TY - JOUR
T1 - The effect of distant reiki on pain in women after elective Caesarean section
T2 - A double-blinded randomised controlled trial
AU - Van Der Vaart, Sondra
AU - Berger, Howard
AU - Tam, Carolyn
AU - Goh, Y. Ingrid
AU - Gijsen, Violette M.G.J.
AU - De Wildt, Saskia N.
AU - Taddio, Anna
AU - Koren, Gideon
PY - 2011
Y1 - 2011
N2 - Introduction: Approximately 25% of all babies in North America are delivered via Caesarean section (C-section). Though a common surgical procedure, C-section recovery can be painful. Opioids, specifically codeine, are commonly used to ease pain; however, its active metabolite, morphine, passes into breast milk, and may produce unwanted side effects in neonates; therefore, alternatives to opioids are being sought. Reiki is an ancient Japanese form of healing where practitioners transfer healing energy through light touch and positive healing intention. Although 1.2 million Americans use reiki to reduce pain or depression, there is a lack of strong evidence supporting its effectiveness. A recent systematic review showed existing studies to be of poor methodological quality, with the common limitation of lack of blinding. To overcome this issue, the authors used distant reiki to assess its effectiveness in reducing pain following an elective C-section. Methods: In this randomised, double-blinded study, women who underwent an elective C-section were allocated to either usual care (control, n=40) or three distant reiki sessions in addition to usual care (n=40). Pain was assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS). The primary endpoint was the Area Under the VAS-Time Curve (AUC) for days 1-3. Secondary measures included: The proportion of women who required opioid medications and dose consumed, rate of healing and vital signs. Results: AUC for pain was not significantly different in the distant reiki and control groups (mean±SD; 212.16104.7 vs 223.16117.8; p=0.96). There were no significant differences in opioid consumption or rate of healing; however, the distant reiki group had a significantly lower heart rate (74.368.1 bpm vs 79.867.9 bpm, p=0.003) and blood pressure (106.469.7 mm Hg vs 111.9611.0 mm Hg, p=0.02) post surgery. Conclusion: Distant reiki had no significant effect on pain following an elective C-section.
AB - Introduction: Approximately 25% of all babies in North America are delivered via Caesarean section (C-section). Though a common surgical procedure, C-section recovery can be painful. Opioids, specifically codeine, are commonly used to ease pain; however, its active metabolite, morphine, passes into breast milk, and may produce unwanted side effects in neonates; therefore, alternatives to opioids are being sought. Reiki is an ancient Japanese form of healing where practitioners transfer healing energy through light touch and positive healing intention. Although 1.2 million Americans use reiki to reduce pain or depression, there is a lack of strong evidence supporting its effectiveness. A recent systematic review showed existing studies to be of poor methodological quality, with the common limitation of lack of blinding. To overcome this issue, the authors used distant reiki to assess its effectiveness in reducing pain following an elective C-section. Methods: In this randomised, double-blinded study, women who underwent an elective C-section were allocated to either usual care (control, n=40) or three distant reiki sessions in addition to usual care (n=40). Pain was assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS). The primary endpoint was the Area Under the VAS-Time Curve (AUC) for days 1-3. Secondary measures included: The proportion of women who required opioid medications and dose consumed, rate of healing and vital signs. Results: AUC for pain was not significantly different in the distant reiki and control groups (mean±SD; 212.16104.7 vs 223.16117.8; p=0.96). There were no significant differences in opioid consumption or rate of healing; however, the distant reiki group had a significantly lower heart rate (74.368.1 bpm vs 79.867.9 bpm, p=0.003) and blood pressure (106.469.7 mm Hg vs 111.9611.0 mm Hg, p=0.02) post surgery. Conclusion: Distant reiki had no significant effect on pain following an elective C-section.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79955925139&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1136/bmjopen-2010-000021
DO - 10.1136/bmjopen-2010-000021
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AN - SCOPUS:79955925139
SN - 2044-6055
VL - 1
JO - BMJ Open
JF - BMJ Open
IS - 1
M1 - e000021
ER -