Studies and Progress Notes (June 2009)

* * * STUDIES and PROGRESS NOTES* * *       

* *  SPIRITUAL AWARENESS AND WHOLISTIC HEALING * *       

Reiki produces no changes on heart rate variability     

Abstract     
The purpose of this study was to use the popular energy healing modality known as Reiki to measurably reduce the level of stress in a recipient. The specific measurement of stress involved was heart rate variability (HRV), an autonomic nervous system (ANS) function with many well-defined stress responses and which is theoretically not under the subject’s willful control.     

The study employed forty participants, equally divided into control and intervention groups. After an initial session to obtain a baseline reading, Reiki was applied to the intervention group in an A-B-A-B fashion, where A = no Reiki applied and B = Reiki applied. The length of each A and B session was fifteen minutes. HRV data were recorded and analyzed using a HeartMath pulse sensor attached to the subjects’ finger and the Freeze Framer computer program. This program measured HRV to obtain a relative level of entrainment, where the heart’s rhythms were synchronized, a condition that was associated with reduced stress levels. Higher entrainment levels were considered “better.”

Statistical results were disappointing, in that there was no significant correlation to the application of Reiki in HRV as measured by the Freeze Framer system. However, a number of potential reasons for this were explored and form the basis of recommendations for future research.

Source: Nutter, Vickie Lynne Sawyer. The effect of Reiki on the autonomic nervous system as measured by entrainment ratios of heart rate variability, Doctoral Dissertation, Holos University 2004 -
http://www.holosuniversity.net/abstracts.asp

IJHC – WHR Observations

Clinical anecdotal reports of effects of Reiki treatments have been very favorable. For reasons that elude researchers, Reiki has made a poor showing in the few published research studies that are available. This has left Reiki open to questions and attacks by skeptics, as in the condemnation of Reiki by Catholic bishops in the section on Human Ecology, below.

* * FUTURE RESEARCH IN WHOLISTIC HEALING * * 

The IJHC/WHR E-Zine features monthly suggestions for future research in healing.
READERS ARE INVITED TO SUBMIT SUGGESTIONS FOR TOPICS TO STUDY
If your topic is chosen, you ill receive free access to the IJHC for a month, including the current issue and all back issues.
 
Reiki has not been as successful as some of the other therapies in demonstrating efficacy in research studies. Skeptics suggest that this indicates Reiki is not an effective treatment modality. This does not square with anecdotal reports of Reiki efficacy – to the point that there are numerous hospitals where Reiki is practiced.

I would wonder whether in part this might have to do with the fact that most Reiki practitioners are not healthcare professionals. Reiki healers are required only to take 3 weekend workshops to qualify as Reiki Masters. This may leave them to some degree lacking in confidence when faced with participation in a research framework.

One way to address some of these questions might be through research that studies various healing modalities in the same study. Researchers often have hesitated to set up studies comparing and contrasting various healing modalities, not wanting to create a competitive situation. It feels to me such comparative studies would be very informative in a variety of ways.
1. No one knows whether any given healing modality offers advantages over any other modality in treatment of particular disorders, such as diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, etc. 
2. Having a study in which Reiki and other therapies were included as treatments for separate groups would help to answer some of the above questions.

One would of course have to be cautious in interpreting results of any single study, as there are multiple factors that can influence outcomes of healing interventions, such as the natural gifts, training and experience of healers; rapport between healers and healees; etc.

* * WHOLISTIC APPROACHES  * *

Research shows home births are as safe as hospital births in uncomplicated pregnancies

Abstract
Objective To compare perinatal mortality and severe perinatal morbidity between planned home and planned hospital births, among low-risk women who started their labour in primary care.

Design A nationwide cohort study.

Setting The entire Netherlands.

Population A total of 529 688 low-risk women who were in primary midwife-led care at the onset of labour. Of these, 321 307 (60.7%) intended to give birth at home, 163 261 (30.8%) planned to give birth in hospital and for 45 120 (8.5%), the intended place of birth was unknown.

