Why I choose AcuCare Centre?
As a part of the field assignment, I visited the AcuCare Centre, 12133 Pembroke Road, Pembroke Pines, FL33025. I choose this particular place for my assignment, as I wanted to know about the method of “healing through touch”, as I would call it. Reiki is an alternative medicine that is sought by many for stress and chronic diseases. My aunt is particularly supportive of the center and has recommended it to me. She has sought alternative medicine to treat her migraine problems. She found allopathic medicine ineffective and replete with side effects.
Initial impression of the center:
On entering the center, there was a small reception desk and chairs for the visitors. I went to the center on a weekday and it was not crowded. Acu Centre offers different forms of Chinese medical services like acupuncture, herbal medicine, cupping treatment, Tui Na treatment, Gua Sha treatment and Moxa treatment. All these are traditional Chinese medicine. The atmosphere here is very pleasant. The walls have a very light paint, unlike most Chinese places that I have visited. The image and statue of Buddha were installed at different places. Fresh lotus flowers in a traditional vase, were placed at the reception.
There were around 10 visitors/patient at the time I visited. Interesting, a majority of them were non-Chinese. However, the staff at the center looked like Chinese. The atmosphere reminded me of a spa. It had an appealing and professional appearance. The reception desk had the display list of therapists and their qualification. There were 6 staff at the center when I visited. The services of the center are licensed by the state authorities. The center also accepts insurance and patients can seek insurance coverage for some of the services offered at the center.
Credential of the practitioner
I choose to interview Su Van Nguyen. Su Van Nguyen is a licensed acupuncturist at the Centre. He shared the information about his qualification. He has a Lac, DOM, LMT degree in acupuncture. His license no. is AP2973, Florida. He also has additional credentials like the certificate of Florida Department of Health/Acupuncture injection therapy. The center also offers massage services and that requires additional license. The license for massage therapy is NCBTMB.
Ailment shared with the practitioner
The ailment that I sought help from the practitioner were depression and anxiety. I thought that a complementary medicine that is linked to spiritual experience, can help me with my problem. I have difficulty is trusting allopathy medicine for anxiety and depression, as they tend to have side effects. I felt stressful and depressed lately and I wanted to be treated through non pharmacological interventions. Sometimes, I find my situation overwhelming and difficult to handle. I feel so restless and also lose appetite. So, I decided to seek help.
One of the predominant feeling that I have during depression, is anger and hatred. I sought the help of religion, but it did not work. I wanted a professional who is an expert in understanding my personality and offers me appropriate treatment. I was well aware of the benefits of Chinese medicine in curing depression. This has further strengthened my decision to seek help from the practitioner.
Recommendation made by the practitioner
The practitioner talked to me, to discover the depth and roots of my problem. He informed on how the body, mind and spirit were connected. Thus, emotional problems will lead to physical problems and the vice versa. My emotional problems were the cause of my sleeplessness and eating disorder and the vice versa. He tried to find out the pattern in my symptoms, so that he can understand, the pattern of disharmony noticed in me. After finding the disharmony in the individual, the practitioner uses his skill to restore balance and cure. The liver and heart are important in deciding the disharmony of the body. Insomnia is a symptom of loss of harmony in heart function and eating disorders arise when there is a loss of harmony in liver function. Anger is also an expression of liver disharmony. Imbalance of energy or deficiencies of certain energy in the heart, is the cause of emotional and sensitivity problem. The therapist recommended Reiki and self-care for my ailments.
Reiki is a 2500-year-old therapy, it uses subtle energy and vibration for the healing process. Reiki is sometimes referred by the western society as ‘the healing with palms’. The center uses Reiki to treat a number of chronic diseases like depression and cancer. It is a personal method of healing. The palm can also be used to heal people from a distance. Reiki is called the touch of love. Reiki is pronounced as ‘ray-key’ in Japanese, it means sacred vital energy. Reiki healer transfers the vital energy to the patient, so as to help him balance his body energies and heal himself. The vital energy comes from the cosmos, through the hands of the healer to the patient. The energy is released through the fingertips of the healer. (Koda, 2008)
Reiki can be used to purify the body of toxins, to cure diseases, to purify the soul and to cause spiritual/physical upgradation. According to Reki philosophy, a person gets disease, due to accumulation of toxin in his physical body. These toxins accumulated in the system are the cause for disease. The toxin enters the body through the pollution of thoughts, food, air, water and noise. The toxin can also accumulate due to karma. According to Reiki, negative acts and thoughts can cause physical, mental, psychological and emotional diseases. It is also expected to bring in failures, bad destiny and loss of relations. Reiki energy dissolves the toxins and purifies the body. It is difficult to explain, how this method works scientifically. It has a spiritual component and most scientist will agree with the beneficial effects of spirituality on mind. The technique is designed to help “let go” of the hurt feelings. Reiki uses the help of ‘healing chakras’ in the body to restore balance. (Keyes, 2012)
According to the practitioner, our thoughts vibrates at a higher speed, than our body. These vibrations then lead to actions. The imbalance in our body can lead to chemical changes in the body. Herbs are prescribed if there is excessive imbalance. In my case, it was identified as a common form of depression seen in most youngsters. The practitioners suggested that I attend 10 sessions of Reiki healing. The healing chakras in my body will be activated and my body will be detoxified during this process. He suggested that it will put an end to my depression and anxiety problems. Normally, 21 sessions are recommended for intense form of depression and anxiety.
