Reiki vs. conventional medicine

Can someone, since I'm totally clueless, break this down for me:
I have a friend (36 years old) who—to put it lightly—is going through it right now.
For a few years, her legs were numb, and then that numbness slowly started creeping up to her hips and higher. This year, there were times she couldn't even walk.
She spent months in a hospital in St. Louis where they couldn't even figure out what was wrong. One doctor actually told her how he thinks she might have MS...
Basically, she got transferred to Mayo Clinic in Rochester where, after a couple of brain biopsies, they found some kind of virus or fungus attacking her nervous system. They also found Hepatitis C, which, combined with the suspected MS, really paints a picture of how "not okay" things are...
She’s fallen into manic depression a few times and has even tried jumping out of windows...
While the illness was progressing, her path crossed with some Reiki practitioners. Apparently, they helped her find a sense of self-control during those incredibly tough moments—which we all just accepted as a group.
At Mayo Clinic, they gave her a specific therapy that actually brought her back "to life"...
After the treatment, she visited a few different spas and, yeah, she definitely looks better.
Now, with approval from the Department of Health, she’s supposed to start interferon therapy to keep the illnesses in check—BUT:
Her mentor, trainer, or whatever that Reiki lady is to her, is demanding she NOT take the therapy because they claim they'll cure her with their "quasi-treatments."
My friend, who is super fragile and insecure right now, went ahead and took the first dose of interferon after being nudged by the rest of us—and her Reiki lady absolutely tore her apart for it. Like, why would she even go get it?

So tell me, what kind of idiots are these? What are they thinking, putting their "higher goals" ahead of the actual well-being of the person they supposedly "care" about?
If we've already accepted that that crappy Reiki helps her regain self-control and confidence, why can't these jerks accept that "regular" medicine can also help manage the disease?
Does one really have to exclude the other?
Can someone seriously be such a jerk as to confuse an already mentally shaken person even more with their pseudo-philosophies?

Reiki people—or whatever / don't sweat it / song no.:19!

And that right there is exactly why I can't stand the alternative scene. It’s incredibly exclusionary, and honestly, it operates on the exact same dogmatic principles that they love to criticize in mainstream medicine. There are exceptions, sure, but most of the time, it's just more of the same.

I wouldn't go so far as to say one alternative completely rules out the other—it’s more like having chronic bronchitis where one doctor prescribes cigarettes as treatment while the other bans them entirely. So, how are you supposed to know who’s actually right when one "therapy" is clearly destructive and contradicts the other?
It isn't meant to be some perfect analogy, I just wanted to point out that these two approaches can clash so violently that they cancel each other out... and people are often willing to take whatever is offered without filtering it—which is understandable, since nobody has the expertise to judge which option is actually sound or safe in the first place.

That’s exactly why I included the exceptions in the list. Sometimes you’re forced into an "either/or" situation, but in this specific instance, that isn't even the choice—it's an exclusive alternative. It’s pretty much like when your doctor tells you that you absolutely cannot go to Reiki.

But Karen Brooks, how can you be so sure that the alternative isn't actually right in this instance?

Lisa Ortiz17 said:But Karen Brooks, how can you be so sure that the alternative crowd isn't right in this specific case?

Exactly. The people pushing alternative medicine are usually the ones insisting on staying "natural," and honestly, there's nothing wrong with that. Using it alongside conventional medicine can be a great way to get some extra support. However, adopting an entire alternative lifestyle just because you happen to use holistic treatments is where things get stupid. That’s a trap you really need to avoid.

In my view, returning to nature and using natural methods to try and "encourage" your body to defend itself is a solid approach. You should use mainstream medicine for everything that alternative methods either can't handle or take far too much time to resolve.

The real trouble starts when someone begins blindly following one side or the other. People aren't wizards...

Well, Linda Peterson beat me to it.
I don't see any reason why conventional medicine should be sidelined here. There’s really no reason for them to be at odds.

Look, I'm not going to play judge and jury on who's right or wrong—that's purely subjective, so there's no point in me weighing in on that. But I fail to see why a woman wouldn't allow for the use of standard medical practice.

P.S. I actually know a few GPs out in the States who incorporate Reiki into their practice, so it really seems to me like there shouldn't be any conflict at all.

