An autoimmune disease occurs when an immune response mistakenly attacks healthy cells in the body. There are somewhere between 80-100 known autoimmune diseases, and the NIH estimates that over 23 million Americans suffer from autoimmune disease, most of them women. Autoimmune diseases are chronic and can affect the overall quality of life.

Treatment for autoimmune diseases is not always clear-cut. According to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, Inc.:

The exact mechanisms causing these changes are not completely understood; but bacteria, viruses, toxins, and some drugs may play a role in triggering an autoimmune process in someone who already has a genetic (inherited) predisposition to develop such a disorder. It is theorized that the inflammation initiated by these agents, toxic or infectious, somehow provokes in the body a “sensitization” (autoimmune reaction) in the involved tissues.

I will discuss what Reiki treatment is, and how it can benefit people living with autoimmune disease by helping them manage symptoms and improve overall well-being.

Please join us at the Little Five Points Community Center in Atlanta on May 31 at 6:30 pm. The cost is free.

Dragonfly Reiki is offering a  free Reiki healing clinic at Candler Park Chiropractic in Atlanta on Sunday, May 20 from 11am – 3 pm. Participants will receive a mini Reiki treatment in a soothing setting from experienced Reiki practitioners.

Although this is a free service, small donations are always appreciated. This month, Dragonfly Reiki will contribute donations received from the clinic to Veterans’ Heart Georgia in honor of Memorial Day. Veteran’s Heart Georgia fosters the healing of veterans of all wars by attending to the spiritual and emotional needs of veterans, their families and our communities.

We welcome veterans and their families to the clinic – all are welcome! Thank you for your service to our country.

Are you new to Reiki? Learn more about its benefits for mind, body and spirit wellness.

We recommend that you sign up for a time slot to minimize wait time, but walk-ins are welcome. Please contact Dana L. Young via email to reserve your space.

Candler Park Chiropractic is located in the Candler Park Connection complex adjacent to the Edgewood-Candler Park MARTA station. The office is located behind Radial Cafe:

1530 Dekalb Avenue, Ste C
Atlanta, GA 30307

• increased ability to relax
• positive changes in emotional states
• increased sense of well-being, and
• improvement in physical conditions unrelated to back pain.

I also witness my clients experience these benefits in my practice, and am pleased to see them confirmed by reasearch.  When people are in pain, so many aspects of their quality of life are diminished.  Chronic pain robs people of their energy and vitality.  CAM therapies help relieve stress, discomfort, correct structural and energetic imbalances and facilitate a natural state of wellness.  They are a great adjunct therapy in addition to more traditional allopathic treatments.  CAM therapies may reduce healing time, limit the amount of powerful medications needed for pain relief, and potentially reduce the need for surgical interventions. 

I would like to share my personal story.  

As someone who has lived with intermittent bouts of neck and upper back pain for nearly 20 years, I have experienced first-hand the benefits of Reiki (and other CAM therapies I receive regularly) for reducing nerve-related neck and back pain and improving the emotional and physical quality of my life.  In fact, my first experience with energy healing while in India completely relieved my travel-induced neck and shoulder pain, which is what inspired me to learn Reiki!

In 1993, I was diagnosed with a congenital cervical spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal in the neck.)  I was told by a neurologist and various spine specialists to “learn to live with it” and to expect surgery at some point if it got worse.  Several members of my family suffer from cervical pain issues and have already undergone cervical spine fusion surgery.  I have vowed to avoid surgery if at all possible. 

So far, a steady regimen of Reiki, chiropractic, massage and regular exercise has led to very few flare-ups and a quicker recovery time if I do aggravate my neck or upper back.  No one in my family has had this degree of success with traditional medical treatment.  I don’t take prescription pain medications or muscle relaxers – not that they were ever that effective anyway!  I can’t cure a congenital condition, but I’ve learned how to proactively manage it with CAM therapies so that I’m not living with chronic pain.

If you’re living with back pain and would like to learn how Reiki may help you experience less discomfort, improve your well-being and promote balance, please contact me for more information.

 Additionally, the study showed that Reiki treatments improved heart rate variability (HRV), which measures whether or not a patient’s body is recovering from a response to stress:

Reiki treatment was associated with an increase from baseline in mean Likert scale score for all positive emotional states (happy, relaxed, calm) and reductions for all negative states (stressed, angry, sad, frustrated, worried, scared, anxious). Changes in emotional state trended from most positive emotional change with Reiki treatment to least positive emotional change with resting control, with music intermediate.

