NCCAM Studies of “Energy Medicine” Are a Waste of Money
Edzard Ernst, MD, PhD is systematically examining what research sponsored by the US National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has accomplished. His review of “energy medicine” studies has been published [1]. The NCCAM Web site describes “energy medicine” this way: Some CAM practices involve manipulation of various energy fields to affect health. Such fields may be characterized as veritable (measurable) or putative (yet to be measured). Practices based on veritable forms of energy include those involving electromagnetic fields (e.g., magnet therapy and light therapy). Practices based on putative energy fields (also called biofields) generally reflect the concept that human beings are infused with subtle forms of energy; qi gong, Reiki, and healing touch are examples of such practices [2]. NCCAM’s description of nonmeasurable …
Continue Reading >Why NCCAM Should Stop Funding Reiki Research
Reiki is one of several nonsensical methods commonly referred to as “energy healing.” These methods are based on the notion that the body is surrounded or permeated by an energy field that is not measurable by ordinary scientific instrumentation. The alleged force, said to support life, is known as ki in Japan, as chi or qi in China, and as prana in India. Reiki practitioners claim to facilitate healing by strengthening or “balancing” it. Looking for evidence that this force exists or affects health makes no more sense than searching for ghosts. Yet the NIH National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has funded five studies intended to test reiki’s effectiveness. Three of the studies have been completed. In June 2009, I searched PubMed …
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