ReviewJournal of evidence-based complementary & alternative medicine2017
Reiki Is Better Than Placebo and Has Broad Potential as a Complementary Health Therapy.
Review in Journal of evidence-based complementary & alternative medicine, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 3 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 13 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Effects of Reiki on Heart Rhythm, Biochemistry, Cortisol Findings and Anxiety in Individuals With Arrhythmia: A Randomized Prospective, Single-Blind and Placebo-Controlled Study
An Alternative Approach to Fatigue and Comfort Levels in Hemodialysis Patients: Reiki Energy Therapy
Biofield Therapy for the Support of Immunotherapy-related Symptoms Among Adult Cancer Patients - A Pilot Study
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 92 citations in OpenAlex.
- Reiki and Therapeutic Touch for symptom burden and quality of life in palliative settings: A systematic review.Palliative medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Therapeutic effects of Reiki on interventions for anxiety: a meta-analysis.BMC palliative care · 2024Pooled it
- Does Reiki Benefit Mental Health Symptoms Above Placebo?Frontiers in psychology · 2022Pooled it
- Feasibility and Efficacy of Reiki Versus Massage for Cancer-Related Fatigue in Patients With Breast and Prostate Cancer Receiving Hormone Therapy.Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network : JNCCN · 2026Trial
- Effects of Reiki Versus Physiotherapy on Relieving Lower Back Pain and Improving Activities Daily Living of Patients With Intervertebral Disc Hernia.Journal of evidence-based integrative medicineTrial
- Investigating perceived stress and pain reduction following brief Reiki sessions in high-stress communities: an exploratory study.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Impact of integrative energy healing on anxiety among individuals with cancer.Bioinformation · 2025Article
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Practices: A Narrative Review Elucidating the Impact on Healthcare Systems, Mechanisms and Paediatric Applications.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Self-management of primary dysmenorrhea-related pain: cross-sectional study on non-pharmacological interventions.Pain management · 2024Article
- Reiki practitioners' perceptions of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the experience, practice and future of Reiki.Complementary therapies in clinical practice · 2022Article
- Self-Reiki, Consideration of a Potential Option for Managing Chronic Pain during Pandemic COVID-19 Period.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2021Article
- Effect of Reiki on Measures of Well-Being in Low-Income Patients with Mental Health Diagnoses.Global advances in integrative medicine and healthArticle
- A Feasibility Study of Reiki Therapy to Improve Symptoms in Cancer Survivors at an Integrative Oncology Clinic.Integrative cancer therapiesArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This study reviews the available clinical studies of Reiki to determine whether there is evidence for Reiki providing more than just a placebo effect. The available English-language literature of Reiki was reviewed, specifically for peer-reviewed clinical studies with more than 20 participants in the Reiki treatment arm, controlling for a placebo effect. Of the 13 suitable studies, 8 demonstrated Reiki being more effective than placebo, 4 found no difference but had questionable statistical resolving power, and only one provided clear evidence for not providing benefit. Viewed collectively, these studies provide reasonably strong support for Reiki being more effective than placebo. From the information currently available, Reiki is a safe and gentle "complementary" therapy that activates the parasympathetic nervous system to heal body and mind. It has potential for broader use in management of chronic health conditions, and possibly in postoperative recovery. Research is needed to optimize the delivery of Reiki.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.