In addition to the findings, there are several reasons to be encouraged by this research.  First, it was conducted in collaboration with Pamela Miles, a Reiki Master who has tirelessly worked for acceptance and adoption of Reiki as an adjunct therapy by mainstream medicine.  Second, it demonstrated that Reiki was as effective as traditional treament (use of beta blockers) for improving heart rate variability – and without the side effects.  Third, Reiki was practiced in an acute-care setting successfully and without adverse effects.  The authors “suggest that Reiki can be incorporated into standard hospital care to provide therapeutic benefit without additional cost or disruption of the nurses’ workday.” 

The study does not suggest that Reiki is a “cure-all.” What it does conclude is that the emotional state of patients who experienced Acute Coronary Syndrome (heart attacks) was significantly improved, leading to a more positive state of well-being that can improve their overall recovery rate and reduce the risk of another ACS event.  Experiencing a heart attack is often a traumatic, life-changing event, and patients need support beyond what standard medical interventions can provide.  It is my hope that cardiologists take notice of this study and express interest in including Reiki as part of an overall treatment plan for patients as a safe, therapeutic option.

This is an amazing opportunity for parents and parents-to-be in the Atlanta area to learn about how to have healthy, happy families from pregnancy and on through the childhood years.  The women from Lumina Birth and Lotus of Life Chiropractic have made very conscious choices when raising their own children, including their approach to pregnancy, healthcare, nutrition and green/organic living.  They have much experience – and expertise – to share.  My involvement not only supports their efforts, but provides opportunities for parents to learn more about the benefits of Reiki for their family’s improved health and well-being.

Upcoming films include:

October 10, 2010 – “Birth into Being” – Russian Spiritual Midwife Tatyana Sargunas and her filmmaker husband, Alexi, take you on a breathtaking expedition to witness two families birthing in the Black Sea, and into their home to see two of their daughters being born in a handmade clear birthing pool.

November 14, 2010 – “Orgasmic Birth” –this documentary brings the ultimate challenge to our cultural myths by inviting viewers to see the emotional, spiritual, and physical heights attainable through birth. Witness the passion as birth is revealed as an integral part of woman’s sexuality and a neglected human right.

December 12, 2010 – “What Babies Want“–an award winning documentary film that explores the profoundly important and sacred opportunity we have in bringing children into the world. Filled with captivating stories and infused with Noah Wyle’s warmth as narrator, the film demonstrates how life patterns are established at birth and  before.

January 9, 2011 – “Nature, Nurture and the Power of Love” — Dr. Bruce  Lipton, Ph.D.-author of “Biology of Belief” and “Spontaneous Evolution”

February 6, 2011 – “Babies” – Directed by award-winning filmmaker Thomas Balmès, from an original idea by producer Alain Chabat, Babies simultaneously follows four babies around the world – from birth to first steps.

Tickets: $3 per person or $5 per pair/couple. Bring your spouse! Bring a friend! Buy tickets online on the Lumina Birth site, at the Lotus of Life Chiropractic office, or at the door. Info: 404-377-7743. Print your Paypal receipt and bring it with you if you purchase tickets online.

Childcare will be provided on-site for a small fee of $2 per child, for children ages 4 months to 4 years. RSVP for childcare is highly recommended by calling Lotus of Life 404-377-7743. Please mention child(ren’s) ages and date of the film you are attending. Childcare can be pre-paid online at the Lumina Birth site.

Time & Place: All films are being shown at 3:00 pm at All Souls Fellowship, 647 E College Ave, Decatur, GA 30030. (Corner of New Street.)

 (Photo courtesy of Storyvillegirl)

Reiki Birth is designed to teach mothers-to-be and their birth partners to utilize gentle, hands-on Reiki energy healing for a healthy and centered journey through pregnancy, birth and post-partum.    Both the mother-to-be and her birth partner will learn how to channel Reiki for physical and emotional balance, as well as to deepen their energetic connection to each other and their baby. 

During this workshop, participants will learn:

• History of Reiki and how it is used today
• Hand positions for relieving pregnancy and labor discomfort
• Post-partum wellness with Reiki
• Partnering using Reiki to enhance and deepen your emotional connection
• Soothing and nurturing your baby with Reiki

During the workshops, participants will receive a beautiful energetic attunement, and have the opportunity to do hands-on practice on themselves and each other in a supportive environment. 

Participants will receive a manual, certificate of completion and ongoing teacher support as needed.

Cost: $ 275 per couple

Date: October 17, 2010 (12 PM – 6 PM)

Location: Candler Park Chiropractic

Reiki healing is especially useful for relieving the physical discomforts of pregnancy.  The hormones associated with pregnancy – human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and estrogen — contributes to gastric distress. Reiki treatment may help relax the gastrointestinal walls and can reduce or alleviate the sensation of nausea.  It also can also provide relief from round ligament pain, hip, back and nerve-based pain (sciatica and carpal tunnel are two common conditions) typically experienced as pregnancy progresses.  Reiki treatment can be so deeply relaxing that people often drift off into asleep – and as any pregnant woman knows, sleep is a valuable commodity!

