Study examines reiki's effects on HIV patients

The first federally funded study examining the effect of reiki therapy--a Japanese therapy "that claims to transmit healing energy through the hands"--on people living with HIV disease has been approved. The $400,000 study, which is funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, is being conducted by the Center for Urban Health Policy and Research at the Philadelphia-based Albert Einstein Healthcare Network.

"We want to see whether reiki decreases pain, anxiety, and depression and increases quality of life and spiritual well-being for patients with advanced AIDS," said Gala True, Einstein's assistant director of medical ethics and principal investigator for the study.