The effect of distant reiki on pain in women after elective Caesarean section: a double-blinded randomised controlled trial

Abstract

IntroductionApproximately 25% of all babies in North America are delivered via Caesarean section (C-section). Though a common surgical procedure, C-section recovery can be painful. Opioids, specifically codeine, are commonly used to ease pain; however, its active metabolite, morphine, passes into breast milk, and may produce unwanted side effects in neonates; therefore, alternatives to opioids are being sought. Reiki is an ancient Japanese form of healing where practitioners transfer healing energy through light touch and positive healing intention. Although 1.2 million Americans use reiki to reduce pain or depression, there is a lack of strong evidence supporting its effectiveness. A recent systematic review showed existing studies to be of poor methodological quality, with the common limitation of lack of blinding. To overcome this issue, the authors used distant reiki to assess its effectiveness in reducing pain following an elective C-section.MethodsIn this randomised, double-blinded study, women who underwent an elective C-section were allocated to either usual care (control, n=40) or three distant reiki sessions in addition to usual care (n=40). Pain was assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS). The primary endpoint was the Area Under the VAS-Time Curve (AUC) for days 1–3. Secondary measures included: the proportion of women who required opioid medications and dose consumed, rate of healing and vital signs.ResultsAUC for pain was not significantly different in the distant reiki and control groups (mean±SD; 212.1±104.7 vs 223.1±117.8; p=0.96). There were no significant differences in opioid consumption or rate of healing; however, the distant reiki group had a significantly lower heart rate (74.3±8.1 bpm vs 79.8±7.9 bpm, p=0.003) and blood pressure (106.4±9.7 mm Hg vs 111.9±11.0 mm Hg, p=0.02) post surgery.ConclusionDistant reiki had no significant effect on pain following an elective C-section.Clinical Trial Registration NumberISRCTN79265996.

Is reiki or prayer effective in relieving pain during hospitalization for cesarean? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

“…9,10 Moreover, these factors were in line with our aim in this systematic review, which was to evaluate perceived pain among women undergoing cesarean section. Moreover, both reiki and prayer meditation are non-invasive and non-pharmacological practices, and both of them can be considered to be spiritual interventions.…”

“…In the overall analysis with regard to systolic blood pressure, the results from two RCTs 9,10 showed that there was no statistically significant difference favoring reiki over the usual care: MD = -3.59; 95% CI: -6.79 to 0.39; P = 0.03; I 2 = 26%. Therefore, we also found no statistically significant difference favoring reiki over the usual care: MD = -1.71; 95% CI: -6.21 to 2.79; P = 0.25; I 2 = not applicable.…”

“…Furthermore, a single study 9 recorded postpartum physical activities through the Milestone questionnaire. …”

“…Effect of first-time activity through the Milestone questionnaire and patients' need for opioids in the Vandervaart study 9 Regarding the activity milestone questionnaire, which is used among women after elective caesarean to evaluate the rate of healing, a single RCT 9 showed that there was no statistically significant difference between distant reiki and the usual care in any of the following categories: time to first hunger; time to first eating of solid food; time to first flatus; time to first bowel movement;…”

A Aplicação De Técnicas De Imposição De Mãos No Stress-Ansiedade: Revisão Sistemática Da Literatura

“…O Reiki é uma técnica de canalização de energia vital através de símbolos e sons sagrados, esta energia ainda não é qualificada pela física moderna, porém alguns autores relatam a existência de um biocampo, que seria o Campo de Energia (CE) intrínseco a todos os seres vivos, chamado também de campo quântico, clássico e não clássico (VANDERVAART et al, 2011).…”