Reiki Jewelry: New evidence supports effectiveness
In the realm of beautiful and supposedly beneficial jewelry, Reiki jewelry is no different from any other in that its effectiveness is often explained by energy fields or vibrations, but studies are actually supporting these dubious claims.
A 2011 study published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine showed a statistically significant benefit of Reiki compared to placebo.
Reiki, which means “mysterious atmosphere” and was developed by a Japanese Buddhist learning from ancient Tibetan practices, can be contact based (so including massage) or non-contact based, which employs meditation to affect energy fields. Props, like stones turned into Reiki wands or Reiki jewelry, are used to help meditation.
In the study a Reiki master used non-contact meditation while guiding participants though a relaxation exercise (which both the control and the Reiki group were guided through). The study showed that participants who had the extra benefit of the Reiki during their relaxation exercise saw a much bigger improvement in mood and well-being. Participants even showed a long-lasting effect up to 5-weeks after treatment while the control group did not.
That’s some pretty heavy evidence indicating that our bodies are sensitive to energy fields, vibrations, and meditations and that we can measure these effects long after one single treatment, making them possibly more efficient than traditional treatments.
The idea that our bodies respond to energy fields is not new.
Scientists have known the dangers of all kinds of energy fields for a long time, from microwave radiation, nuclear radiation, to electromagnetic fields from cell phones and computers, studies prove that these energy fields damage our cells to the point of causing illness, tumors, and even death.
According to Einstein’s relativity equation, all matter IS energy, even though we perceive it differently. It’s not a huge leap to wonder about the different energies of different objects, like the difference between a manufactured rod and a chunk of stone dug out of the Earth – is there a difference in the energy quality? Can we feel it on our bodies?
New research is finding that yes, there is an energy that we are only marginally aware of, that we may be unable to fully detect, but we can see their effects on people as clearly as in the study mentioned above. Another 2011 study from the Oncology Nursing Forum at the School of Nursing at Sonoma University was able to show a significant increase in comfort for patients undergoing chemotherapy if they were concurrently given Reiki treatment and attention. It makes sense to try it for yourself to see if it works for you in light of these results supporting that Reiki jewelry does help some people feel better.