Many pregnant women are juggling demands associated with careers, expectations from their families, changes in their relationships with their partners, and of course, in their bodies. These factors can exacerbate fatigue and mood swings.  Reiki treatment can help expectant mothers reduce stress and remain more grounded emotionally.  A Reiki treatment is, first and foremost, time for women to reorient themselves and their bodies during a time when they may no longer feel like it belongs to them.  Reiki treatment, along with other supportive practices such as chiropractic, prenatal massage and prenatal yoga, can have great benefits for a mother-to-be and her developing baby.

Reiki treatment can also provides a non-invasive comfort measure, helping to relieve pain from contractions and reduce anxiety during labor.  The use of Reiki treatment may help reduce or eliminate the need for an epidural or other pharmaceutical pain relief.  Spouses, partners, doulas and other childbirth professionals trained in Reiki practice can be a valuable source of support for laboring women:

The birth partner has the very specific role during labor, delivery and post-birth of giving the mother and the baby Reiki, creating that Reiki space of peaceful, deep relaxation that assists the mother in flowing with her body and the baby throughout labor. – “Reiki and Sacred Childbirth”, Summer 2010 issue of Reiki News Magazine

Assisting a laboring mother with Reiki treatment can provide the space and support for her to experience a centered, empowered birth experience. It can be tremendously gratifying for the spouse or partner to be able to provide an additional source of loving and centered support, creating a deep shared connection between the couple.

Reiki treatment is also helpful for post-partum recovery.  Women’s bodies undergo tremendous change to support the new life growing inside them; it takes a while for the body’s organs and processes to return to a normal non-pregnancy state.  Healing is still occurring inside a mother’s body after her baby is born, even after an easy or uncomplicated birth. Reiki treatment can help new mothers maintain well-being and emotional balance during those first weeks of adjustment.  This is especially important for the percentage of women who may experience post-partum depression.

For those women who had a difficult labor, or a cesarean birth, Reiki treatment can help facilitate healing on physical and emotional levels.  Clinical studies of Reiki treatment are demonstrating benefits for reducing anxiety and pain levels.  Women recovering from surgery or birth trauma can benefit from this additional source of compassionate, palliative support. The medications used to relieve post-surgical pain often have unpleasant side effects, and the discomfort from the incision can make it difficult for women to hold or breastfeed their babies.  Reiki treatment supports the physical healing process, enabling women to get back on their feet sooner.

Reiki treatment honors the women we are: our bodies, our emotions and the spirit within that give us strength and purpose.  Please contact me if you are expecting a baby, and would like to find out more how Reiki treatment can help support you in a healthy, happy and centered pregnancy.

Photo credit: Storyvillegirl

Every day in the U.S., more than two women die of pregnancy-related causes, with the maternal mortality ratio doubling from 6.6 deaths per 100,000 births in 1987 to 13.3 deaths per 100,000 births in 2006. (And as shocking as these figures are, Amnesty notes that the actual number of maternal deaths in the U.S. may be a lot higher, since there are no federal requirements to report these outcomes and since data collection at the state and local levels needs to be improved.) “In the U.S., we spend more than any country on health care, yet American women are at greater risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes than in 40 other countries,” says Nan Strauss, the report’s co-author, who spent two years investigating the issue of maternal mortality worldwide.

There are a number of reasons cited for this failure of our health care system, including difficulties in accessing quality care and overuse of interventions during labor, including induction and cesarean sections.  There are also many women who experience traumatic and life-threatening complications as a result of either inadequate medical care during labor or consequences of cesarean sections, which is major abdominal surgery.  A number of women who do deliver vaginally may also experience physical complications and birth trauma.  Far too often, their stories do not get told because they do eventually recover enough to where the focus then shifts to caring for their babies and families.  These women tend to suffer from bouts of post-partum depression (PPD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as other physical issues, including nerve pain, numbness and adhesions from their surgical procedures.  We are a baby-obsessed culture, but we do a poor job of caring for and providing proper support for the women who carry, deliver and care for our babies. 

Why am I sharing all of this? Because I am one of those women.  I experienced a near-fatal, undetected post-partum hemorrhage after my daughter was delivered via c-section.  I narrowly escaped a life-saving hysterectomy.  I spent a week in the hospital, very weak, in excruciating pain and confined to bed.  Once I returned home, it was a slow physical and emotional recovery.  I live with low-level PTSD, although the PPD cleared up within 6 months of my daughter’s birth.  I was fortunate to find the International Cesarean Awareness Network, an organization whose mission is to “improve maternal-child health by preventing unnecessary cesareans through education, providing support for cesarean recovery, and promoting Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC).” My c-section was medically necessary, but there were many things about the hospital experience, as well as the lack of support afterward, that the medical professionals in whom I entrusted my care, should have provided. The information and support I received from ICAN helped my recovery, and I am proud that Dragonfly Reiki is a professional supporter.  My birth story was featured this past month on the ICAN site.  I wanted them to publish it (as hard as it was to write) so that hopefully no other woman has to endure what I did in order to survive the birth process and care for her baby. 

