Medical Papers

The quality of health care depends in part on the accuracy of information published in medical journals. The peer-review process is designed to maintain scientifically credible information and research standards. Papers are critiqued and approved by at least two experts (usually researchers or physicians) prior to being accepted for publication.

The following are Reiki papers published in peer-reviewed medical journals and indexed on PubMed. All of the papers mentioned in the citations have been carefully vetted.

There’s so much hype on the internet about Reiki research, and I encourage you not to get caught up in it. You can be confident these papers and the articles referred to in them are credible. A PubMed search will lead you to the abstracts of articles cited in the papers below.

If you’re a Reiki practitioner who wants to learn how to integrate this material into your Reiki presentations, consider the Reiki & Medicine Intensive or the online Intro to Medical Reiki. If you’d like to arrange an Introduction to Reiki & Wellness, go to Presentations. You can listen to a recording of a Reiki presentation at the Integrative Healthcare Symposium here.

Friedman RS, Burg MM, Miles P, Lee F, Lampert R. Effects of reiki on autonomic activity early after acute coronary syndrome.  J Am Coll Cardiol. 2010 Sep 14;56(12):995-6.

Miles P. Reiki for Support of Cancer Patients. Advances in Mind-Body Medicine. Fall 2007;22(2):20-26.

Miles P, True G. Reiki–Review of a Biofield Therapy: History, Theory, Practice and Research. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. 2003;9(2):62-72.

Miles P. Reiki Vibrational Healing. Interview with Bonnie Horrigan.  Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. 2003;9(4):74-83.

Miles P. Preliminary report on the use of Reiki for HIV-related pain and anxiety. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. 2003;9(2):36.

Schmehr R. Case Report: Enhancing the Treatment of HIV/AIDS with Reiki Training and Treatment. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. 2003;9(2):120.

Schiller R. Reiki: A Starting Point for Integrative Medicine. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. 2003;9(2):20-21.

Miles P. Is there any significant experience with using Reiki in the hospital or ER setting and any literature to support this use? Explore (NY). 2005 Sep;1(5):414.

Miles P. Palliative care service at the NIH includes Reiki and other mind-body modalities. Advances in Mind Body Medicine. 2004 Summer;20(2):30-1.

Miles P. Living in Relation to Mystery: Addressing Mind, Body, and Spirit. Advances in Mind Body Medicine. 2003 Summer;19(2):30-1.

I was the lead reviewer for the NCCAM Reiki Backgrounder for the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). NCCAM is the center at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that studies the safety and efficacy of complementary therapies such as Reiki. There is no copyright protection on this document and the government encourages you to use it freely to enhance your health care. NCCAM updated its name to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH).

The Reiki module written by Pamela Miles for the  University of Minnesota’s Center for Spirituality and Healing, is peer-reviewed and written for the health consumer and for care providers.

Shiflett S, Nayak S, Bid C, Miles P, Agostinelli S. Effect of Reiki Treatments on Functional Recovery in Patients in Poststroke Rehabilitation: A Pilot Study. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2002;8(6):755-763.  I was the sole Reiki master on this NIH-funded research project, and as such was involved in the study’s design, training, implementation, and interpretation of results.

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