
Conclusion
Biochemical and physiological changes towards greater relaxation are suggested by these findings, and the changes in IgA levels warrant further investigation of the effect of touch therapies on immune function .
References
Wardell DW, Engebretson J. Biological correlates of Reiki Touch (sm) healing. Journal of Advanced Nursing 33 (4): 439-45. Feb 2001.
Comment
The above research indicates the widespread use of complementary therapies by a wide sector of the population, as well as certain political and regulatory issues arising from the non-integrated (from the medical profession's point of view) nature of these therapies. As the use and clinical research of the many complementary disciplines grows, it behoves the medical profession to get its act together and become more knowledgeable, less hostile and more co-operative, particularly in its willingness to fund research to discover the reasons for such efficacy.