I talk quite a bit about building your healing toolkit. I was very fortunate to have already been practicing Reiki prior to my daughter’s birth (I did Reiki quite often during pregnancy) but initially I was not strong enough physically or mentally to do the frequent self-treatments I needed to facilitate my recovery.  I am grateful to my Reiki teacher and one of my close friends, who provided me with Reiki during my recovery period.  Reiki continues to be my daily choice for self-treatment and has helped me tremendously with my PTSD symptoms, because I don’t tolerate anti-anxiety or antidepressant medications very well.  I have also regained all of the sensation in my lower abdomen and upper left thigh by doing a combination of Reiki and scar tissue massage.

The Reiki Precepts, which advocate “Just for today, do not be angry, do not worry and be filled with gratitude” have become important touchstones on the difficult days, when I flash back to my experience or feel sadness or anger about what I experienced or what I missed.  And best of all, practicing Reiki has allowed me to maintain a special connection to my daughter. She received Reiki in-utero and I used to it soothe her when she was fussy or gassy as an infant (which I talk about in an article on Reiki for pregnancy and post-partum.)  Now that she is 3 years old, she actually asks me to do Reiki on her at bedtime! The umbilical cord connecting us may no longer be there, but the spiritual cord created through Reiki is ever-present.

There were other things in my healing toolkit: psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, yoga, meditation, and the loving support of family, friends and the women of ICAN. As time goes on, I feel more healed and at peace.  Reiki is the foundation of my healing, because the daily self-practice (and healing sessions provided by others) centers me in my body and connects me to the endless wellspring of spirit.  I am still here for a reason, beyond just being able to mother my beautiful little girl. I am here to share my story, help others on their healing journeys and advocate for better maternal health care choices for the women who are bringing forth our future generations. For this, I am especially grateful.

I enjoy sharing Reiki with children. In fact, the first person (other than my teacher) that I faciliated Reiki with was my stepson. I had just gotten home from Reiki training and he was curled up in bed with terrible stomach pains. I asked him to close his eyes and focus his attention on what I was doing. I felt a very strong sensation of energy moving through me and within several minutes, his body relaxed completely and he fell asleep. I have also given him Reiki when he has had migraines. It’s terrible watching a child suffer with a migraine. If we are out and about and a headache starts to come on, Reiki helps ease the pain until we can get home and he can rest. If we are at home, Reiki helps him relax so he can sleep off the symptoms of the migraine.

One of my favorite times administering Reiki was with a boy of about two years old with a blood disorder. I would go to his house and his mom would put a cartoon on or have some toys out for him to play with, since it can be difficult to get a toddler to sit still very long to receive Reiki. I would sit next to him while he was watching TV or playing and gently place a hand at different places along his body. When the Reiki started flowing, he would suddenly sit very still and get the sweetest smile on his face – he could definitely feel it! When he had enough, he would gently push my hand away. Children always instinctively know what they need.

I also did some Reiki on a infant of about 8 or 9 months old who had taken quite a tumble and hit her head. Her parents felt Reiki would help her recover from the trauma of the fall, but one of the things they noticed was that the days they brought her in to receive Reiki were the days where she fell asleep easily – and stayed asleep for most of the night. After one of the sessions, they sent me a text on my phone with a photo of their daughter sound asleep with the message “Thank You!”

Children generally do not require long Reiki sessions. Their bodies naturally respond to Reiki and easily take in the energy in a short period of time. They are sensitive to what they are experiencing and will let you know when they have received all they need. If you think your child might benefit from receiving Reiki, or you are a parent and would like to learn Reiki to help soothe your little ones’ bumps, bruises and bellyaches, please contact me for more information.

Patients who receive complementary therapies may be able to reduce the amount of pain medication they’re taking, as well as cope better with the often strong side effects associated with opioid medications.  In my experience having facilitated Reiki treatments to people in the clinical setting, I have seen patients drift off comfortably to sleep, and they have reported to me that they felt significantly less pain and improved sense of well-being, which is critical to a good recovery. 

If you or someone you know is undergoing a medical procedure, I suggest seeing if the hospital has someone who can provide these complementary therapies through a patient wellness program, or contact someone who is practicing professionally who can make a hospital visit.  Reiki is a good choice, because hands-on contact is very gentle, but it can be done without direct contact if the patient is sensitive to touch following surgery.   However, any of these complementary therapies will provide benefit to the patient, depending on their personal preference.