Karen Brooks said:I don't even see how they could be at odds with each other.

See, that’s where you’re wrong. At their core, the goals aren't actually in conflict—the whole point is to help people.🙂 What’s really clashing between these two types of medicine are the cultures, the religious ties, the lifestyles, social standing, and let's face it, the massive amount of money flowing through one versus the other. In my opinion, every "mainstream doctor" should be incorporating elements of alternative medicine, and vice versa. If they aren't doing that, then they don't actually care about healing people; they just care about maintaining dominance and lining their pockets. Unfortunately, that's what usually wins out in the end.

Back in the good old days, maybe 500 or 80 years ago... back when most things were just considered "alternative medicine" before we even had antibiotics...
and new drugs, the average life expectancy was generally around 50 years.

With "alternative medicine," they couldn't do much against things like smallpox or other viruses, and people died by the millions. They died in their beds. Today, you can have cancer and still walk around, fighting it. If "modern medicine" manages to cure it, but by chance, the person was also doing Reiki or drinking some herbal tonic, "alternative medicine" folks will claim they were the ones who healed them.

Both alternative medicine and big pharma take advantage of the moment, pulling in billions of dollars from poor, sick people who will give anything just to feel better, because they want to live and they want hope.

All "alternative medicine" should be labeled "UNPROVEN" on the packaging. It isn't like standard medicine, which is proven through pharmacies and rigorously tested in clinical trials with volunteers and placebos to ensure there are actual criteria for its effectiveness. It needs to be registered along with all its side effects and evidence.

That’s the short version, coming from someone who has spent a lot of money on various treatments and medications... at 34 years old... not over a month or a year.

🙂 😉 😎

Look, Jamie Clark74, I’ve got a direct, clear-cut, and proven example right here where an alternative exercise system actually worked for me.

I dealt with PCOS and totally irregular periods for a solid 13 years. Following my doctor's advice, I went through various medications and birth control pills. My cycle never came on time unless it was artificially induced by those pills.

Then I started practicing Tai Chi—it's an Eastern exercise system rooted in Buddhism and Taoism, and before you ask, it has nothing to do with "medicine"—and after just two months of training, my period started coming on schedule. My cycle finally settled into a consistent 28-30 day window. It’s been a year now, and things are better than ever.

Got any counterarguments for that? I highly doubt it.😉

Linda Peterson said:Got a counterargument? I highly doubt it.

It’s 2:40 AM on a Sunday here in Australia—way past my bedtime!
There’s certainly more that happened, or could have happened...
but I never charge blindly into things like a bull seeing red.😁

The color red doesn't exactly soothe me.😉

Ciao bella,

Linda Peterson said:gotta counter-argument? doubt it--😉

not really a counter-argument, but it gets the point across:
maybe those meds just irritated her already sensitive ovaries even more—maybe she just needed some downtime...
way too many "maybes," I know...
my neighbor’s doctor actually banned him from swimming, working out, and put him on this super strict diet because of a bad case of the flu... after two weeks, the guy looked like a walking corpse.
the doc chewed him out for not following orders, which, obviously, pissed my neighbor off.
so, right up until his follow-up, he spent his time hitting the beach in Miami, swimming, playing soccer, and spending his nights eating sausages, bacon from the grill, and drinking beer... and, surprise, surprise, he felt better!
in this case, there was zero "alternative" medicine at play.
right after that, a doctor told us about these "exceptions that prove the rule"—cases where it's actually better to just let things run their course and monitor them rather than treating them immediately.

but man, my friend's situation is just awful.
these "alternative" types want to ditch meds and medical treatments entirely so they can heal people with their "abracadabra" methods.
judging by what happened to her, you don't need a medical degree to try Reiki. honestly, it feels like a bunch of charlatans who read one street pamphlet or a cheap book and suddenly think—BAM, we're doctors now... seriously though...

...just a quick response to everyone who seems a bit confused about this.
Around 30 different Reiki practitioners worked on that girl, and now they’re all out there demanding she pay them whatever amount she can afford. Honestly, that kind of thing should be banned by the Constitution!

What should be banned by the Constitution?

Yeah, it’s a complete disaster.
She got lucky that the MZ covered the interferon, because monthly therapy runs about $1,100. It was actually a valid medical necessity.

