I hope the baby is OK, but I don't think anyone has ever managed to demonstrate that positive thinking can affect others. Medicine on the other hand works very well a lot of the time.

Tom.

Reiki ? - I do'nt understand it either (If the user mermaidstale is still on this site then I think that she does .)
Yes I do believe that thoughts and energy of positive vibes and love , though they may not gaurantee success do tip the balance in favour of the person who they are directed towards .
Have you read about 'creative visualisation' ?
It's reassuring to know that your sisters baby is refusing to give up .
What do the doctor's say ?
If you tell us the babies name I'm sure that some reading your words will want to pray and and / or send positive thoughts in her direction .
Martin.

id give the alternate medacine a thumbs up. ive had the healing hands thing done to me by a crazy woman in a pub (no not like that) it felt warm and tingly, id shattered knuckles and it took the pain away and gave me alot more freedom of movement for a day or so. she looked like shit after she had finnished, looked quite pale and ill. from my experience id say it works. hmm i think ill have a further look into that kind of thing as ive driffted far from any spirituality latley. hmm i once again have somthing random to do this randomness im living is rounding off to every corner of my life.

There is an old saying from Ancient Greece to the effect that if you don't look you shall be sure not to find it. It's a bit like this with many (by no means all) alternative therapies.

A great deal depends on what you mean by positive energy. I believe that positive thinking (i.e. avoiding negativity) can help preserve and repair our auric field. Conversely negativity can damage it.

One of the best pieces of evidence for the benefits of positive thinking/energy is the placebo. I'm assuming here that the scientific studies that are often quoted have used genuinely sick patients, who then recovered even though the 'medicine' they were given was a simple sugar pill. Something presumably was working there and rather than dismissing the 'placebo effect' I think scientists could profitably explore the matter a little further.

The term 'Medicine' may include many things, in my book. It can be chemical, herbal, or something as simple as peace and quiet, or a kind word. Just because it doesn't come from a pharmacy doesn't mean we should dismiss it.

Often traditional medicine isn't entirely certain why or how certain medications works the way it does... the prescribing of anti epilepsy drugs for bi-polar depression being a case in point.

Personally I think it's high time we stopped seeing medicine as a single discipline. Remember Hippocrates 'at least do no harm' and keep an open mind.