Here are some of the questions from Chapter D of Part I (Practice). This chapter in Het ABC van Reikicontains many more questions and answers, for example on the subject of Reiki and diabetes, heart attacks, the use of medication, et cetera.

384. Can I treat a transplant patient?
If the transplant patient has to take anti-rejection medication (these are drugs that suppress the immune system) it is not a good idea to treat him.
If you would ask the transplant physician to answer this question, he would tell you that everything that could BOOST THE IMMUNE SYSTEM is strictly FORBIDDEN for these patients! As long as they have the donor organ, these patients have to take medication to suppress the immune system (in other words, the immune system is artificially weakened). This is to prevent them from losing the organ. The body will keep fighting the intruder (the new organ) because its tissue does not match the system. The immune system makes sure that everything that is considered foreign by the body is rejected, the way this is usually done with a virus, fortunately! Taking anti-rejection medication makes sure that this fighting mechanism is weakened.
By using Reiki to take in energy from the energy field you are really stimulating your energy system to heal (become whole) and thus stimulating the immune system to fight. Reiki and anti-rejection medication therefore counteract each other. That is why in this case, you should not use Reiki.

Go to Additional Questions for more questions on this subject.

385. What about people who have artificial parts in their body?
Artificial parts, such as pins, clips, prosthetic material, artificial hips, et cetera, are made of material that is accepted by the body. It is not like living foreign tissue that the body could reject, as for example in the case of a transplanted organ (see the previous question). Therefore, applying Reiki is no problem at all in these cases, unless medication is required to suppress the immune system to prevent rejection by the body. When in doubt, always consult the physician in attendance.

386. What about people who suffer from auto-immune disease?
If they are on medication that suppresses the immune system, is it better not to treat them with Reiki. See also Question 384. In this case too, the medication is supposed to weaken the immune system while Reiki will make it stronger, so the two will counteract each other. For people with auto-immune diseases who do not take this kind of medication, Reiki can provide them with the extra energy to go on and it will also offer support in the process of accepting the disease. Energy can also help with all the accompanying complaints, which can differ widely.

387. Does Reiki help heal broken bones?
First of all, you need to have the broken bone set in hospital. Reiki is not a replacement for regular medical help. If you immediately apply energy to the broken bone, it could make the bones attach (too) fast. That is why it is best to wait until the broken bone is set, otherwise the bone may have to be broken again. As soon as the bone is set, you can of course support it with Reiki as much as you want, because the energy will pass through anything, including tape or a plaster cast.

389. Can I treat someone who has a pacemaker?
It is best not to treat the pacemaker itself, since you could change its rhythm. Treating a pacemaker does not really have any use anyway. You can of course treat the rest of the body without any problems! Ask the person you are treating where the pacemaker is located, so you can skip that area. Usually the pacemaker is implanted underneath the skin in the chest or beneath the collar bone. From the pacemaker a wire leads to the heart which gives off pulses to stimulate the heart. If you have a pacemaker, you can still take a Reiki course. Just make sure that you tell the other students and the teacher where the pacemaker is, so they do not lay their hands on it.

390. What about appendicitis?
It is best not to treat appendicitis with energy; it might rupture and cause a life-threatening peritonitis. You should immediately consult a physician at the slightest suspicion of appendicitis.

394. Can I treat a cancer patient?
Cancer patients need a lot of energy to fight the malignant cells. Reiki is a beautiful way to assist in this. Regular medical treatment and medication is obviously of vital importance. Reiki is not a miracle drug.

Go to Additional Questions for more questions on this subject.