20130307 by The Western Producer

FARM LIVING DIVORCE | CARRYING ON

THE WESTERN PRODUCER | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | MARCH 7, 2013

REIKI | HEALTH BENEFITS

Recovering from divorce Reiki said to focus on energy SPEAKING OF LIFE

JACKLIN ANDREWS, BA, MSW

My wife and I separated about six months ago. We worked out a financial agreement and we have an arrangement so that each of us can spend a lot of time with our three children. We will likely get a formal divorce sometime within the next six to 12 months. Despite all of that, I still feel lousy most of the time. I really miss my wife and I miss the whole idea of being married to her. What can I do to get out of this rut and get on with my life?

I want to commend you and your wife for settling your finances and child care. People often have not worked things out and rather than healing so that each one can get on with life, they spend a lot of time fighting, manipulating and hurting each other. The feelings you are harbouring are normal and natural. They are part of what goes on when people are grieving. You have just had a huge loss. Not only have you lost contact with someone with whom you spent much time but you also lost the dream you had of being married and building a life and home together. You can expect a full recovery from this to take at least a couple years.

It gets better and does so more quickly if you are gentle with yourself. Try not to waste time either feeling guilty that it was your fault that the marriage did not work out or getting angry because it was her fault. Anything that either you or your friends suggest that might have caused the separation is pure speculation and is not likely to be helpful. You can learn from this experience by writing down what you did in the marriage that was positive and nurtured your relationship and negative things that may have hurt the marriage. That list will likely get longer and more useful for you the longer you are out of the marriage. From it, you can learn more about yourself and build a better foundation for your next intimate relationship. When you feel bad, try finding someone you can talk to who does not judge you. A professional counsellor is your best bet but sometimes close family members or understanding friends can be equally helpful. The more you talk to someone, the better are your chances of healing and feeling better. You have only been out of your marriage six months. Getting well takes time so try not to hurry things. You do not need the pressure that impatience delivers to you. You just need time and support and if you have both of these, your moments of despair will gradually leave. Jacklin Andrews is a family counsellor from Saskatchewan. Contact: jandrews@ producer.com.

HEALTH CLINIC

CLARE ROWSON, MD

Reiki’s health benefits remain unproven

What exactly is Reiki therapy? What is it good for and does it work?

Reiki is made up of two Japanese words. Rei means God or a higher power and ki means life force energy. Reiki claims to be a “spiritually guided life force energy.” Created in Japan by Mikao Usui, Reiki is allegedly a technique for stress reduction and relaxation that is also supposed to promote healing. It is administered by laying on hands and is based on the idea that an unseen life force energy flows through us. If an individual’s life force energy is low, then the practitioners say that we are more likely to get sick or feel stress and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy. It is claimed to be helpful in healing most medical conditions. This statement alone should be a red warning flag, because there is no known single treatment that works for every disease. People who have received the treat-

ments say that they notice a warm feeling that makes them feel better, so like other unproven treatments, there is probably a placebo effect. Reiki therapists insist that it is not a religion, yet they claim spiritual guidance to be the key to the treatments. The best and most comprehensive research on the subject was done by Dr. Edzard Ernst and his colleagues at the University of Exeter. They looked studies published before January 2008, concluding that most were poorly designed and “the evidence is insufficient to suggest that Reiki is an effective treatment for any condition.” There is also no plausible scientific reason why it should work. It is an oriental version of faith healing. As far as I am aware, it is not recommended by any of the provincial medical associations. Steven Barrett of www.quackwatch.com reports that the British Advertising Standards Authority has objected to Reiki claims at least three times in the last decade on the grounds of false advertising.

ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT Bacterial infection rates in some Vancouver hospitals have dropped 39 percent since the introduction of ultraviolet lights as a way of cleaning and sterilizing patient rooms and operating theatres. The health-care authorities believe this has saved as much as $2 million due to lower readmission rates for post surgery infections. At Vancouver General Hospital, 553 beds were freed up in one year, allowing 138 more surgeries to be performed. In Toronto East General Hospital, cleaning staff is using UV to disinfect whole rooms of the dangerous and potentially deadly C.difficile bacteria. The light goes everywhere in the room while cleaning by hand might miss some areas. UV light has been used for many years to kill bacteria and other organisms that might be present in well water. Clare Rowson is a retired medical doctor in Belleville, Ont. Contact: health@producer.com.

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