Section snippets
Background
Humans have used various techniques to heal physical and psychological illnesses, and hands have been extensively used either directly, by contacting the patient, or from a distance. The former continues to be the most widespread form of hand application and includes massage therapy, chiropractic techniques, and Shiatsu. Techniques in which the hands do not touch the patient encounter more resistance from patients and traditional medicine. In these techniques, known as noncontact healing
Methods
The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse at the Research Center of the Mokichi Okada Foundation (CPMO), located in Ipeúna, São Paulo, Brazil, using lettuce seeds of the Aurelia cultivar produced and sold by Agristar do Brasil, LTDA. The seeds were subjected or not subjected to heat stress to induce damage and subsequently treated or not treated with Johrei and sown. Lettuce is a common and largely consumed vegetable in Brazil, and its seeds have rapid germination and a high germination
Results
For all parameters evaluated, a significant interaction was observed between Johrei treatment and storage period. Stress treatment reduced seedling emergence by 55% and 61% relative to the percentage in non-heat-treated seeds in the first (SP1) and second (SP2) storage period, respectively (Fig.2A). Among the stress-treated seeds, Johrei treatment yielded a greater percentage of emerged seedlings, a higher ESI and a greater percentage of viable seedlings than did the absence of Johrei
Discussion
Johrei was effective in treating damaged lettuce seeds, enhancing their viability and vigor. In previous work, the viability of canary grass seeds (Phalaris canariensis L.) subjected to gamma radiation also responded positively to Johrei23, indicating that the purported universal energy channeled via Johrei has the potential to aid the recovery of seeds damaged by both ionizing and nonionizing energy. In both cases, the energy (gamma radiation and heat) deeply penetrated the tissues and had
Conclusions
The findings of the present study suggest the following: a) Johrei had beneficial effects on the health of lettuce seeds regardless of the level of damage. b) Examining the physiological potential of damaged seeds is a reliable method for assessing the effects of Johrei. c) The use of live plants allows the benefits of Johrei to be evaluated without interference from factors involving the human mind of the individual being treated (or the placebo effect). Further studies are necessary to
Declarations
Availability of data and materials
All data generated and analyzed during this study are available in an additional supporting file.
Funding
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank everyone who applied Johrei to the seeds and those who otherwise contributed to the study.
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