- Cancer Treatment Centers of America has integrated energy medicine into their treatment options for patients and self-care for hospital staff.
- Reiki is a form of bioenergy used on military bases to assist veterans coping with post-traumatic stress and addiction.
RESOURCES

Bioenergy Medicine Pocket Guide
Bioenergy medicine includes a number of different therapeutic interventions where a therapist helps to harness or manipulate a patient’s subtle energy in order to help restore the body’s balance and improve the body’s ability to heal. These “subtle energy” therapeutic interventions have been described and used for thousands of years by systems such as Traditional Chinese Medicine and Traditional Indian Medicine, and by faith healers through approaches like “laying-on-of-hands.” The most commonly used bioenergetic therapeutic interventions are Therapeutic Touch/Healing Touch, Reiki, Qigong, and the laying-on-of-hands. We don’t know. Current understanding of subtle energy medicine diverges from accepted principles in physics, chemistry and biology. Until an understanding of the practice can be accepted that is in line with current science, it will continue to be called pseudoscience by skeptics in the field. Explanations often focus on the makeup of the human biofield (detectable or undetectable amounts of light that the body emits), but the medical and scientific fields have not yet accepted subtle energy healing as a valid form of medical treatment in part because there is no known mechanism by which it works. Different theories include quantum mechanics, biophotons, intention and suggestion, placebo and unmeasured energy fields. Advocates of the therapy say that because scientists don’t know how it works, they may not be controlling for proper factors or have the right instruments to measure it. This creates issues with being able to reproduce results of studies; reproducibility is a major issue when studying energy medicine. Qigong Reiki Healing Touch Therapeutic Touch Laying-on-of-hands Do Your Research In the last 20 years, as patients increasingly integrate complementary and alternative medicine into their treatment Reiki for Burnout Reiki for Cancer Patients Healing Touch for Pediatric Oncology Patients Healing Touch on Postsurgical Adult Outpatients Biofield Therapies for Palliative and End-of-life Care Patients Healing Touch and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) If you or your healthcare provider would like to read more, visit https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ Note that you may find claims that bioenergy can cure cancer and other major diseases on the internet. There is no reliable data that this is true and to use bioenergy instead of proven treatments for these conditions is dangerous. Primarily, different Bioenergy medicine practices are used to improve wellbeing and help reduce symptoms related to chronic health concerns and not to cure the disease. Examples of conditions in which Bioenergy has been used for symptom management include: Bioenergy medicine is widely considered safe when delivered by a well-trained certified bioenergy practitioner, provided it is not used as a substitute for a proven treatment. Potential Precautions Side Effects How often and for how long you will seek treatment from a bioenergy medicine clinician depends on why you are seeking help and the type of therapy you are seeking. Sessions with your practitioner can run anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. Currently, there are no nationally nor state-recognized certification, training or licensure programs for a majority of the bioenergy practices. There are many independent organizations that lead trainings and provide certifications to individuals who either take their courses or meet their qualifications. Before seeking the treatment of a bioenergy medicine practitioner, ask for their qualifications and research the organization where they received them. Healing and Therapeutic Touch Certification The Healing Touch Certification Program (https://www.healingtouchprogram.com/) has been recognized or endorsed by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), the American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA), National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork, the NANDA and both the American Nurses Credentialing Center and it’s Canadian equivalent. To certify as a healing touch practitioner, individuals must complete the Healing Touch Program’s coursework levels 1-5 and receive a certificate indicating that they have passed and completed all of the coursework (https://www.healingtouchprogram.com/classes). Additionally, practitioners must also take and pass The Healing Touch Certified Practitioner Entry Level Proficiency Exam. To maintain certification, the practitioner must complete a renewal packet every five years indicating and providing proof that s/he has not faced any ethical violations, continues to regularly practice and has participated and completed continuing education classes. Although there are no official training guidelines, the following websites can help you ask the right questions and address the training qualifications prior to seeing a practitioner for your first session. Depending on the type of bioenergy treatment you are seeking, visit: Reiki Therapeutic Touch Healing Touch Qigong The cost of receiving bioenergy treatment will vary based on location, provider and extent of services needed. Currently, bioenergy medicine is not covered by most insurance. Nevertheless, there are certain clinics and hospitals whose nurses and/or employees are trained in bioenergetic medicine practices and their services are offered for free. You should ask about this at your hospital or clinic. To receive the best treatment and effectively address your psychological or physical condition, it is best to openly communicate with all of your healthcare providers. Open communication can help you and your healthcare providers properly integrate care, avoid complications that may arise from interactions between therapies and improve provider-patient trust. Bioenergy medicine can be used alongside any conventional treatments you are receiving; bioenergy medicine is not meant to take the place of proven conventional care. Any decisions regarding treatment should be discussed with your doctor(s) prior to making changes to your treatment plan.Fast Facts
WHAT IS BIOENERGY MEDICINE?
How does bioenergy medicine work?
What are the different types of bioenergy medicine?
What can I expect to happen during my session with a bioenergy medicine clinician?
Is there evidence that bioenergy medicine works?
plans, more and more literature is being published exploring the impact of bioenergy for certain conditions. The following is a short summary.
What conditions does bioenergy medicine treat?
Are there concerns I should be aware of before I start bioenergy medicine?
How often should I seek treatment from a bioenergy medicine clinician? How long is each session?
What training/certifications do bioenergy practitioners need to have?
How do I find a bioenergy practitioner?
How much will a bioenergy session cost me?
Will my insurance company cover the cost of seeing a bioenergy medicine clinician?
Should I inform my primary care physician that I am interested in receiving bioenergy treatments?
Endnotes
Topics: Burnout | Cancer | Energy Medicine | Palliative Care | Post-traumatic stress disorder/PTSD
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