Methods Analysis of national perinatal and neonatal registration data, over a period of 7 years. Logistic regression analysis was used to control for differences in baseline characteristics.

Main outcome measures Intrapartum death, intrapartum and neonatal death within 24 hours after birth, intrapartum and neonatal death within 7 days and neonatal admission to an intensive care unit.

Results No significant differences were found between planned home and planned hospital birth (adjusted relative risks and 95% confidence intervals: intrapartum death 0.97 (0.69 to 1.37), intrapartum death and neonatal death during the first 24 hours 1.02 (0.77 to 1.36), intrapartum death and neonatal death up to 7 days 1.00 (0.78 to 1.27), admission to neonatal intensive care unit 1.00 (0.86 to 1.16).

Conclusions This study shows that planning a home birth does not increase the risks of perinatal mortality and severe perinatal morbidity among low-risk women, provided the maternity care system facilitates this choice through the availability of well-trained midwives and through a good transportation and referral system.

Source: de Jonge A, van der Goes B, Ravelli A, Amelink-Verburg M, Mol B, Nijhuis J, Bennebroek Gravenhorst J, Buitendijk S. Perinatal mortality and morbidity in a nationwide cohort of 529 688 low-risk planned home and hospital births. BJOG 2009; DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/
122323202/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7998417.stm

IJHC – WHR Observations

There is a missing element here. While this study focused on the birth process, demonstrating no difference in risk factors between hospital and home delivery, it ignored the risks of infections and other hazards of medical care – particularly in hospitals. This tips the results strongly in favor of home deliveries.

Study suggests that spirituality is key to children's happiness

"New study suggests spirituality, not religious practices, determine how happy children are.
 
To make children happier, we may need to encourage them to develop a strong sense of personal worth, according to Dr. Mark Holder from the University of British Columbia in Canada and his colleagues Dr. Ben Coleman and Judi Wallace. Their research shows that children who feel that their lives have meaning and value and who develop deep, quality relationships - both measures of spirituality - are happier. It would appear, however, that their religious practices have little effect on their happiness. These findings have been published in the online edition of Springer's Journal of Happiness Studies…
 
The authors found that those children who said they were more spiritual were happier. In particular, the personal (i.e. meaning and value in one's own life) and communal (i.e. quality and depth of inter-personal relationships) aspects of spirituality were strong predictors of children's happiness. Spirituality explained up to 27 percent of the differences in happiness levels amongst children…"
 
Source: Holder, Mark D. et al. Spirituality, religiousness, and happiness in children aged 8–12 years, Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer Netherlands, 2008; DOI: 10.1007/s10902-008-9126-1  http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10902-008-9126-1

IJHC – WHR Observations

It is helpful to have confirmation of clinical and anecdotal reports that spiritual awareness is a factor in health promotion, and good to see that this awareness is growing in the culture of conventional medicine.

* * COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES * * 

Acupuncture and acupressure are significantly better than usual care for chronic low back pain

Abstract
Methods  A total of 638 adults with chronic mechanical low back pain were randomized to individualized acupuncture, standardized acupuncture, simulated acupuncture [pressing on acupuncture points rather than needling them], or usual care. Ten treatments were provided over 7 weeks by experienced acupuncturists. The primary outcomes were back-related dysfunction (Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire score; range, 0-23) and symptom bothersomeness (0-10 scale). Outcomes were assessed at baseline and after 8, 26, and 52 weeks.

Results  At 8 weeks, mean dysfunction scores for the individualized, standardized, and simulated acupuncture groups improved by 4.4, 4.5, and 4.4 points, respectively, compared with 2.1 points for those receiving usual care (P  < .001). Participants receiving real or simulated acupuncture were more likely than those receiving usual care to experience clinically meaningful improvements on the dysfunction scale (60% vs 39%; P < .001). Symptoms improved by 1.6 to 1.9 points in the treatment groups compared with 0.7 points in the usual care group (P < .001). After 1 year, participants in the treatment groups were more likely than those receiving usual care to experience clinically meaningful improvements in dysfunction (59% to 65% vs 50%, respectively; P = .02) but not in symptoms (P > .05).

