dancer67 Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 I am asking this for my 25 yo dd. She has done practically everything, and now the Dr wants her to try cortisone shots in her back. She isn't crazy over the idea but she feels she has no alternatives. She has a bulging disc, Deg Disc Disease. She is in pain almost all the time. My son mentioned Reiki. But she is skeptical. Has anyone had any positive experience with this? She is going to start yoga, and try acupuncture as well. Her appt for her shots are tomorrow morning, but I told her I think she should hold off and reschedule and try the above first. But, she is very skeptical about Reiki. Thanks for your input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bambam Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 No help on Reiki, but I had steroid shot (I believe it was cortisone but I'm not positive) in my knee for arthritis relief, and it was pretty much instantaneous. I could not believe it. It has lasted for 9 months now, but my understanding is that each following shot lasts for less time. I don't know if she would get the same relief for her budging disc. Are there any back pain forums like the Well Trained Mind? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 Why discourage her from following her doctor’s recommendation to follow a random idea she isn’t interested in? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmseB Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 Reiki is pretty much straight up quackery "energy healing". 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 Desperate I tried it for migraines. It was a free season and honestly, it did nothing. Personally, i would do the shots and and still do the yoga and acupuncture. The combo might be the best thing for her to be able to get the benefits of yoga and acupuncture. I know a few who do this and the results they have are great. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancer67 Posted January 1, 2018 Author Share Posted January 1, 2018 Having a cortisone injection in the spine comes with risks. It has to be done at a specialty spine office. The needle is guided by ultrasound and something else? After the injection she has to stay there for an hour. And come home and rest. Much different then in a knee or like with my husband who had them in hi shoulder. The Dr did not only recommend the spinal injections, he also mentioned trying the above things I mentioned. I believe she is going to go forward with this injection and see how it goes. She is scared and I can't blame her. She is on a back forum and anyone who has received this injection has said it is painful. As far as it helping, it is a crap shoot. I do know she is going to try Yoga either way. I was unfamiliar with Reiki, Thanks ladies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbecueMom Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 (edited) DH had/has deg disc disease, arthritis of the spine, two herniated discs, family history of spine disorders, and a (failed) microdiscectomy. Chiro, exercise (swimming especially), inversion table and pain meds pushed off another surgery for a few years, but when all that wasn't working, he tried an injection. It didn't help at all. He ended up having a two-level spinal fusion done and within 6-9 months he was completely off pain meds. That was the nuclear option, but by that time it was the only option. I know there's a lot of discussion about whether or not fusions are worth it, but it gave him his life back. From what I gather, injections are more successful in non-spine locations, like elbows. Tweaking your back in middle age for the first time is a far different issue, and way easier to treat. Being young, fit, healthy, but with disc disease and family history of spine disorders is probably a lifelong matter of kicking the next surgery down the road. Now we're back to exercise to keep his current robo-back healthy as long as possible, at least another 15-20 years. Edited January 1, 2018 by BarbecueMom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandwalker Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 I'm Reiki practitioner. Many hospitals have "healing touch" and other programs that are similar to Reiki. It is meant not as a substitute for medical treatment, but as an adjunct, or for other reasons unrelated to specific health problems. Many people find it a relaxing and positive experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmseB Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 I'm Reiki practitioner. Many hospitals have "healing touch" and other programs that are similar to Reiki. It is meant not as a substitute for medical treatment, but as an adjunct, or for other reasons unrelated to specific health problems. Many people find it a relaxing and positive experience. Hmm. I don't disbelieve what you're saying about your own practice, but I have spoken with other practioners who have definitely wanted to cure me of various ailments using Reiki. They practice along these lines (excerpted below). One person also claimed they could do this for me over the phone. In fact, I don't know anyone that has spoken to me about Reiki (given, that's only been about 5 people) who have not promoted it as a healing technique in lieu of allopathic medicine. Reiki heals by flowing through the affected parts of the energy field and charging them with positive energy. It raises the vibratory level of the energy field in and around the physical body where the negative thoughts and feelings are attached. This causes the negative energy to break apart and fall away. In so doing, Reiki clears, straightens and heals the energy pathways, thus allowing the life force to flow in a healthy and natural way. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 I’m not opposed to reiki, but my experience with it was meh. I tried it, along with Ayurveda, acupuncture and a score of other alternative options, for endometriosis in the 90s. None of those options worked for me - and it ended with a hysterectomy. I needed to know I had exhausted ALL options before having a hysterectomy in my 20s. I gave it a good shot, and spent gobs of money. I tried it again in the 00s for fibromyalgia. Not a cure, but it’s not meant to be. FWIW, my neurologist was doing it. Crazy, huh? She went a little off the end of Western medicine. Anyway, she missed my Lyme Disease, and that was the cause, so finding and treating the cause is what helped ultimately. While my experiences were not noteworthy, they were valuable in that I needed to know I’d tried everything available. That gave me peace. And reiki is relaxing. :) My mom was very involved in energy medicine, though I will admit to my own skepticism after my less than stellar results, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldberry Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 I'm not usually opposed to "trying" something unorthodox. Some things help some people, so as long as it doesn't hurt, try it and see. I will say that I have a Christian friend who felt like she had a bad experience with the energy involved with Reiki. I wouldn't discount it automatically, but I would be careful who I was using and very clear what their intentions and general philosophy are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancer67 Posted January 2, 2018 Author Share Posted January 2, 2018 Well, she decided to do the injection. She is there this morning with my DH. We are hoping this is going to work. But if it doesn't, she will be trying other methods. Surgery right now is not on the table, but it we will see what will happen in the future. Thank you for all of your input and sharing your experiences. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandwalker Posted January 2, 2018 Share Posted January 2, 2018 There isn't much scientific study about Reiki, but what there is can be found here, for anyone interested. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=reiki&search=Find And here is the hospital-based energy healing, similar to Reiki. https://www.healingtouchprogram.com/about/what-is-healing-touch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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