The Effects of Reiki on Microbial Survivorship

By: Stephen PfauCentral Catholic High School

Grade 11

Reiki• Japanese spiritual healing practice means

“universal life energy” • Discovered and developed by Mikao Usui in the

late 19th century• Works through the practitioner intentionally

willing the energy toward specific areas• Gets rid of negative energy or provides

positive healing energy (disputed) in the subject

• Supposedly works on all forms of life

Reiki (Continued)• Often used to complement Western medicine• Used as preventive medicine • Important aspect - willingness of the target

to receive its benefits• Few peer-reviewed scientific studies; no

foundation in science• Proposed effectiveness of Reiki in the

placebo effect

Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast)

• Unicellular fungal eukaryote that used in baking, fermentation, etc.

• Most studied eukaryotic cell • Many characteristics similar to human

cells, nutrition, growth• Used due to rapid growth and ease of

experimental manipulation

Purpose• To determine the effects of Reiki on heat

stressed yeast

• Any significant difference in survivorship curves will lend support to Reiki’s effectiveness with little possibility of a placebo effect

Hypotheses

Null - Reiki will not significantly affect the survivorship of heat stressed yeast

Alternate - Reiki will significantly affect the survivorship of heat

stressedyeast

Materials• 88 YEPD agar plates (1% yeast extract, 2% peptone, 2% glucose

(dextrose), 1.5% agar)• YEPD Media (1% yeast extract, 2% peptone, 2% glucose (dextrose))• Klett spectrophotometer• Sterile pipette tips• Micropipettes• Vortex• Incubator• Sidearm flask• Spreading platform, spreader bar, ethanol• 20 mL Sterile capped test tubes with Sterile Dilution Fluid (SDF) (10

mM KH2PO4, 10 mM K2HPO4, 1 mM MgSO4, 0.1 mM CaCl2, 100 mM NaClB

• Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Yeast)• Reiki practitioner• Six 1 Liter Beakers• Water• Thermometer• Hot Plates

Procedure1. Saccharomyces cerevisiae cultures were

grown overnight in sterile YEPD media. 2. Samples of the overnight cultures were

added to fresh medias in a sterile sidearm flask.3. The cultures were placed in incubators

(30°C) until a density of 50 Klett spectrophotometer units was reached. This represents a cell density of approximately 107 cells/ml.

4. Six 1-liter beaker filled with 500mL of water and placed on hot plates and heated until one reached 30, 40, 46, and 52 degrees Celsius. Once the water baths reached their designated temperatures four test tubes were placed in each water bath.

5. Once the tubes had been in the water baths for 15 minutes the microbial cultures were placed in each test tube to a concentration of approximately 105

cells/ml.

Procedure 6. Reiki practitioner was permitted to prepare the other room for the

treatment of the cell cultures within test tubes by the use of gestures and vocal harmonics.

7. The beakers were then taken off the hot plates and two of the test tubes from each were placed in one test tube rack and taken to the other room for the Reiki treatment. The other test tubes were placed in another test tube rack and placed in the room without the Reiki practitioner

9. The Reiki practitioner was then instructed to treat the cells with Reiki in that room only, by which she used tuning forks, quartz and selenite crystals in addition to gestures and vocal mantras to administer treatment to the cells. The practitioner was checked on regularly by the sponsor to safeguard against tampering.

10. After 15 minutes of being treated with Reiki the test tubes were taken away from the practitioner by the sponsor.

11. DOUBLE BLIND EXPERIMENT - The sponsor assigned a different color to each set of test tubes and gave that set to a scientist to plate. The scientist plated from those tubes onto plates with corresponding color labels

12. The plates were incubated at 37°C for 24 hours and 30°C for 48 hours.

13. The resulting colonies were counted by the experimenter. Each colony is assumed to have derived from one cell. The colors were then identified as their respective variable groups by the sponsor.

Statistical Analyses• ANOVA • Statistical Test that allows the comparison of

means multiple groups• If P-value < 0.05, then there was variance • Dunett’s Test • Comparison of an experimental and a control

group to determine significant variation

control 30 40 46 520

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160Effects of Reiki on Yeast Survivorship

Non-reiki

Reiki

Temperature

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Control 30 R 40 R 46 R 52 R Control R0

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Effects of Reiki on Yeast Survivorship

Temperatures (Celsius)

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P-value = 4.238E-21

Control 30 NR 40 NR 46 NR 52 NR0

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160Effects of Temperature on Yeast Survivorship

Temperature (Celsius)

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Dunnett’s TestsTemperature and Reiki T Value Significance

30 NR 10.454 Significant

30 R 2.32 Not Significant

40 NR 7.551 Significant

40 R 14.907 Significant

46 NR 20.908 Significant

46 R 15.488 Significant

52 NR 22.651 Significant

52 R 24.393 Significant

T-crit = 2.36

Conclusions• The null hypothesis has been rejected for

the temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius with Reiki

• The alternate hypothesis has been supported for all other temperatures with and without Reiki, supporting that Reiki did have an effect on the survivorship of yeast

• Temperature did have a significant effect on the survivorship of the yeast

Limitations and ExtensionsLimitations:

1.The timing of plating varied slightly

2.Only one microbial species was used

3.Temperatures did not stay exactly at their designated temp for the entire time

Extensions

A.Use different species

B.Use different forms of stress, UV lights, etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saccharomyces_cerevisiae

http://www.reiki.org/faq/whatisreiki.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reiki Thanks to Lynne W. Biegler for helping with

performing Reiki for my Project

References

30 Degree ANOVAAnova: Single Factor

SUMMARYGroups Count Sum Average Variance

Column 1 8 712 89 21.14286Column 2 8 969 121.125 179.2679

ANOVASource of Variation SS df MS F P-value F crit

Between Groups 4128.063 1 4128.063 41.19603 1.6E-05 4.60011Within Groups 1402.875 14 100.2054

Total 5530.938 15

40 Degree ANOVAAnova: Single Factor

SUMMARYGroups Count Sum Average Variance

Column 1 8 834 104.25 62.78571Column 2 8 532 66.5 124

ANOVASource of Variation SS df MS F P-value F crit

Between Groups 5700.25 1 5700.25 61.03518 1.8E-06 4.60011Within Groups 1307.5 14 93.39286

Total 7007.75 15

46 Degree ANOVAAnova: Single Factor

SUMMARYGroups Count Sum Average Variance

Column 1 8 284 35.5 45.71429Column 2 8 424 53 37.42857

ANOVASource of Variation SS df MS F P-value F crit

Between Groups 1225 1 1225 29.46735 8.89E-05 4.60011Within Groups 582 14 41.57143

Total 1807 15

52 Degree ANOVAAnova: Single Factor

SUMMARYGroups Count Sum Average Variance

Column 1 8 212 26.5 8.285714Column 2 8 136 17 19.42857

ANOVA

Source of Variation SS df MS F P-value F crit

Between Groups 361 1 361 26.05155 0.00016 4.60011

Within Groups 194 14 13.85714

Total 555 15