Conclusions  Although acupuncture was found effective for chronic low back pain, tailoring needling sites to each patient and penetration of the skin appear to be unimportant in eliciting therapeutic benefits. These findings raise questions about acupuncture's purported mechanisms of action. It remains unclear whether acupuncture or our simulated method of acupuncture provide physiologically important stimulation or represent placebo or nonspecific effects.

Source: Cherkin, Daniel C. et al. A randomized trial comparing acupuncture, simulated acupuncture, and usual care for chronic low back pain, Archives of Internal Medicine 2009, 169(9), 827, May 11, 2009    http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/169/9/858

IJHC – WHR Observations

It is very helpful to have this confirmation that acupuncture is better than conventional care for lower back pain. The ignorance of the researchers in suggesting that pressing on acupuncture points is 'simulated acupuncture' is rather gross. Acupressure has been recognized for several millennia as being effective.

Vitamin E prevents lung cancer

"A lung cancer study at the University of Texas Anderson Cancer Center was reported in the September 2008 issue of the International Journal of Cancer. Researchers studied the benefits of the four tocopherol forms of vitamin E in the diet of about 1500 healthy people and about 1000 lung cancer patients. All the subjects were about 61 years old.

The results showed that those who consumed the highest amount of dietary vitamin E per day (more than 7.73 mg) had a 53% reduction in lung cancer risk compared to those who consumed the lowest amount (4.13 mg). Alpha-tocopherol was the only form of vitamin E to show this result."

Source: Suite 101
http://vitamins-minerals.suite101.com/article.cfm/vitamin_e_and_lung_cancer 
Mahabir, Somdat et al. Dietary alpha-, beta-, gamma- and delta-tocopherols in lung cancer risk, International Journal of Cancer. 2008, 123, 1173-80.

IJHC – WHR Observations

It is refreshing to see a conventional medical journal acknowledging that vitamins in high doses can prevent lung cancer.

Hopefully, these sorts of articles will decrease the likelihood that Pharma will succeed in restricting public access to vitamins in the US – in contrast to Europe, where the laws have severely limited public access to vitamins and other neutraceuticals.

More CAM reviews at
www.naturalhealthvillage.com
www.mdlinx.com/FamilyMDLinx 
 www.ucalgary.ca/~camig/litsearch.html
AMSA website
www.amsa.org/humed/camresources/camnews.cfm

* * TECHNOLOGY * *

New solar power development

Professor Daniel G. Nocera at MIT has developed methods for solar power generation, splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen in a manner similar to that used by plants in photosynthesis.
Source: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/oxygen-0731.html 
 


IJHC – WHR Observations

If and when this is commercially available, it could be an enormous boon to our world – not only as an energy source, but also as a pollution free source.

New Wolfram alpha search engine – different from Google

The Wolfram Alpha system presents direct answers to questions rather than sending the searcher to other websites.

"Wolfram|Alpha's long-term goal is to make all systematic knowledge immediately computable and accessible to everyone. We aim to collect and curate all objective data; implement every known model, method, and algorithm; and make it possible to compute whatever can be computed about anything. Our goal is to build on the achievements of science and other systematizations of knowledge to provide a single source that can be relied on by everyone for definitive answers to factual queries.

Wolfram|Alpha aims to bring expert-level knowledge and capabilities to the broadest possible range of people—spanning all professions and education levels. Our goal is to accept completely free-form input, and to serve as a knowledge engine that generates powerful results and presents them with maximum clarity."

IJHC – WHR Observations

While this appears attractive, it assumes the search engines can synthesize the materials without bias and without losing data they may consider irrelevant but which the searcher/ end-user may find important and/or stimulating.

* *ENVIRONMENT (HEALING OUR PLANET) * *

Fertilizers decrease plant diversity

By stimulating growth of rapidly-growing plants, the slower growers are denied light and cannot compete.

