When I type the acupuncture transcription follow-ups I’m always interested to see how the patient says it worked. So far most of the results are positive. I don’t know anything about it, but keep an open mind. Reiki I don’t know- it’s new - as a Christian I do believe in healing, but how that relates to Reiki and this “energy” I don’t know. As a Christian, how does one view that?
My mom calls me a few years ago..and tells me she'd been having some knee pain. I ask what she's been doing about it...she hesitates..and say's she doesn't want to tell me. Ha!!
Finally I get it out of her...she had gone to a acupuncture guy...and he caused her pain to go away. It worked for her...!!
Theologically, I think there are different interpretations from different sorts of Christians. Some say it depends on what is being channeled. There are Christian healers who lay on hands in the name of Jesus, for example.
Our clients who have had acupuncture have had differing results. I have seen, for example, acupuncture done by an MD for a strained knee that left the client with a swollen, red, painful joint, worse than when he went in. The thing with a lot of modalities, and I include massage, is that the positive effects may be cumulative, may be transient, and may be effective until the next time the client experiences an aggravation of their condition, whatever that may be. OTOH, I have seen migraine sufferers improve tremendously to the point where they need nothing at all for months. Acute muscle injuries also respond well and some chronic conditions improve or resolve. I believe the ratios are about the same as for other physical or sports medicine. Most of our referring MDs/APRNs want to find modalities that lessen drug dependence and frequent ER visits and avoid surgery. Most use massage for themselves and their families and some have used acupuncture, as well.
I have not had acupuncture. I have experienced Reiki and it felt just like an electric heat source was applied to my sore muscle. It felt positive and eased the discomfort, but was not *curative*. I get more relief from knowledgeable massage based on Western anatomical principles. FWIW, it did not make me uncomfortable spiritually and I did not feel violated in any manner.
In my area, anyone can be certified in Reiki for around $100. So, there are a lot of practitioners and many don’t even charge. A majority of the massage therapists are middle-aged women who are experiencing a loss of hand strength and whose connective tissue is weaker than it was pre-menopause. They have all changed modalities and now the majority still practicing do energy work. My husband’s clients all express disappointment with the results and see him for anatomically-based work. I retired at 63 due to loss of hand strength. I have a hand-manufacturing business, as well, and that alone puts enough stress on my hands, but I can pace myself in that business better than I can in massage. And I have found ways to spare my hands and still achieve a satisfactory product.
Being brought into the medical system doesn’t mean being covered by insurance. Some institutions pay the therapists by the client or by the time worked. There is the prospect of a steady client stream, but income can be reduced and there is a difference in client compliance between being *told* to seek these modalities and choosing it for oneself. We have worked under insurance in the past and the payment schedule, both the reimbursement itself and the time it takes to receive it, is inferior to private practice with clients who pay out of pocket, while the workload can be punishing. Many of my husband’s clients do get some reimbursement from their carrier, but they pay out of pocket, up front, and then get reimbursed by the insurance carrier.