In the first session, I was told to sit, facing a serene picture of a beautiful mountain side and asked to relax. There was a soothing music playing in the background. The voice of the Reiki teacher was soft and relaxing. I was asked to gently imagine reliving energy flowing from the beautiful space around me. I felt relaxed on hearing the music. The practitioner let me have a copy of the music file. I felt totally calm and relaxed on hearing the music. The actual Reiki was yet to begin. The practitioners placed both his hand at different positions on my head for 5 minutes each ("Reiki Treatment Guide", 2016). Apart from this, no other procedure was done during the first session. In addition to this service, I also opted for a pedicure by immersing my legs into a tank with Gara-Rufa fish. This was also relaxing. But, I won’t be doing this often, as it can cost an extra 20 bucks for 20 minutes.
Following recommendation: I have still not decided on whether I have to continue with the recommendations. The fact that Reiki offers a drugless cure is attractive, but there are few scientific recommendations that support the benefits of Reiki for mental disorder. My decision will be purely based on faith. Secondly, the cost of each session is $50. If I need 10 sessions, then it would be $500. This is not much, if the therapy is promising a complete cure. In addition to Reiki, I will also need to watch my thoughts and action. There are also certain lifestyle modifications that I would have to make. A holistic approach is needed to address my problem. With the kind of life, I am living, a lot of things are out of my control. So, I am really concerned about these things.
Holistic approach requires efforts from the part of the patient and it is time consuming. There is no quick fix. So I will need to introduce a lot of changes in my lifestyle and thought process. Presently, my plan is to attend one or two sessions, and based on the improvement in the condition, I will decide on continuing further. Further, I am planning to do the treatment by myself, by devoting time to sit before a serene scenery and listen to the music. I also planning to use certain affirmative sentences that can help me.
Did you experience any result?
Yes! I felt extremely relaxed after my first session. Though I am not sure how long it lasted. I also felt hopeful that someone is understanding. I feel a noticeable change in the way I deal with my emotions. I am more conscious about them and know when I am going to feel angry. I tried to avoid situations and thoughts that can cause anger. I could not exactly tell if it is because of Reiki or my mindfulness. But, I am happy with the change.
I feel rejuvenated after the session. I didn’t have to deal with the need of having a personal conversation with the therapist, as done in clinical psychiatry. There was no too much touching in the treatment. The practitioner placed his palm over my head, and the healing energy was conveyed to me. I did not feel any connection with the healer, but I was assured that the energy is transferred and of the balance being restored. According to the practitioner, the symbols made by his hands is expected to heal my anxiety and depression. I am not quite confident that my problem is cured, because, the cause of my depression is around me. At least it will help me during this tough period and in the long run I will be able to overcome it or learn to live with it.
Scientific evidence on the benefit of Reiki for depression
A study was conducted among community dwelling older adults, to assess the beneficial effects of Reiki on pain, depression and anxiety. The Hamilton anxiety scale, Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form, Faces Pain Scale, heart rate and blood pressure were used to measure anxiety, depression and pain. The group that underwent Reiki, reported a significant improvement in the symptoms. There was no significant difference in heart rate and blood pressure between the test and control groups. (Richeson, Spross, Lutz, & Peng, 2010)
In a systematic review of 205 research articles pertinent to the topic, the benefits of Reiki were evaluated on different mental states (Lee, Pittler, & Ernst, 2008). Though Reiki was found to be beneficial in cases of stress and hopelessness, the results were not significant in cases of anxiety, depression and pain. The effect of Reiki was not effective in ameliorating pain associated with diabetic neuropathy, nor was it effective in ameliorating anxiety associated with pregnancy associated amniocentesis in women. Cochrane review also supported the lack of sufficient evidences to support Reiki for mental disorders (Joyce & Herbison, 2015). Anxiety and depression are chronic diseases that need lifelong therapy. The difficulty in studying the progress related to these diseases could be a reason for inconsistent scientific evidence on Reiki practice.
References
Joyce, J. & Herbison, G. (2015). Reiki for depression and anxiety. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/14651858.cd006833.pub2
Keyes, R. (2012). The Healing Power of Reiki. Woodbury: Llewellyn Publication.
Koda, K. (2008). Sacred path of Reiki. Woodbury, Minn.: Llewellyn Publications.
Lee, M., Pittler, M., & Ernst, E. (2008). Effects of reiki in clinical practice: a systematic review of randomised clinical trials. International Journal of Clinical Practice, 62(6), 947-954. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1742-1241.2008.01729.x
Reiki Treatment Guide. (2016). www.reiki.nu. Retrieved 8 July 2016, from http://reiki.nu/Treatmentguide2.pdf
Richeson, N., Spross, J., Lutz, K., & Peng, C. (2010). Effects of Reiki on Anxiety, Depression, Pain, and Physiological Factors in Community-Dwelling Older Adults. Research in Gerontological Nursing, 3(3), 187-199. http://dx.doi.org/10.3928/19404921-20100601-01
