Reiki and medical treatment are not alternatives to each other. Medicine treats the condition; Reiki settles the person going through it. The right order is always doctor first, sessions alongside — and any practitioner who reverses that order, or blurs it, is the one to walk away from.

I say this on my homepage, in every FAQ, and now here at length, because it's the question underneath most of the others people bring me in Cannes: can I do this and still do what my doctor says? Yes. That's the only way I'll do it.

What Reiki does that medicine doesn't

Medicine works on the disease. It doesn't, mostly, work on the state of the person who has it — the fear before a scan, the sleeplessness of a long treatment, the body braced for months against pain or news. That state isn't nothing. It affects how you sleep, eat, tolerate treatment, and feel between appointments.

A session works on exactly that. Forty-five minutes of deep rest with nothing asked of you. Hands resting lightly on the body. The nervous system stands down. Nothing about the disease changes. Quite a lot about the day does.

What medicine does that Reiki can't

Diagnose. Treat. Cure. Prescribe. Monitor. Decide. None of that is mine and I don't pretend any of it is. If you tell me about a symptom, I'll ask if a doctor has seen it, and if not, that's your next step before we book anything.

Where sessions fit

  • During recovery — after surgery, after an illness, in the long tail after COVID or flu — for the tension and the sleep, alongside whatever the doctor prescribed.
  • During long treatment — some oncology units in the UK and US allow Reiki on wards for exactly this reason: calm patients do better and it costs nothing in risk. Always with the care team's knowledge.
  • While living with a diagnosis — thyroid, hormonal, cardiovascular, chronic pain — for the state around the condition, with every appointment kept.
  • When waiting — for results, for a decision, for a date. The waiting is often the hardest part and it's entirely in Reiki's territory.

What to tell your doctor

"I'm having Reiki sessions for relaxation alongside your treatment." That's the sentence. Most doctors will say fine. A few will be sceptical about whether it does anything, which is fair. None should object to a patient resting more, and if one does, I'd want to know why.

The line

I don't advise on medication. I don't suggest delaying anything. I don't say "try this first." If you're on treatment, you stay on it. If you're due a test, you take it. If your doctor and I ever seem to disagree, your doctor wins, and I'll be the first to say so.

There's a longer piece on whether Reiki is dangerous — the answer is no, with one exception, and the exception is exactly this line.

A practical example

A client in Antibes was six weeks into a long course of treatment, sleeping badly, braced against every appointment. Her care team knew she was having sessions; one of her nurses had suggested it. We did one a week at her home, on the days between hospital visits. Nothing about her treatment changed. What changed, she said, was the days in between — she slept, she ate, she stopped dreading the drive to Nice. That is the whole of what I offer alongside medicine: the days in between, made livable.

FAQ

Can I have Reiki while on medical treatment? Yes. Sessions sit alongside treatment for rest and settling; they don't interact with medication and don't replace any appointment. Tell your doctor you're doing it.

Does Reiki interfere with medication? No. Nothing enters the body and nothing is applied. There's no known interaction with any medication or device.

Should I tell my doctor I'm having Reiki? Yes — "for relaxation alongside your treatment." Your care team should know what surrounds your care, and I'll always ask if they do.

If you're going through something

Message me on WhatsApp and tell me what your doctors are doing. I'll tell you honestly where a session fits — and it will be alongside them, not instead.