Reiki: Quack or Not

In previous articles, we have discussed aromatherapy, yoga and other alternative and traditional medicines which claim to be good for our health and wellness even without scientific study to back them up. Still, these methods of healing and treatments have astonished even those practicing medicine that they began to integrate it on their own processes. Integrative and complementary medicines also started to emerge and patronized.

Another one that is making a name in medical practice is the Japanese method called Reiki. Rei means Universal Life while Ki would mean energy. According to researches and reviews made by The Peterson Group, this practice is not in any way affiliated with religion or religious beliefs.  This method is believed to be taken from unlimited life force supply from any living being which means that anyone can learn and do this. The only cases of fraudulent act may come from people asking for payment when doing this. It is therefore advisable to go to a legitimate practitioner.

This method is also done for free in many hospitals to help patients recuperate from an operation or illness.

It is a subtle and effective form of energy work using spiritually guided life force energy. It is believed that a person’s “ki” or energy should be strong and free flowing. When this is true a person’s body and mind is in a positive state of health. When the energy becomes weak or blocked it could lead to symptoms of physical or emotional imbalance.

A Reiki session can help ease tension and stress and can help support the body to facilitate an environment for healing on all levels – physical, mental, and emotional. A session is pleasant and relaxing and is often utilized for one’s personal wellness.

A session is usually 60 to 90 minutes long. A discussion will usually take place during an initial session with a Reiki Practitioner. They will describe the session to the client, give the client an opportunity to discuss any particular problems or issues they are experiencing and ask them what they are hoping to achieve from their session. For the actual session, the client will rest comfortably on a massage table on their back with their shoes removed. Reiki can be performed with the client sitting comfortably in a chair as well. Unlike massage therapy, no articles of clothing are removed and a client is always fully clothed; loose, comfortable clothing is suggested. A session can either be hands-on, where a Practitioner will apply a light touch during the session, or hands-off where they will hold their hands slightly above your body. If a client prefers not to be touched they can indicate this to the practitioner before they begin.

According to one practitioner in Jakarta, Indonesia states that sessions should be repeated 6-8 times to fully recover from pain or totally get rid of stress.

Introducing Antineoplastons

Antineoplastons Mechanism

The Peterson Group, a non-profit organization dedicated to identify the effects of alternative, complementary and integrative medicines to today’s health and wellness, has been featuring possible cures for cancer with proofs on its efficiency as well as its side effects. This time, we introduce another one of those treatments which are currently known to be recognized in many parts of North America and are already being further studied in other cities across the globe. Clinical labs and research facilities in Jakarta, Indonesia and Singapore are slowly opening its arms to this treatment developed in 1976 in Texas, United States: the Antineoplastons.

According to reviews, Antineoplaston therapy is an alternative therapy. Antineoplastons are chemical compounds found normally in blood and urine. They are made up of amino acids and peptides. The name is coined by Stanislaw Burzynski, MD, a Polish-trained physician who immigrated to the United States. He described the compounds as a natural form of cancer protection and began production of synthetic versions of them in his laboratory. In 1977, he opened a clinic in Houston, Texas, where he has since has been treating cancer patients with antineoplaston based therapies.

According to the clinic’s website, the treatment is a personalized cancer therapy which utilizes an understanding of each patient’s genetic make-up to unravel the biology of their cancer. Using this information, physicians attempt to identify treatment strategies that may be more effective and cause fewer side effects than would be expected with standard treatments. By performing genetic tests and analyses, these physicians customize treatment to each patient’s needs.

With its long-time operation, this kind of cancer approach has faced many criticisms. Moreover, Food and Drug Administration has already issued legal warning for the use and advertising of Antineoplaston as it is deemed to be an unapproved therapy and can be unlawful in many states. FDA has also asked Burzinsky Clinic to minimize its sale and advertising.

When it comes to the efficacy of this treatment, Burzinsky and his associates has claimed to have helped many people. However, they are not able to prove its efficacy as no one has stepped forward and claimed to have been healed. 35 years of investigation and clinical research, as it seems, may be too long to have not proven anything. American Cancer Society and Cancer Research UK among others has reached a consensus that antineoplaston therapy is unproven and the overall probability of being able to heal cancer is low due to the lack of mechanism and resources.

