PROTOCOL RESEARCHING THE EFFECT OF PRAYER HEALING ON FIBROMYALGIA AND CHRONIC PAIN
Background
Chronic pain afflicts millions of Americans. Fibromyalgia is one of such chronic pain syndromes with features that include chronic, widespread musculoskeletal pain and stiffness and associated with fatigue, poor sleep and the presence of discrete tender points. Fibromyalgia affects more than 3.7 million people in the U.S. It sometimes devastates patient’s daily life severely. There are some different kinds of treatments such as medications, electrical stimulation, and psychological approach, but many patients still suffer from severe persistent pain.
In a recent study of CAM in the United States, 7% of persons surveyed reported having tried some form of “spiritual healing.” In the same study, 35% of persons surveyed reported that they had used prayer to address their health-related problems. There are several studies which showed the positive effect of intercessory prayer. There are also a couple of studies which evaluated the efficacy of spiritual healing on pain.
In this study, the PI will invite an experienced spiritual healer from Japan and study the effect of his healing power on fibromyalgia and chronic pain. His name is Mr. Ziho Otsuki. He graduated from Christian university in Japan and practiced Buddhist healing technique in the temple after graduating school. After that, he went to China and learned Qigong technique, which is one of Chinese traditional medicines under the master. His healing is mostly performed from a distance. The spiritual healer who will do distant healing in this study is a professional Japanese healer with long-year experience of distant healing. He also has treated patients with persistent chronic pain and fibromyalgia successfully. The PI has studied his healing power with electroencephalogram before, and his healing energy remarkably changed the brain wave pattern of the subjects. During his healing, the subjects felt very relaxed. His healing technique is not based upon any one specific religion, but based upon the common component of prayer rituals in all religions.
Objective
To study the effect of distant healing of the Japanese healer on fibromyalgia and chronic pain
Study Design
This study uses a pretest-posttest control group design with repeated measure of the dependent variables such as McGill Pain Questionnaire ratings, visual analog scale of pain etc. In this study, the PI will recruit 40 participants with fibromyalgia or chronic pain, and they will be assigned randomly either to the experimental group or to the control group.
Population
18 Years and above, men and women
Inclusion Criteria:
・ Participants who have fibromyalgia or chronic pain which is not caused by clear organic disease, or persists long after a reasonable period of healing following injuries or surgery
・ Participants who can attend the one-time initial session at Holos University (Springfield, MO) in the middle of January, 2008
Research Intervention:
The intervention of this study is the distant healing by the Japanese spiritual healer. In this study, the Japanese spiritual healer will do the distant healing by using the simple information of the prospective participants such as their facial photos, names, addresses, and the severity of disease. The prospective participants will be asked to come to the office for the initial session on the scheduled day. In this session, the healer will meet the prospective participants. They will be asked to do 20-minute meditation then with the healer. This purpose of this initial session is for the prospective participants to experience his healing with his presence. The healer will go back to Japan after completing the sessions of all prospective participants, and he will start the distant healing. The prospective participants will be assigned either to the experimental group or to the control group randomly. This procedure will be done blindly to the participants and the experimenter. He will send the healing energy only to the participants who will be assigned to the experimental group every day. He will continue this distant healing for two months. After completing two-month healing intervention, he will start distant healing to the participants who will be assigned to the control group.
Participation fee: For free (Participants must pay for their own travel cost)
Contact Information: Kenjiro Tsubono M.D.(in Japan), Th.D.candidate
Address: 4355 S.National Ave, Apt 909, Springfield, MO, 65810
Phone: 417-888-0012
Email: tubonok-tky@umin.ac.jp or kenjiro76t@yahoo.com
Location: Holos University (www.hugs.org) it is located at Springfield, MO, and within 20-minute driving from Springfield/ Branson airport
Date: The initial session will be held in the middle of January, 2008 at Holos Univeristy. All participants must attend this initial session one time. The session will be held as a small group setting.
Eisenberg DM et al. “Trends in Alternative Medicine Use in the United States, 1990-1997: Results of A Follow-up National Survey,” JAMA, 280 (1998): 1569-75.
Harris WS et al. “A Randomized, Controlled Trial of the Effects of Remote, Intercessory Prayer on Outcomes in Patients Admitted to the Coronary Care Unit,” Arch Intern Med, 159 (1999): 2273-8.
Sicher F, Targ E, Moore D, Smith HS. “A Randomized Double-blind Study of the Effect of Distant Healing in A Population with Advanced AIDS,” Western Journal of Medicine, 169 (1998): 356-363.
Byrd, RC. “Positive Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer in a Coronary Care Unit Population,” Southern Medical Journal, 81 (1988): 826-829.
Lyvers M, Barling N, Harding-Clark J. “Effect of belief in psychic healing on self-reported pain in chronic pain sufferers,” Journal of Psychosom Res, 2006, 60(1): 59-61.
Abbot NC et al. “Spiritual Healing as a Therapy for Chronic Pain: A Randomized, Clinical Trial,” Pain, 2001, 91(1-2): 79-89.
Sundblom DM et al. “Effect of Spiritual Healing on Chronic Idiopathic Pain: Medical and Psychological Study,” Clinical Journal of Pain, 1994, 10(4): 258.
