Why not let Reiki support your health care? They can be great partners, as I have seen! In fact, it is helpful to remember that Reiki, as the Universal Life Force, is already present in the minds of those who have developed these tools, medicines and healing methods. In the minds of those who choose supportive methods such as Reiki and those who seek medical help, an unfortunate dichotomy has developed-almost a war of opposing sides. My chronic health was deteriorating, I was unaware of new problems that might have been better treated if they had been addressed earlier, and I continued to ignore treatment options for the long term illness I was sick with no matter how well I ate, how much meditation and yoga I did, or how much Reiki I practiced. I didn’t have to choose between medical care and supportive practices like Reiki. But as I began to heal these injuries, I realized that I had only punished myself by alienating myself from the medical community and refusing to see a doctor for prevention or treatment. Although the medical community knows very little about Reiki and many other common auxiliary practices, that doesn’t mean we can’t use them or that we should pit them against each other. Many of these serious illnesses can be prevented by befriending modern medicine and allowing Reiki to work with it. Work with Reiki to heal yourself, and also take time to work with principles to bring healing to your old self and those who have hurt you. The contents of Reiki Rays are intended as support, not as a substitute for medical or psychiatric treatment. Using Reiki principles, I processed my anger, fear and anxiety with the doctors and was very honest with myself. We now understand and see that Reiki helps to balance and support us, so we can feel good about having it by our side in everything we do. Although it has its drawbacks, and practitioners themselves are people with healing needs, we all need medical help, and we all know family and friends who have experienced the same thing. It took me many years of healing work within myself to realize that it was a trauma in me that needed my care and attention. Angie is the author of Animal Reiki: How It Heals, Teaches and Reconnects Us to Nature and Reiki from A to Z. I combine Reiki, homeopathy and co-creative processes with nature awareness in my daily life. We can try to heal these wounds and certainly try to learn what medicine has to offer to help us.