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A Literature Review of Reiki: An Effective Intervention for Pain in Oncology Patients as

Compared to Placebo

Nikole Hardy, Beth Hodges, Taylor Huffman, Erin Kuhse, & Katie O’Donnell

School of Nursing, Old Dominion University

NURS 363: Principles of Practice: Research as Foundation for Practice

Professor Wyche, Professor Martin, & Dr. Cunningham

July 9th, 2021

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Literature Review: The Efficacy of Reiki for Pain in Cancer Patients Compared to Placebo

Ineffective pain management in cancer patients negatively impacts their quality of life.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have estimated that, of cancer survivors

in the United States, approximately 10% are currently experiencing pain from cancer or cancer-

related treatments (Gallaway et al., 2020). Yet, there may be ways to boost the efficacy of

traditional pain management interventions. Studies have previously shown that complementary

therapies can help reduce pain in oncology patients (Satija & Bhatnager, 2017). One such

therapy is Reiki, a technique in which touch positively influences personal energy, potentially

improving the health and wellbeing of participants (What is Reiki, n.d.). In this paper, we sought

to understand the efficacy of Reiki as an intervention for pain in oncology patients compared to

placebo, as demonstrated by patient self-report. Current literature has shown that Reiki has been

able to offer some improvement in the perceived sense of pain in oncology patients. As an

adjunct to traditional pain management, Reiki could prove to be an asset in addressing the needs

of a historically underserved populace.

Cancer Patients

Cancer Patients and Prevalent Pain

Cancer patients undergoing treatment continue to have prevalent pain, even with the

assistance of pharmaceutical pain medication. Cancer patients are prescribed opioid pain

medications and may develop opioid tolerance if the medications are not switched often. Not

changing medication routes and the types of medications can increase a patient’s pain (George et

al., 2019). Medical history, allergies, and intolerances can also stop patients from getting the

most effective option for their pain (Ramanjulu et al., 2020). Due to these issues, pain continues
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to be undertreated and poorly assessed in cancer patients. Adding in additional therapies, such as

Reiki, into the patient’s regimen can greatly benefit the patient.

Alternative Therapies Help Relieve Pain

Conventional medications do not completely relieve pain in cancer patients. With the

addition of Reiki in the patient’s plan of care, the patient can have improved pain management.

Complementary therapies, alongside conventional therapies, can increase the patient’s quality of

life and decrease their pain from chemotherapy and other treatments (Beulke et al., 2019).

Complementary therapies are becoming more popular among cancer patients to decrease pain

(Guerra-Martin et al., 2021).

Reiki as an Intervention for Pain

Potential Benefits of Reiki

Reiki has been proven to be very beneficial to patients in decreasing anxiety, stress,

relieving pain, and increasing overall moods in cancer patients. It also improves the pain rating

of cancer patients when used as a complementary therapy with pharmaceutical medicine (Van de

Velde, 2016). A study from a New England Hospital found that during a reiki therapy session,

symptoms such as nausea, anxiety, pain, agitation, and insomnia were relieved or decreased and

patients denied any negative side effects from the session (Conner & Anandarajah, 2016). For

patients with intervertebral disc herniation, Reiki has been shown to provide a “significant

difference” in improving back pain and helping patients with their activities of daily living

(ADLs) when used in combination with physiotherapy and drug therapy (Janantiqh et al., 2018).

Adding Reiki provides an improvement in the quality of life and overall illness-related
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symptoms. It can be concluded that Reiki should be recommended more regularly by providers

to patients as a safe and holistic type of complementary therapy.

Reiki in Oncology Patients

In the cancer populace, reiki paired with conventional cancer treatments can decrease

pain levels and negative side effects caused by pharmaceutical therapy. Patients reported “feeling

calmer and more relaxed” after a Reiki therapy session. This study was performed with 36

patients using Reiki therapy; 21 felt better, 12 felt worse, and 3 reported no change (Wolters

Kluwer Health, 2016). A second study focused on patients aged 4-12 years old undergoing

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation to see if Reiki could be an effective way to provide relief

to their pain. This research showed that Reiki therapy should be considered a valid treatment to

help decrease the suffering of pediatric oncology patients (Zucchetti et al., 2019).

Reiki’s Effectiveness Compared to Placebo

Effectiveness of Reiki as an Adjuvant to Traditional Treatments in Oncology Patients

Reiki is beneficial when added to conventional cancer therapies (Jurkovic & Watson,

2020; Kirshbaum et al., 2016). Researchers Jurkovic and Watson (2020) analyzed the impact of

introducing patients to Reiki therapy. Over 2 years, more than 1,200 patients volunteered to

attend a single, 20-minute Reiki session. Out of that number, 67 of those were oncology patients.

Participants rated how they felt before and after each session. The group as a whole saw a

significant improvement in their overall well-being, and 90% of patients experienced less pain

(Jurkovic & Watson, 2020).