Raymond Palmer8 said:So, she has official approval from the Department of Health to start interferon therapy to keep her illness under control—BUT:
Her mentor, coach, or whatever this "Reiki expert" thinks she is, is actually telling her NOT to take the medication because they claim their "treatments" will cure her instead!?
A friend of hers, who is already incredibly fragile and shaken up right now, actually listened to the group and went ahead with the first dose of interferon. And what happened? Her Reiki practitioner chewed her out like a dog for it. Why on earth would she even go through with that?

Seriously, tell me, what kind of morons are these? What are they thinking? How can they prioritize their own "higher goals" over the actual well-being of the person they supposedly "care" about?
If we’ve already agreed that this Reiki stuff might help her regain some self-control and confidence, why can't these damn people accept that "standard" medicine can also play a part in managing her condition?
Does one have to cancel out the other?
Can someone really be such a jerk that they confuse an already mentally exhausted person with all this pseudo-philosophical nonsense?

As far as I'm concerned, Reiki isn't an "alternative" to anything; you can practice it with anyone, anytime, as long as the person wants it. Therefore, interferon or conventional medicine shouldn't be at odds with Reiki at all. But just like anywhere else—even in ezoterija circles—you've got your good guys, bad guys, and confused guys. 😁.

What they did to that girl is wrong and completely goes against everything Reiki should stand for. You really have to ask whether these practitioners are actually fit to help if they behave this way. There are great Reiki practitioners out there—some are even MDs—and while Reiki can certainly provide mental support, trying to shut out essential medical treatment is just ridiculous and stupid. She should probably find a different practitioner. I’m certain the vast majority wouldn't dream of forbidding Western medicine.
"Alternative medicine" is a poor term. All those methods that contribute to health, prevention, and healing are simply different branches of medicine and shouldn't be mutually exclusive. Conventional Western medicine doesn't have to oppose folk medicine; in fact, the latter can complement the former beautifully. I'm mainly thinking of herbalism here. If you have a bladder infection, antibiotics are great, but cranberry juice or herbal teas can be a huge help too. Plants are useful without being harsh. 🙂
And just to touch on that closed thread about curing AIDS. Contrary to what the moderator thinks, I believe it's possible to boost the immune system through medicinal herbs and a healthy lifestyle. While saying people were "cured" of AIDS is unlikely, it's worth analyzing that theory if it helps improve the quality of life for those living with it.

slylynx said:...here's my answer for anyone who's still confused about this.
There were about 30 different Reiki practitioners working on that girl, and now they're all circling back demanding payment—basically asking for whatever they can squeeze out of her. Honestly, the Constitution should probably step in and ban stuff like this!

I'm with you there. If Reiki is this divine energy that belongs to everyone and is accessible to all, why on earth are people charging for it? 😁
And don't even get me started on how you can become a "Reiki Master" just by sitting through a weekend seminar if you've got enough cash in your pocket. 😁
Look, I know there are some genuinely good practitioners out there, but they wouldn't be hovering over someone demanding money or trying to force Reiki on them while shutting out every other way of healing.

Are you guys seriously not checking for certifications before handing over a massive pile of cash to some potential con artist?

Can you actually spot a fungus or a virus on an MRI scan?

I’ve got this one dear friend of mine who’s been doing Reiki for ages. This guy has seen it all and helped countless people along the way. Look, not everyone does this just to line their pockets. He’s personally helped me a hundred times just through a hug or even from a distance. How? Honestly, I haven't a clue! To me, it sounds a bit 🙄 but hey, it worked! Everything from mental breakdowns to a basic common cold. Real practitioners shouldn't even be taking money unless you insist on giving them something. Those guys charging by the hour 🙂
Regarding PCOS, my own doctor actually suggested some stress-relief techniques. After a year of being on pills, I decided to try magnetic acupuncture, and my next cycle came right on schedule. Was it the meds, the acupuncture, or something else entirely? Who knows. But Reiki—even if it doesn't fix you, it definitely won't hurt.
And honestly, that lady over there defending nothing but medication seems to have totally lost her grip on reality. Find someone you actually trust for advice, and if Reiki helps them, don't just write it off. Just tune out the toxic people.
I really hope your friend feels better soon 🙂