A few years ago, it would have seemed unthinkable for a patient to be advised to undergo acupuncture sessions to alleviate body pain or even Reiki sessions to reduce anxiety before surgery. Traditional medicine did not welcome this inclination towards holistic therapies, including meditation, yoga, massages, music therapy, chromotherapy, etc. In recent years, hospitals in several countries have incorporated these supporting practices.
Photo: Unsplash / DINO
“It’s important to say that integrative models are not being used in place of traditional care, but in addition to it,” says Tara Scott, a physician hired to develop, design and manage an integrative medicine department at a five-hospital system in Ohio. (U.S). Several factors are driving the shift to integrative care models. The biggest one is patient demand. According to the doctor, social networks, the internet and patients themselves have driven these changes.
In São Paulo, in addition to integrative practices being available in private hospitals, such as Sírio-Libanês and Beneficência Portuguesa, the Hospital do Servidor Público Municipal offers employees and their dependents access to various complementary therapies – having been the first public hospital to open a meditation room over 20 years ago. Today, in addition to Reiki and meditation, patients have access to treatments such as herbal medicine, anthroposophical practices, floral treatments, etc.
In the opinion of holistic therapist Inês Telma, who heads one of the largest Reiki schools in the country, Via Dandhara, complementary therapies are not intended to rival science. “Increasingly, patients are requesting care beyond what most consider traditional health services, and hospitals are responding to the needs of the communities they serve by offering these therapies. It’s an openness that benefits everyone.”
The ultimate goal, according to Inês, is to make patients’ journeys during their treatments easier. “Reiki, for example, seeks to restore the body’s natural energy fields, which can increase vitality, balance emotions and improve the patient’s health.”
According to the therapist, Reiki can help alleviate the symptoms of various diseases, benefiting patients undergoing treatment for cancer, chronic pain, infertility, stress, depression, as well as diseases and conditions associated with aging. However, the practitioner has to dedicate himself to studying Reiki until he feels prepared to come into contact with the meridians of a patient’s body.
“The 12 main energy meridians include liver, lungs, spleen, heart, kidneys, pericardium, gallbladder, large intestine, stomach, small intestine, bladder and thyroid,” says the Reiki master. “These meridians are channels in the body that allow the flow of energy to circulate. With Reiki techniques, the practitioner will help energy move through these channels, promoting relief and well-being, among other benefits.”
According to data from the North American Hospital Association, massage therapy ranks first among complementary treatments, being requested by 37% of hospital patients. In second place is music and art therapy, with 25%. Coming in third place (25%) are “touch healing therapies”, including Reiki.
Website: https://www.youtube.com/user/viadandhara
This is commercial content published by the company Dino and is not the responsibility of Terra
