Table 1.
Demographic and Clinical Features by Treatment Assignment at Enrollment
| |
Reiki master |
Actor |
|
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |
Direct |
Distant |
Direct |
Distant |
Total |
| Characteristics | (n = 25) | (n = 25) | (n = 25) | (n = 25) | (n = 100) |
| Demographic features | |||||
| Age in years, mean (SD) | 49 (13) | 52 (15) | 45 (12) | 49 (13) | 49 (13) |
| Female, % | 92 | 92 | 96 | 88 | 92 |
| White ethnicity, % | 76 | 80 | 84 | 80 | 80 |
| College graduate, % | 52 | 56 | 46 | 56 | 53 |
| Marital status, % | |||||
| Never married | 21 | 33 | 32 | 24 | 27 |
| Married or living with partner | 50 | 46 | 40 | 40 | 43 |
| Separated, divorced, or widowed | 29 | 21 | 28 | 36 | 28 |
| Income,a % | |||||
| $0–14,999 | 36 | 28 | 16 | 32 | 28 |
| $15,000–24,999 | 16 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| $25,000–34,999 | 4 | 24 | 28 | 12 | 17 |
| $35,000–49,999 | 24 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 |
| $50,000 and above | 16 | 24 | 28 | 28 | 24 |
| Clinical features | |||||
| Pain medications taken 2 weeks prior to enrollment, % | |||||
| None | 25 | 26 | 10 | 28 | 22 |
| 1 | 55 | 37 | 45 | 44 | 45 |
| 2 or more | 20 | 37 | 45 | 28 | 32 |
| CAMb visits within 30 days prior to enrollment, % | |||||
| 0 visits | 64 | 56 | 64 | 68 | 63 |
| 1 or 2 visits | 16 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 18 |
| 3 or 4 visits | 16 | 16 | 4 | 12 | 12 |
| 5 or more visits | 4 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 7 |
| Allopathic visits within 30 days prior to enrollment, % | |||||
| 0 visits | 44 | 28 | 20 | 24 | 29 |
| 1 or 2 visits | 36 | 36 | 28 | 36 | 34 |
| 3 or 4 visits | 4 | 16 | 24 | 20 | 16 |
| 5 or more visits | 16 | 20 | 28 | 20 | 21 |
| Outcome measures at enrollment | |||||
| Visual analog scale,c mean (SD) | |||||
| Pain intensity | 6.3 (2.2) | 6.4 (2.6) | 6.8 (2.1) | 6.1 (2.4) | 6.4 (2.3) |
| Fatigue intensity | 6.6 (2.4) | 7.1 (1.6) | 6.2 (2.7) | 7.3 (2.0) | 6.8 (2.2) |
| Sleep quality | 4.2 (2.7) | 4.4 (2.5) | 4.1 (2.5) | 3.8 (2.5) | 4.1 (2.5) |
| Overall well-being | 4.4 (2.7) | 4.0 (2.1) | 5.0 (2.4) | 4.5 (2.4) | 4.5 (2.4) |
| Short Form-36,d mean (SD) | |||||
| Physical component | 32 (9) | 31 (8) | 34 (10) | 33 (9) | 32 (9) |
| Mental component | 40 (13) | 42 (10) | 45 (11) | 40 (13) | 42 (12) |
a
Income data were not available for one participant who received direct Reiki from a Reiki master.
b
Complementay and alternative medicine (CAM) included acupuncture, massage therapy, chiropractic, naturopathy, homeopathy, and spiritual or psychic healing. Allopathic care included standard primary care from physicians, nurses, and physician assistants, rheumatology, orthopedic therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, biofeedback, psychiatry, mental health counseling, and nutritional counseling.
c
One subject did not provide any data at baseline nor at any follow-up visits.
d
Short-Form Health Survey.
SD, standard deviation.