Reiki as defined by the Oxford English dictionary is: "A Healing technique based on the principle that the therapist can channel energy into the patient by means of touch, to activate the natural Healing processes of the patient's body and restore physical and emotional well-being."  However, it is widely accepted that Reiki can be given and received equally effectively hands-off or via distant Healing - which means that I could send you Reiki wherever you are on earth, at a time to suit you.

REIKI in Japanese literally translates as universal life force energy.  This system of Healing was developed and named Usui Reiki Ryoho in Japan, commonly combined as Reiho, by Dr Mikau Usui in the early 20th century.  It is a non-invasive complementary therapy that has been taught and used in the UK since the late 1900s, although Eastern medicine has worked with this energy for thousands of years, recognising its flow through all living things.  

Reiki supports orthodox medicine; Reiki can be used alone but is not a replacement for traditional medication of treatments.  It is not based on any belief, faith or suggestion, yet scientiific research using quantum physics has started to help us understand how Reiki may work to benefit the individual.  Perhaps in years to come Reiki will be known as energy medicine based on scientifically measurable energy emitted from the healer's hands.

Research is producing very interesting results:

• When giving Reiki, practitioners have been shown to emit electro-magnetic or bio-magnetic energy from their hands.  The frequencies of the energy emitted vary from one moment to the next; many appear to correspond to those that medical researchers have identified as being the optimum frequencies for stimulating the Healing process in tissues, bones and other body parts so far investigated.
• The bio-magnetic energy, or field, flowing from a practitioner's hands has been shown to induce current flows in the tissues and cells of individuals who are in close proximity but this pulsing energy is not produced by non-practitioners of energy Healing techniques.

Two ways in which these pulsing magnetic fields may stimulate repair of bone and other tissues include:

• A cascade of reactions from the cell surface to the cytoplasm and on to the nucleus and genes where selective effects on the DNA have been documented.
• Amplification, in which a single hormone molecule, neurotransmitter of photon of electromagnetic energy has been shown to trigger cellular responses; very tiny fields have been shown to produce the best effects, suggesting that living tissues are much more sensitive to external fields than previously considered possible.

Note: a bio-magnetic field can also be created by passing electric currents through living tissue as has been used for medical diagnoses and treatments for almost a century, eg. ECG and MRI scanning.

Reiki is an intelligent form of Healing. Reiki may be valuable in the prevention and remission of some serious diseases that are so costly in terms of human suffering as well as expensive allopathic health care. One theory is that energy Healing works by opening up the communication channels that enable cells in the body to talk to each other, and  opening up the terrain through which cells are able to migrate to places where they are needed to initiate repair or fight disease.  Another is that these methods help to calm the person so their immune functions can operate smoothly.

Reiki is activated by intention and requires practitioners to calm their minds and thus open up their communication channels to understand where Healing is most required on a body, and for how long, to care and help the person concerned. Visualisation techniques can also be embodied as an element of Reiki treatments at a professional practising level, which also create measurable electrical and magnetic fields, enhancing its effectiveness.