A separate study followed 10 women with various cancers who each received five Reiki

sessions over 2 weeks. The women verbally shared how they felt after their sessions. All
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participants agreed that adding Reiki as an adjuvant to their current medical regimen decreased

their pain, stress, and improved their sleep quality. This article showed that adding Reiki with

conventional treatments not only improves physical conditions, but the distressed emotional

states associated with pain as well (Kirshbaum et al., 2016).

Reiki Versus Sham Reiki

Reiki has shown to be more effective than the placebo itself. Two different studies

divided patients into separate groups. The experimental groups received Reiki from a certified

practitioner, while the control group attended Reiki sessions from an untrained Reiki

professional. In both cases, the experimental groups reported decreased pain and requested less

pain medication than the control groups (Alarcão & Fonseca, 2016; Baldwin et al., 2017). These

findings indicate that utilizing Reiki can improve cancer patient's quality of life as it has more

than a placebo effect.

Outcomes of Reiki for Pain Management Using Patient Self-Report

Results of Reiki Intervention Alone

Many studies have shown positive outcomes for patients using Reiki for pain management. A

study of 100 participants, 75 being inpatient and 25 being outpatient, was conducted on the

effectiveness of Reiki when incorporated into the patients' treatment plan. The patients self-

reported significant therapeutic relief for the rest of the day and up to one-week post-treatment.

The participants felt Reiki improved their pain as well as their anxiety, mood, and stress. When

asked, 100% of the participants recommended Reiki treatment for others (Kunvardia, 2017).

Reiki is known as being a cost-effective therapy to help those dealing with cancer-related pain. It

is proven to be safe without any known side effects (Jahantiqh et al., 2018).
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Another study focused on how reiki can be effective in more than one way. The study

wanted to see what people were feeling and how it helped them once they completed a reiki

session. Ten females received reiki treatment and it was concluded that all participants felt calm

and relaxed after their sessions. It was also found that they experienced more positive emotions

following their session and less negative ones. The use of reiki can be helpful in many different

ways for different people if more providers would incorporate it (Teeling, 2017).

Results of Reiki Intervention as an Adjuvant to Opioids

Reiki can be effective when used with opioids to manage cancer-related and end-of-life-

related pain. About one-half to three-fourths of children with cancer reported having pain. A one

size fits all treatment plan of pharmaceutical drugs may not be effective to all patients dealing

with pain. Incorporating Reiki, along with the use of medications, has proven to help manage the

pain. A study with 16 children used the visual analog scale (VAS) or Wong-Baker FACES to

report their pain before and after Reiki treatment. Self-reporting pain scales, such as those used

in this study, have been validated for use in clinical practice (Karcioglu et al., 2018). The

evidence showed that pain for every child had decreased when comparing their pre and post-

Reiki reports. The outcome of this study proved that using additional therapies, like Reiki, has

been proven to decrease pain in those with cancer (Thrane et al., 2017).

Another study noted that pain is and can be the main problem for those with cancer. The

study argued that Reiki, along with opioids, can successfully manage cancer-related and end-of-

life pain. The study had 212 participants, 104 received Reiki therapy, and 108 did not. The 104

that did receive therapy reported a significant decrease in pain using the visual analog score

(VAS). The data proved that each time Reiki was incorporated, it produced a significant decrease

in the amount of pain the patients were feeling (Forchu, 2020). Overall, the outcomes of using
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Reiki were determined to be successful and should be incorporated into treatment plans when

applicable.

Conclusion

Pain is prevalent among cancer patients and survivors, both as a result of cancer itself and

the traditional methods used to treat it (Gallaway et al., 2020). It is an important issue as pain can

lower the quality of life of oncology patients (Gallaway et al., 2020). Alternative therapies have

shown promise in improving pain management without the undesirable side effects of traditional

medications (Guerra-Martin et al., 2021). Reiki is effective in treating pain in oncology patients,

even more so than many other popular forms of alternative therapies (Van de Velde, 2016).

Furthermore, when patients underwent sham Reiki, a practice that resembles Reiki practices but

is not Reiki, groups receiving true Reiki noticed an increased improvement in pain reduction

when compared to the sham Reiki group (Alarcão & Fonseca, 2016; Karcioglu et al., 2018).

With Reiki as an adjuvant to traditional pain management methods, cancer patients may be able

to experience improved management of pain and increased quality of life.

However, there are some limitations to the studies examined. The etiology of pain in

cancer patients is complex; pain experienced by cancer patients could be acute postoperative

pain, neuropathic pain, and chronic postoperative pain. It is unknown which types of pain Reiki

is most effective in managing. Therefore, it is difficult to say how efficacious it would be as an

intervention for cancer patients. Furthermore, much of the studies examined showed that Reiki

was effective in managing short-term pain. More studies are needed to fully understand the

mechanism behind Reiki so that it may be better applied to meet the needs of cancer patients.

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