US bishops discourage Reiki Therapy

US bishops have issued guidelines that call Reiki therapy, an alternative medical therapy originating in Japan, 'unscientific and inappropriate' for Catholic institutions. They outlined the position in 'Guidelines for Evaluating Reiki as an Alternative Therapy.' The guidelines were developed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Committee on Doctrine, chaired by Bishop William Lori of Bridgeport, Connecticut. They were approved by the USCCB Administrative Committee, March 24, during its spring meeting in Washington. The document can be found at http://www.usccb.org/dpp/doctrine.htm.