Source: Hautier,Yann et al. Competition for light causes plant biodiversity loss after eutrophication, Science 2009, 324(5927), 636 - 638
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/sci;324/5927/
636?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10
&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=fertilizer+biodiversity
&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT

IJHC – WHR Observations

This is an additional mechanism to the more deliberate human selective propagation of plants with convenient properties – decreasing the biodiversity. This is a danger to plant and human survival because of vulnerabilities to plant diseases. If, for instance, a virus developed that wiped out the popular varieties of cultivated corn in a way similar to the decimation of elm trees by Dutch elm disease, the lack of genetic diversity would make it difficult or perhaps even impossible to replace the eliminated cultivated variety of corn.

Electric car advances look promising

"The UK's first four-seater electric car which can travel up to 70 miles without recharging has been unveiled.

The 60mph vehicle, called the Citroen C1 ev'ie, will cost £16,850.

The main body of the car, based on the Citroen C1, is being made in the Czech Republic in a joint venture by Toyota, Citroen and Peugeot.

The Electric Car Corporation near Bedford aims to assemble 500 of them this year and hopes to make between 2,000 and 4,000 in 2010.

The Citroen C1 ev'ie can be fully charged in six to seven hours from a domestic 13 amp socket for about 90p, according to the makers, the Electric Car Corporation (ECC).

ECC chief executive David Martell said: 'We believe this is the first serious alternative to a petrol or diesel car.

'It drives just like a petrol car and has excellent capacity for use in any town or city in the UK.' "

Sources: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/beds/bucks/herts/8026380.stm http://www.theelectriccarcorporation.co.uk/

IJHC – WHR Observations

Electric cars can make major contributions to decreasing carbon pollution – but only if the production of the electricity is from carbon neutral sources.

* * HUMAN ECOLOGY * * 

Catholic Bishops in the US condemn Reiki as unscientific and un-Christian

"Without justification either from Christian faith or natural science… a Catholic who puts his or her trust in Reiki would be operating in the realm of superstition, the no-man's-land that is neither faith nor science... Since Reiki therapy is not compatible with either Christian teaching or scientific
evidence, it would be inappropriate for Catholic institutions, such as Catholic health care
facilities and retreat centers, or persons representing the Church, such as Catholic chaplains, to
promote or to provide support for Reiki therapy."

Source: PDF file www.usccb.org/dpp/Evaluation_Guidelines_finaltext_2009-03.pdf
HTML view http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:ksGGkX0zAysJ:www.usccb.org/dpp/
Evaluation_Guidelines_finaltext_2009-03.pdf
+catholic+bishops+conference+guidelines+reiki
&cd=8&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca&lr=lang_en&client=firefox-a

IJHC – WHR Observations

I would have to wonder whether the Bishops' statements are not motivated by concern over the fact that the largest and most rapidly growing group of people responding to surveys on personal religious beliefs and practices is that group which is unafiliated with any formal religion. People are increasingly seeking, exploring and developing personal spiritual experiences. Spiritual healing is one of these.

Catholic Reiki masters group rebuts bishops guidelines

"A group of Catholic Reiki masters has responded to the controversial new guidelines on Reiki issued in March by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, issuing a point-by-point rebuttal and calling for further dialogue with Reiki-practicing Catholics."

They point out that Reiki is used in numerous hospitals, and is based on eastern concepts of biological energy that are outside of the usual frames of reference of western medicine and the Catholic Church.

Source: The Reiki Digest, Friday, May 08, 2009
http://reikidigest.blogspot.com/2009/05/catholic-reiki-masters-group-rebuts.html

IJHC – WHR Observations

Organized religions are in many cases institutions in which the leadership is distanced from their flock. David Korten points out how this commonly occurs in dominator-type organizations, in his brilliant book, The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community, New York: Stylus 2006. The two communications in this section on Human Ecology appear to support this hypothesis.