The Effect of Reiki energy therapy on the severity of pain and quality of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A Randomized clinical Trial Study

Background: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) experience moderate to severe pain and a low quality of life. Reiki energy healing is a modality to control pain and improve the QOL patients. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Reiki energy healing on pain and QOL the patients with RA. Methods: This clinical trial study was conducted in 40 RA patients who were randomly divided into control and Reiki groups. The data were collected using the demographic information questionnaire, quality of life questionnaire (SF-36), and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain. The questionnaires were collected after two day of distribution in pretest phase. Remote or distance energy healing was performed four times a week (20 minutes each time) for Reiki group then the questionnaires were completed within two days after intervention. The independent t-test or Mann-Whitney U test was applied to compare the mean or median of normal and non-normal distributed data, respectively. Results: The mean or median score of the pain (P<0.001) and the QOL (P=0.009) were significantly higher in the Reiki healing group in compared with the control group in the dimensions of physical functioning, energy/fatigue, emotional well-being, role limitation due to physical health. Conclusion: Remote or distance reiki therapy as a complementary and alternative, and noninvasive healing modality relieves pain and improves the QOL in the RA patients.