Improving nursing skills & patient healing through Reiki therapy

The medical community frequently discards potential alternative therapies in favor of standard surgery and medication-based treatments. But as the cost of such approaches continue to rise, health professionals start to consider how supplementing these expensive treatments with alternatives (such as yoga, meditation, massage and homeopathy) can revolutionize healing.

Particularly popular among a small subset of healthcare providers is Reiki, a Japanese practice first established in the early 1920s. Reiki can assist in lowering stress levels, which could improve patients' responses to a wide array of standard treatment methods.

History of Reiki.

Although it has recently gained popularity as a hip health trend, Reiki has a long history of healing the mind, body and soul. Reiki in its current form was not established until 1922, and it draws heavily upon healing methods utilized over 2,000 years ago. The therapy originates with a Buddhist monk named Mikao Usui.

Dr. Usui told followers that the treatment system came to him through a mystical revelation following three weeks of isolated fasting and meditating. Dr. Usui passed on his newfound understanding to several followers, many who took up the helm of the movement following Usui's tragic death in 1926.

Reiki & Modern Nursing.

Many health professionals scoff at alternative therapies such as Reiki, but a growing minority recognizes that the medical community has much to gain through the gradual adoption of such methods into its standard approaches. In nursing, the primary benefit of Reiki is that of stress reduction, both for the patient and the professional.

The medical world is a well known as a stressful environment. Unfortunately, the tense atmosphere can actually worsen the conditions of a wide array of patients. Reiki diminishes this impulse, making patients calmer and thus, more receptive to recovery.

Elderly Dementia & The Promise Of Reiki.

The aging of the Baby Boomer population has caused great concern. As health problems with old age begin to plague Boomers, providing adequate and affordable treatment becomes more difficult. While there is no permanent cure to syndromes, such as dementia, a number of geriatric specialists are expressing interest in Reiki's potential to manage symptoms related to this commonly old-age condition.

A Reiki program through the federal Administration on Aging reflects this interest. Just like specially trained caregivers at Washington's Home Care Partners nonprofit, this effort could usher in further Reiki programs at assisted living facilities, nursing homes and other establishments.

Reiki's Impact On Hospital Administration.

While Reiki is transformative for patients, medical professionals have also found the therapy useful. Administrative employees working in medical billing and coding are also subject to increasing anxiety, just like doctors and nurses, for example.

High stress has become more prominent because of the struggling economy and pressure to keep the cost of health care to a minimum. Medical coding professionals subject to mental strain may find that, like the patients whom they treat, Reiki helps with physical and mental healing.

Despite a history spanning nearly a century, Reiki remains at the periphery of current Western medical practice. Increased awareness has the potential to bring Reiki into the mainstream. Given the therapy's physical and mental benefits, it can only serve to improve the medical system.

Taken from: Guest Post (article, By Terry Green), Google (images).