The only thing on my bucket list is to visit Padua University! (Galileo Gallei was the chair of mathematics there 1592-1610; Giacomo Casanova, Federico Faggin, and Nicolaus Copernicus were/are alumni) I consider myself a “man of science” with several engineering degrees, pre-med undergraduate, paramedic, etc. I am somewhat religious (there are no atheists in foxholes and none on radiation tables either) and I believe in global warming. Although I believe in evolution, I met Inanna over a discussion of how evolution and the Tanakh (“old Testiment”) can agree.

I tried Reiki today. From the NIH:

What is Reiki?

Reiki is a complementary health approach in which practitioners place their hands lightly on or just above a person, with the goal of facilitating the person’s own healing response.

• Reiki is based on an Eastern belief in an energy that supports the body’s innate or natural healing abilities. However, there isn’t any scientific evidence that such an energy exists.
• Reiki has been studied for a variety of conditions, including pain, anxiety, fatigue, and depression.

The NIH, and others, do give this warning:

What do we know about the safety of Reiki?

Reiki hasn’t been shown to have any harmful effects. However, Reiki should not be used to replace conventional care or to postpone seeing a health care provider about a health problem.

This is the same warning I was given when I started taking those coffee enemas. (oh, come on, of course I’m not)

It was about 15 minutes in a dimly lit silent room with a woman putting her hands on various (boring) parts of my body. Was it relaxing? Yes. Did it do anything for me? No clue. Will I do it again? Probably.

I have to keep this post short; need to get ready for tomorrow’s attempt at an early cure … the entrails of a pigeon on my keyboard at dawn.