Reiki is a Beneficial Complementary Therapy for Cancer Patients
Reiki is a Beneficial Complementary Therapy for Cancer Patients
by Emily Walsh
Facing and dealing with a cancer diagnosis can be one of the most stressful periods in a person’s life. From choosing the best course of treatment to dealing with side-effects and physical changes, there are many things to cope with and adjust to. Alternative energy therapies can be a beneficial complement to any cancer treatment and recovery program, and among these treatments, Reiki is one of most powerful.
Whether applied by a practitioner or given to oneself, the benefits of Reiki energy are varied and numerous. Universal healing energy, or “ki”, is channeled into the recipient’s body, and it seems to go exactly where it is needed most. Reiki has an immediate calming effect. It can help with reducing stress levels caused by the diagnosis as well as the treatment regimen. When stress and anxiety levels are lowered, the body can more effectively mobilize the immune system and other healing forces. Healing happens more efficiently and the person’s quality of life is elevated.
The website www.cancer.org showcases a variety of articles expressing the helpful nature of Reiki as a complementary cancer treatment. In one article, Reiki is extolled as having the ability to “decrease pain, ease muscle tension, speed healing, improve sleep, and generally enhance the body’s ability to heal itself.”
Reiki can also be sent to the treatment methods and caregivers administering care. When this is done, a positive field of energy envelops the entire treatment process. With the addition of Reiki, the chemotherapy, radiation and other methods of treatment will have the most optimal healing effect possible. Reiki can also help the doctors, nurses and other caregivers to administer care at their highest and most effective levels. Since Reiki can be given just as effectively from a distance through thought and intention, all components of a patient’s care can be exposed to the Reiki healing force. This can be done before, during and after treatments.
Even in unfortunate cases where the cancer is terminal, Reiki can improve the patient’s quality of life dramatically. Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that manifests in the lining around internal organs. It very often afflicts the lungs and has been linked to asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma life expectancy can range from 4 months to a year and a half, but aggressive treatment combined with Reiki can extend life expectancy as well as heighten quality of life. Recipients of Reiki almost always report higher levels of peace and relaxation, and the presence of these states of being are nearly always associated with a good quality of life.
The addition of Reiki as a complementary therapy for cancer patients has a definite helpful effect. All cancer patients can benefit from this powerful healing modality.