Investigations on the potential of this treatment are still under study despite lawsuits and many legal threats. 

CAM for Menopause

Just as many complementary, alternative and integrative medicines are emerging nowadays, more and more people are patronizing non-scientific based treatment for any illness, disease, physical or physiological disablement. Even menopausal women are now exploring these medicines to either prevent or lessen the effects brought by this natural phenomenon.

According to The Peterson Group experts had found out that many middle aged women use black cohosh, multibotanical supplements and dietary soy has grown dramatically, perhaps in part due to fear of prescription hormones. This makes it important for doctors to be prepared to provide patients with up-to-date, evidence-based information as there are a lot of women who tend to believe claims of almost impossible effects in an almost impossible time frame. With little flowery words from fraudsters and a desperate middle-age, the deal may spread like wildfire among other women.

Patients should know that few CAM remedies for menopause-related symptoms have been scientifically evaluated and, to the extent they have been studied, robust evidence for the efficacy of many therapies is lacking. In randomized controlled clinical trials, soy foods, is flavone supplements, vitamin E, and omega-3 fatty acids have not consistently been shown to be better than placebo for treating hot flashes.

On the other hand, a growing body of evidence suggests that mind and body practices such as yoga, tai chi, qi gong, and acupuncture may benefit women during menopause.

Mind and Body Therapies for Menopausal Symptoms

A 2010 review of 21 papers assessed mind and body therapies for menopausal symptoms. The researchers found that yoga, tai chi, and meditation-based programs may be helpful in reducing common menopausal symptoms including the frequency and intensity of hot flashes, sleep and mood disturbances, stress, and muscle and joint pain.

Another 2010 review based in Jakarta, Indonesia assessed studies that examined the use of acupuncture for hot flashes related to natural or induced menopause. The studies that the researchers included in their review were limited to acupuncture studies performed using needles stimulated by hand or electrically. The researchers found that acupuncture may reduce the frequency and severity of hot flashes; they also concluded that the effect may occur regardless of where the acupuncture needle is placed on the body. However, some studies did not provide sufficient evidence to support the use of acupuncture for hot flashes due to their small size and poor quality. Further research is needed to provide more conclusive results.

The Peterson Group is also currently conducting research and studies relating to menopausal stage of women, hot flushes and how further the use of alternative medicines can ease pain or side effects related to it.

Radionics: Science or Magic

Radionics is one of those alternative medicines which, until now, has been a cause of debate among its analysts. There have been certain studies but the mystery still remains.

According to studies conducted by The Peterson Group, a world-wide non-profit organization with an aim to identify both the negative and positive effects of alternative, integrative and complementary medicines, radionics is now being acknowledged in research centers as one of the ways to treat diseases and ailments albeit the continuous search for its process.

On the other hand, studies from Jakarta, Indonesia have simple explanation for radionics’ healing effects: life force. This energy has been believed at by traditional studies but is not supported by western belief.

Based on the nature of radionics itself, it is easy to see why western science is going to dismiss its validity. First of all western science does not, as yet, recognize the existence of any form of energy known as Life-Force. The question of putting up certain rates and ratios to represent organs, structures and functions, are dismissed as fraudulent since they consider such rates as arbitrary.

With the arguments of scientific studies, one may be tempted to think that because science is not able to find out how the machinery, treatment and the process itself work, it is considered quackery and a manifestation of public deception. But what if a person says he has a brain to a kid, wouldn’t able to prove it and explain how he got the brain, should the kid also perceive him to be a fraud and without a brain?

To further explain, radionics theory has two basic principles:

1.            the concept that man and all life forms share a common ground in that they are immersed in the electro-magnetic field of the earth

2.            that each life form has its own electro-magnetic field, which is sufficiently distorted, will ultimately result in disease of the organism

The scope of Radionics itself is unlimited as no one knows the limits as no one can ever even define it. At some point, it is used to determine the structural and functional integrity of the body and identify the causes of disease hidden within.

At another level, the determination of the states of the energy centers (chakras) provides a picture of energy flows in the body and enables the practitioner to gain a deeper insight into the reasons behind certain physical and psychological imbalances. To this may be added and analysis of the qualities of energy within specific psychic structures.

It can be used to complement other forms of therapy, and its efficacy is such that it forms a complete system of healing on its own right.