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Helping Cancer Patients Cope

By Holly Ames/Medstar

An old treatment makes a comeback to help cancer patients. Helping Cancer Patients Cope

Published: Wed, August 29, 2007 - 3:12 pm Last Updated: Wed, August 29, 2007 - 3:55 pm

Hearing that you have cancer can be horrifying enough. But going through chemotherapy and radiation will put your body through an unimaginable test. Now patients can turn to Eastern Medicine to ease the pain.

Marsha Drozdoff is a Reiki Master. "Reiki is an ancient form of natural healing based on channeling or moving the Reiki rate energy through the hands of the practitioner."

Marsha places her hands over, but not on, the area where a patient feels pain. Energy flows through her to the patient.

Celia Parker is a breast cancer survivor who is giving it a try. "It's very comfortable. It can be very exciting and energizing. It can be very relaxing."

Marsha says the old practice is gaining new popularity. "Reiki is a modality that is growing because it's non-invasive, it's non-manipulative, easy to learn and it brings such a great sense of wellness."

Thanks to a grant from the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Marsha is teaching breast cancer patients how to perform Reiki on themselves. Marsha says, "They learned also how to work on each other which is a tremendous joy because we know when people are dealing with life threatening events in their life, particularly cancer, they may feel a lack of empowerment."

Reiki isn't just used for cancer patients. Doctor Ann Baldwin is studying the physiological affects of it on other illnesses, like diabetes, where circulation is sometimes compromised.

Ann Baldwin says, "What I'm doing in these experiments is to look at the effect of Reiki on blood flow."

As you can see in these computer scans, blood flow increases in the hands while a practitioner performs Reiki.

Ann says, "So if you can bring more blood to the injured region that should promote healing."

This increased flow means the area is getting vital nutrients from the blood. it's all research that could further bolster an alternative route to good health.

If you're interested in finding a certified Reiki practitioner in your area, you can go to the International Association of Reiki Professionals at WWW.IARP.ORG