Reiki and Influenza

I am being asked a lot of questions about influenza these days. And it has been especially moving in light of 2 events this week, one, that we had a patient admitted to our hospice unit, a young woman under 30 who was dying of H1N1, and the second, that our Reiki share had a request from an RM at Shock Trauma, to send Reiki energy to a another young women under 30 at risk of death from H1N1.

Normally, there are about 25,000 influenza deaths each year in the United States, but the highest proportion of these, in fact almost all of these, have been over 70 years old, and most of those in fact over 80 years old. And while every transition is a sadness, deaths of young people strike us more emotively, and are sensed by almost all of us as more tragic.

So that while the worldwide death rate from the H1N1 pandemic is not large, and there may or may not be more deaths from influenza in the United States, what we are seeing is a tragic loss of life, especially in younger women.

How should Reiki view such as situation? Certainly Holistic Practitioners have concerns about the "flu vaccine," and especially about the fact that the flu vaccine still contains thimersol.

First of all, i want to remind everyone of the quote "Reiki cannot replace modern medicine. Reiki should be used in addition to modern medicine as a supplemental treatment. Modern medicine takes care of physical condition. Reiki activates vital energy, natural healing power and immunity power."

Who said such a thing? Well i am quoting from the Gendai Reiki-ho Essence packed version from Rick Rivard's Reiki web site, and the statement is attributed to Sensei Hiroshi Doi.

So it is clear that it is "good Reiki" to respect modern medicine, and to include Reiki as a "supplement." And modern medicine answers questions based on science, and Reiki goes where science cannot tread.

The best current information from modern medicine on H1N1 is at the CDC web site

www.cdc.gov/flu/

It is important to understand that the CDC are good people, who are seeking to understand what is happening as best they can. Their intentions are good, and they are talented people. They are not right all the time, no one is.

A lot of questions are being asked specifically about thimersol. A detailed description of the issue occurs at www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/SafetyAvailability/VaccineSafety/UCM096228

In brief thimersol contains a mercury substance that could be toxic, it was added to vaccines to combat widespread contamination in vaccines in 1928. It has been eliminated from vaccines of children under 6, but still exists in adult vaccines, including influenza, and there has been no evidence that it has caused harm - i wish it were not present in vaccines - but the problem of combatting contamination is real.

There may be no easy answer here. We do not want to utilize vaccines that can cause harm, but absent vaccines, the death rate from many illnesses was very high.

Measles was a horrid childhood illness that has mostly been wiped off the earth, as has polio. Yet, there are concerns that measles vaccine may cause autism. We have the greatest sympathy for parents battling autism. This is extremely difficult for parents and for all of us. But in fact a study in England not only did not find a link to autism from the vaccines, but did not find a higher incidence of autism after widespread measles vaccines were used, as compared to prior to the vaccine being developed and implemented.

For Reiki and other complementary or alternative methods to be widely respected as they should be, Reiki practitioners must respect traditional practitioners, who though not perfect, and sometimes practicing in the dark with the best tools they have at hand, are struggling as a part of the same effort, to give compassion, and to help other people.

I cannot tell people what to do about the influenza vaccine - the choices this year are difficult. My own tendency is to follow the CDC on scientific matters, and to use Reiki as a supplement. In so doing, I believe I am being true to both my training as a physician, and the principles set forth by Hiroshi Doi Sensei for Reiki in our time.

While using the best scientific knowledge that we have, and attempting to stop a pandemic from taking young people from our midst, let us not ignore the knowledge and light of science. At the same time, let us join in sending Reiki energy to those victims of illness that science has not helped, and follow the principle "Reiki cannot replace modern medicine. Reiki should be used in addition to modern medicine treatment as a supplemental treatment."

We all join in the hope for healing in the world.