Background
Chronic pain afflicts millions of Americans. Fibromyalgia is one of such chronic pain syndromes with features that include chronic, widespread musculoskeletal pain and stiffness and associated with fatigue, poor sleep and the presence of discrete tender points. Fibromyalgia affects more than 3.7 million people in the U.S. It sometimes devastates patient’s daily life severely. There are some different kinds of treatments such as medications, electrical stimulation, and psychological approach, but many patients still suffer from severe persistent pain.
In a recent study of CAM in the United States, 7% of persons surveyed reported having tried some form of “spiritual healing.” In the same study, 35% of persons surveyed reported that they had used prayer to address their health-related problems. There are several studies which showed the positive effect of intercessory prayer. There are also a couple of studies which evaluated the efficacy of spiritual healing on pain.
In this study, the PI will invite an experienced spiritual healer from Japan and study the effect of his healing power on fibromyalgia and chronic pain. His name is Mr. Ziho Otsuki. He graduated from Christian university in Japan and practiced Buddhist healing technique in the temple after graduating school. After that, he went to China and learned Qigong technique, which is one of Chinese traditional medicines under the master. His healing is mostly performed from a distance. The spiritual healer who will do distant healing in this study is a professional Japanese healer with long-year experience of distant healing. He also has treated patients with persistent chronic pain and fibromyalgia successfully. The PI has studied his healing power with electroencephalogram before, and his healing energy remarkably changed the brain wave pattern of the subjects. During his healing, the subjects felt very relaxed. His healing technique is not based upon any one specific religion, but based upon the common component of prayer rituals in all religions.
Objective
To study the effect of distant healing of the Japanese healer on fibromyalgia and chronic pain
Study Design
This study uses a pretest-posttest control group design with repeated measure of the dependent variables such as McGill Pain Questionnaire ratings, visual analog scale of pain etc. In this study, the PI will recruit 40 participants with fibromyalgia or chronic pain, and they will be assigned randomly either to the experimental group or to the control group.
Population
18 Years and above, men and women
Inclusion Criteria:
・ Participants who have fibromyalgia or chronic pain which is not caused by clear organic disease, or persists long after a reasonable period of healing following injuries or surgery
・ Participants who can attend the one-time initial session at Holos University (Springfield, MO) in the middle of January, 2008
Research Intervention:
The intervention of this study is the distant healing by the Japanese spiritual healer. In this study, the Japanese spiritual healer will do the distant healing by using the simple information of the prospective participants such as their facial photos, names, addresses, and the severity of disease. The prospective participants will be asked to come to the office for the initial session on the scheduled day. In this session, the healer will meet the prospective participants. They will be asked to do 20-minute meditation then with the healer. This purpose of this initial session is for the prospective participants to experience his healing with his presence. The healer will go back to Japan after completing the sessions of all prospective participants, and he will start the distant healing. The prospective participants will be assigned either to the experimental group or to the control group randomly. This procedure will be done blindly to the participants and the experimenter. He will send the healing energy only to the participants who will be assigned to the experimental group every day. He will continue this distant healing for two months. After completing two-month healing intervention, he will start distant healing to the participants who will be assigned to the control group.
Participation fee: For free (Participants must pay for their own travel cost)
Contact Information: Kenjiro Tsubono M.D.(in Japan), Th.D.candidate
Address: 4355 S.National Ave, Apt 909, Springfield, MO, 65810
Phone: 417-888-0012
Email: tubonok-tky@umin.ac.jp or kenjiro76t@yahoo.com
Location: Holos University (www.hugs.org) it is located at Springfield, MO, and within 20-minute driving from Springfield/ Branson airport
Date: The initial session will be held in the middle of January, 2008 at Holos Univeristy. All participants must attend this initial session one time. The session will be held as a small group setting.
Eisenberg DM et al. “Trends in Alternative Medicine Use in the United States, 1990-1997: Results of A Follow-up National Survey,” JAMA, 280 (1998): 1569-75.
Harris WS et al. “A Randomized, Controlled Trial of the Effects of Remote, Intercessory Prayer on Outcomes in Patients Admitted to the Coronary Care Unit,” Arch Intern Med, 159 (1999): 2273-8.
Sicher F, Targ E, Moore D, Smith HS. “A Randomized Double-blind Study of the Effect of Distant Healing in A Population with Advanced AIDS,” Western Journal of Medicine, 169 (1998): 356-363.
Byrd, RC. “Positive Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer in a Coronary Care Unit Population,” Southern Medical Journal, 81 (1988): 826-829.
Lyvers M, Barling N, Harding-Clark J. “Effect of belief in psychic healing on self-reported pain in chronic pain sufferers,” Journal of Psychosom Res, 2006, 60(1): 59-61.
Abbot NC et al. “Spiritual Healing as a Therapy for Chronic Pain: A Randomized, Clinical Trial,” Pain, 2001, 91(1-2): 79-89.
Sundblom DM et al. “Effect of Spiritual Healing on Chronic Idiopathic Pain: Medical and Psychological Study,” Clinical Journal of Pain, 1994, 10(4): 258.
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