Reiki – Mechanisms of Healing – Part 1
In the past series on Reiki I discussed whether Reiki was a placebo, and cited a variety of scientific experiments to demonstrate it is not.
Now I would like to discuss the mechanisms of healing. Like all other aspects of healing, the mechanism is little understood. So I would like to discuss the range of ideas concerning such mechanisms.
At one end of this range, is the belief, held by many healers, that they are channelling a higher spiritual energy that ultimately derives from God. This energy is often referred to as “divine love” or “unconditional love” by healers.
At the other end of the range there are many theories which are based on our knowledge of science, particular physics. The possibility that any conventional electromagnetic energy may be a candidate for “healing energy” seems unlikely as healing has been shown, at times to operate outside the dimensions of space & time. For example there are a wide variety of scientific experiments were healing procedures were partly or wholly undertaken at a distance1.
Between these ‘spiritual’ and ‘material’ poles there is a middle ground of ideas concerning healing mechanisms based on the concepts of subtle energies, the subtle energy bodies of all living organisms and the universal energy known by names such as prana and chi. . I personally believe that I act as a channel for universal energy that comes from the natural world.
References
Dossey, L. (1993). Healing Words. The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine. Harper Collins; New York.
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Natural remedies for the winter blues – Part 2
In part 1, I shared details of supplements that may help alleviat ethe winter blues. In this blog post I want to share other lifestyle tips. 1. Exercise If you suffer from winter blues it is likely that your GP would perscribe a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). This is the standard drug to treat depression and one of medicines all time bestsellers. Researches compared aerobic exercise aginst the Lustral (SSRI sertaline) foudn that exercise and the drug were equally effective at reducing depressive symptioms. But only exercise had long lasting effects. Of the patients declared free of depression at the end of the study, those who had been in the exercise only-group were less likely to see their depression return during the next 6 months. 2. Eat Fish If you love fish like I do, then science says you are less likely to get depressed. In one study women who ate fish two or more times per week where less likley to get depressed than those who ate fish less often. It is thought the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish are responisble for lifting mood. A number of studies have found that omega-3 supplements have a significant antidepressant effect. 3. St John's Wort A herb commonly used in Germany to treat mild depression. Scientists have established that not only better is the herb better than a placebo its as effective as an antidepressant. References Blumenthal JA, Babyak MA, Moore KA, Craighead WE, Herman S, Khatri P, Waugh R, Napolitano MA, Forman LM, Appelbaum M, Doraiswamy PM, Krishnan KR. Effects of exercise training on older patients with major depression. Arch Intern Med. 1999 Oct 25;159(19):2349-56. Blumenthal JA, Babyak MA, Doraiswamy PM, Watkins L, Hoffman BM, Barbour KA, Herman S, Craighead WE, Brosse AL, Waugh R, Hinderliter A, Sherwood A. Exercise and pharmacotherapy in the treatment of major depressive disorder. Psychosom Med. 2007 Sep-Oct;69(7):587-96. Babyak M, Blumenthal JA, Herman S, Khatri P, Doraiswamy M, Moore K, Craighead WE, Baldewicz TT, Krishnan KR. Exercise treatment for major depression: maintenance of therapeutic benefit at 10 months. Psychosom Med. 2000 Sep-Oct;62(5):633-8.
Lin PY, Su KP. A meta-analytic review of double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of antidepressant efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids. J Clin Psychiatry. 2007 Jul;68(7):1056-61.Vorbach EU, Hübner WD, Arnoldt KH. Effectiveness and tolerance of the hypericum extract LI 160 in comparison with imipramine: randomized double-blind study with 135 outpatients. J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol. 1994 Oct;7 Suppl 1:S19-23.Wheatley D. LI 160, an extract of St. John's wort, versus amitriptyline in mildly to moderately depressed outpatients--a controlled 6-week clinical trial. Pharmacopsychiatry. 1997 Sep;30 Suppl 2:77-80.
The relationship between vitamin D and your immune system
A growing body of scientific evidence shows that vitamin D plays a crucial role in disease prevention and maintaining optimal health. You have about 30,000 genes in your body and vitamin D affects nearly 3,000. This is in addition to all the vitamin D receptors through out your body. Inflammation is the body's attempt at self-protection; the aim being to remove harmful stimuli, including damaged cells, irritants, or pathogens. While inflammation is a vital part of the body's immune response, it can also be problematic and plays a role in some chronic diseases e.g asthma, arthritis. Researchers investigated specific signalling events that vitamin D suppresses in order to inhibit inflammation. Research published in The Journal of Immunology called it the "inflammatory cascade"; low vitamin D levels failed to inhibit the cascade while adequate levels did the job. Researchers concluded that patients with chronic inflammatory diseases who are also vitamin D deficient may benefit from supplementation. Researchers in Turkey, reported in the international Journal of Rheumatic Diseases that chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain is improved with vitamin D. Fibromyalgia sufferers and other patients with chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain were given 50,000 iu/week oral vitamin D3 for three months. Afterwards scientists discovered decreases in pain, fatigue upon awaking, lack of energy, tender points and depression. Significantly there were 30 Fibromyalgia patients at the beginning of the study and only 20 at the end! Next week I want to look at the relationship between low vitamin D levels and common ailments. References Zhang Y, et al. (2012). Vitamin D Inhibits Monocyte/Macrophage Proinflammatory Cytokine Production by Targeting MAPK Phosphatase-1. The Journal of Immunology.
Yilmaz, R., Salli, A., Cingoz, H. T., Kucuksen, S. and Ugurlu, H. (2016), Efficacy of vitamin D replacement therapy on patients with chronic nonspecific widespread musculoskeletal pain with vitamin D deficiency. Int J Rheum Dis.
