# Reiki, healing touch and other energy therapies

Source: https://onco.cc/technologies/reiki-energy-therapies/  
OnCo record `reiki-energy-therapies` (Technology). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Reiki and similar practices involve a practitioner holding hands on or near the body to channel an 'energy' that has never been detected. Trials show relaxation similar to sham sessions; they are harmless as rest, but they treat nothing.

## Summary

Energy therapies (reiki, healing touch, therapeutic touch, qigong healing) rest on a biofield that has not been demonstrated by any physical measurement. Randomised trials in people with cancer are small and, where a sham practitioner arm is included, generally show that real and sham sessions produce the same relaxation and reductions in anxiety, which is what would be expected from quiet rest with attention. The SIO 2017 breast guideline grades healing touch as a low-confidence option for pain and the NCI PDQ summaries note the absence of evidence for any specific effect. These sessions are safe and some patients find them comforting; the problem arises only when they are sold as treatment or delay conventional care.

## Fields

- Kind: Technology
- Status: concept
- Last checked: 2026-09-10
- Tags: complementary; supportive-care; evidence:insufficient
- Principle: No mechanism has been demonstrated; observed effects match those of rest, attention and expectation.
- Strengths: Harmless as rest and attention; Some patients value the calm and contact
- Limitations: No detectable biofield; Real and sham sessions perform alike; Sometimes marketed as treatment

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_medicine
- SIO clinical practice guideline: integrative therapies during and after breast cancer treatment (CA Cancer J Clin 2017): https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21397
- NCI PDQ: Integrative, alternative and complementary therapies overview: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/hp/cam-topics-pdq

## Connected records

- fronts: [Supportive Care & Survivorship](https://onco.cc/fronts/supportive-care/)
- technologies: [Evidence-based integrative oncology](https://onco.cc/technologies/integrative-oncology/)
- terms: [Placebo](https://onco.cc/terms/placebo/)
- bottlenecks: [Misinformation and unproven therapies](https://onco.cc/bottlenecks/b-misinformation/)
- key papers: [Clinical practice guidelines on the evidence-based use of integrative therapies during and after breast cancer treatment](https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-greenlee-ca-cancer-j-clin/)

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