Page 4 | WTF! NHST wasting money on reiki

Skyejuly · 26/07/2019 09:11

It's Reiki. What's the problem

Tolleshunt · 26/07/2019 09:32

It can provide great benefit, however it may work. Just having somebody standing by you trying to help, and taking great interest in you, may be very powerful. And in today’s medical model, experiencing the sustained attention and interest of a medical professional has been all but lost. Don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it.

At the salary advertised it is very cheap. Many medical treatments are way costlier and have a less than 50% efficacy rate, with side effects into the bargain that are often nearly as bad as the illness.

I would be happy if NHS were finding this, though it sounds like it is a charity.

LolaSmiles · 26/07/2019 11:05

AuntieGT
That's exactly it.

There are people claiming all sorts of whodoo quack stuff sold by MLMs makes them feel better, that they've had all sorts of relaxation and wellbeing improvements, but I'm hoping we aren't going to start validating it and give it legitimacy because some people have self reported they feel happier and healthier.

titchy
The central belief in reiki is that it's a form of energy healing and that these masters can somehow manipulate energy. That feeling restless is a sign of blocked chakras.

The post could be for someone specialising in relaxation techniques and they could use a range of techniques to help the patient. There's no need to legitimise a practice that's based on a belief that someone is moving energy around.

Healing29 · 26/07/2019 22:59

I worked in the Nhs for 15 years on community teams & pallitive care teams. These days i am a self employed complementary therapist, i volenteer a few hours a week providing reiki & other treatments to patiants undergoing dyalsis.
I am well with in my right to say you have no idea what you are talking about.
The NHS is stretched and yes they do need to reform certain departments due to funds being wasted but complementary therapies are not a waste of money. The inportance of touch & personal interaction is masively under estimated. I for one am glad that Therapist are being funded, its a step forward to providing holistic care, how many times have you experienced poor care from staff due to them being to busy?
I have witnessed many times doctors not making eye contact with patiants and nurses to busy to talk. The nhs is lacking natural empathy.
There is ampul research about reiki & other therapies being used.
I personally would like to advice you to experience holistic therapies before slating them.
I wish you well. Take care . Namaste.

LolaSmiles · 26/07/2019 23:09

There's ways to provide relaxation and pastoral care without running reiki.

Based on my experience with those involved in reiki they seem fairly good at changing their terms of reference so when it suits it's suddenly it's all 'but it's just about caring and empathy and relaxation' and all the stuff about healing energies, masters being able to align or late various chakras and so on rarely, if ever appears, as it's presented as just a bit of relaxation.

I don't think anyone on the thread has disputed the value in relaxation and personal care. Quite a few of us have our reservations about legitimizing a practice that makes woowoo claims about moving energies around to make people feel more at peace or more relaxed. It's perfectly possible to use a range of relaxation techniques that have nothing at all to do with spurious claims of magic controlling energy forces.

Mum22ibh · 27/07/2019 10:13

My son had a lump come up on his arm last year after going to the oncology clinic at hospital we were told about reiki and my son went, after that appointment the lump started to reduce in size, I'm sure the therapy helped him

Allli · 27/07/2019 10:31

There are a lot of opinions here about a therapy which many have no experience of and are concerned about. An article on
Integrated connects.com is quite interesting as it advises that an organisation has been set up to investigate these therapies more, and includes Harvard and Yale doing research. I am inclined to think that they wouldn’t waste their time on quackery so they must think this field of medicine is worth investigating. Hopefully they will have proof soon that these therapies do work. I have had various therapies so I need no proof as I have experienced the healing benefits personally. I agree that there are fake healers out there and it’s a shame people have spent money on them so professional bodies and evidence are good. But in the meantime it would be nice if people could remain open minded about these things, as it would be a shame to put someone off a free nhs treatment which, despite lack of clinical evidence, appears to benefit many at a time where regular medicine hasn’t worked.

Eaudear · 27/07/2019 10:58

My son had a lump come up on his arm last year after going to the oncology clinic at hospital we were told about reiki and my son went, after that appointment the lump started to reduce in size, I'm sure the therapy helped him

Was it a cancerous lump? That disappeared by someone laying their hands on or above your son? Really?!

Eaudear · 27/07/2019 11:00

Hopefully they will have proof soon that these therapies do work.

Surely if these therapies did work beyond placebo there would already be proof of that?

FixTheBone · 27/07/2019 11:47

@ Allli

So, for 'conventional' drugs, implants and procedures we should go through a years long process of controlled clinical trials, effectiveness assesment, safety tests, long term follow up and then cost-benefit analysis before there is even a chance it will be considered...

...but for alternative therapies we should just spend money and 'give it a go' until we prove beyond doubt they dont work....

Allli · 27/07/2019 14:22

Drug companies generally pay for years of trials etc to prove their products work, and then sell the licenses to make the product or make it themselves. Then sell the product at extortionate cost to the likes of the NHS, getting richer in the process, which funds their next new drug etc. As there are no drug companies involved in therapies which help people without the use of drugs, there really isn’t the type of money required for investing in trials. Perhaps that’s why there haven’t been any large scale ones which we are aware of.
Without alternative therapies I would not have been able to return to work. The various prescription medicines I tried for many years did not help me. I would have been forced to continue to claim benefits, but because of these therapies I can work part time and do not claim ANY state benefits. I pay tax and NI, so am contributing to the system. That in itself means alternative therapies are worth it in my case. I could have been taking, say £6k of benefits from the state, but instead I am contributing hundreds of pounds in tax and NI. So if one NHS reiki post at a salary of what £12k or something (I don’t know what the job advert said) means that say two people a year could come off £6k benefits and get a job instead because they felt better, the state would be at least breaking even if not making money from the workers tax and ni payments. And all the others who got some benefit from treatment would be a free bonus? Just a thought.

megletthesecond · 27/07/2019 14:31

If patients find it relaxes them I don't see a problem.