Safety of Reiki Therapy for Newborns at Risk for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

Abstract

The incidence of opioid abuse and subsequent drug withdrawal is exponentially on the rise in the United States for many populations including newborns who are born to drug-addicted mothers. These newborns often exhibit symptoms of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) within 24 to 72 hours of birth. Treatment of NAS includes monitoring of withdrawal symptoms, managing physiological parameters, and the use of supportive and pharmacologic treatments. Although a few randomized controlled trials exist, studies on supportive intervention are generally limited by small sample sizes, case study reports, expert opinions, and descriptive design. Few studies address the safety of Reiki for newborns at risk for NAS using neonatal parameters. This pilot study addresses feasibility and demonstrates that Reiki is safe when administered to this high-risk population. Considerations for future studies are discussed.

Systematic mixed‐study review of nonpharmacological management of neonatal abstinence syndrome

“…The included studies all originated in high‐resource countries including the United States (n = 9), Canada (n = 3), Austria (n = 1), and the United Kingdom (n = 1) . The quality improvement and cohort studies were appraised as fair to good methodologically, with all meeting a minimum of eight of the 16 quality content domains (Table ).…”

“…The quality improvement and cohort studies were appraised as fair to good methodologically, with all meeting a minimum of eight of the 16 quality content domains (Table ). The remaining five studies included a randomized controlled trial, case series, a cohort study, and a phenomenological study . A common study limitation of these was the variability of the study populations (Table ).…”

“…However, the long‐term safety of prolonged stimulation on the developing neonatal brain is unsubstantiated, thus limiting the potential of this treatment . Radziewicz et al found no adverse effects during Reiki sessions and noted a slight decrease in mean NAS scores.…”

The Use of Reiki in Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn

“…It has also been reported in many studies that it has a sedative effect on complications of diseases. 5,9,10…”

Toque no bebê hospitalizado sob a luz da teoria de Martha Elizabeth Rogers: reflexões de enfermagem

“…Dentre as terapias sem toque encontramos o Toque Terapêutico (TT) e as terapias com toque, que incluem tratamentos como o método canguru e massagem. Os cuidados envolvidos no método canguru, que envolve o contato pele a pele, no qual o RN é colocado diretamente no peito da mãe ou do pai, demonstram que o simples contato melhora as respostas simpático-vagais, evidenciado pela alteração da frequência cardíaca em prematuros (Radziewicz et al, 2018).…”