Let's Talk About Reiki & Alternative Healing

In today's industrialized society we are pumped full of medications, depleted and insufficient "food", and often given the run around or no guarantees when we find ourselves facing an illness or disease.

Our health and happiness is in decline. Some theorize that our medicine is actually outdated.

When I was diagnosed with Vitiligo and another auto-immune disease, I was told by numerous specialists and endocrinologists that there was no cure, that my body would eventually have the same pigmentation pattern of a giraffe and that my risk of skin cancer would triple. I didn't take "no" for an answer and began my own search into alternative healing - as should everyone. I believe nature has provided us with everything we need to heal and is what our pharmaceuticals are derived from. Eventually I found a natural cure (wearing a copper bracelet and taking gingko biloba) and also visited with a homeopath.

Out of the five different specialists and doctors, the homeopath was the only doctor who was able to give me answers, thought to explore beneath the surface, gave me an explanation and a cure. Granted it was expensive, as it was not covered by insurance, but the insight was profound. The medications I was placed on for many years was contributing to my disease - something my other physicians never considered.

I realized that our Western medicine was not complete and did not have all the answers. Granted, we have many talented and wonderful doctors that have dedicated their lives to helping and healing others, but we often forget to continue our education, to think outside of the instilled "school of thought" and to consider alternative options. I do not intend to "bash" upon our doctors and field of medicine, but for those of you who have hit a brick wall with a solution and are struggling to find help, I strongly urge you to do your own research. EarthClinic is a great website I can recommend.

It is sad to realize that "business" is very much tied in to our medicine. Many have claimed to have found and used natural cures for cancer, and because some of these supplements have no patent on them, the drug companies do not make a profit and therefore it isn't profitable to support the supplement. I strongly believe that the food we consume, the carcinogens and synthetic hormones in our environment (laundry detergent, cosmetics, plastics, etc.) all contribute to our decline in health. But what I have been slowly leading you to, is the topic of Reiki (yes, Samantha, let's get to the point!).

Reiki, is an ancient art that has recently become popular again - healing of a patient through a "healer's" hands. Energy from a "higher source" is channeled through the healer from the top of their head and down through their hands. This energy has been measured and can often be felt by the patient. Essentially it is believed that the healer "clears the flow of energy" through the patient's body and thus promotes healing and health. A mind, body, soul concept - very much so an Eastern philosophy. I think you would be amazed, as was I, to learn that many hospitals have incorporated reiki in their departments and treatments. Last I knew, Sparrow Hospital in Lansing has actually added a reiki treatment to their system. There has to be something to this alternative healing method, right? Why would a hospital go out on a limb to add a possibly controversial therapy to their system if it didn't work? I found it to be very interesting.

When my grandfather was dying from cancer, before the hospital overdosed him with chemo and he passed away, he had an interesting visit from a nurse. This nurse had not checked his patient information but only asked if she could see my grandpa. Desperate for any help and solution, we weren't sure what she wanted to do with him but agreed to have her come to his room and "look him over". My mother watched as this woman hovered her hands over his body until she came to a stop with her hands over his throat and head. "I feel cold and heaviness here" as she continued to focus on this area of his body. Apparently the nurse could see a grey/black mass in these two areas in his personal energy. My grandfather had throat cancer and eventually it led to his brain. I don't know how common this location of cancer was, but it seemed more than coincidental that she stopped at those exact two spots on his body and "sensed" the disease. 

In my opinion, we have only scratched the surface of "healing". I do believe that our minds have more influence on our health than we realize. I took an interesting course at MSU, "Mind, Body Communication" and I was amazed at some of the alternative healing methods discussed. Patients were able to control their bleeding and pain through simple hypnosis. One woman had a C-section without any medication and was ready to get up and walk after the procedure (of course they kept her laying down for awhile instead). Another had a root canal without any medication and both patients controlled their bleeding and their pain through hypnosis dialog and touch. One tap on their arm represented another dose of anesthetics. It was amazing! We watched both surgeries and they were flawless! (Of course I was squirming in my seat thinking of the pain they must be feeling, but they were completely calm and happy!)

Another example of how powerful our minds are: We studied a case in which a man was locked in a refrigerated train boxcar during the summer months. Employees found him shortly later, curled up into a ball, deceased, as if he had froze to death. The boxcar's refrigeration was not even on...but the man believed wholeheartedly that he was going to die of cold, and he actually did. Sounds crazy, I know. Feel free to research these topics own your own with scholarly studies. I think it is fascinating.

So what else do we not know about? What other methods and routes are there for us to take towards healing that we don't know about? We are still pioneers in this field and there is oh so much to discover still....As Mr. Charles H. Duell said, the Commissioner of US patent office in 1899 "everything that can be invented has been invented." I hope that Western medicine doesn't take this stance towards healing and will continue to incorporate more mind, body, soul methods.

Just some food for thought.

Don't forget to start your own victory garden this spring too! Grow your own healthy food/medicine and save money! Maybe lose your mind like me and get some dairy goats and chickens! :) Free entertainment!

As always,
Light & love to you all.

-Samantha-