Massage & Reiki for Back Pain: Ethical Considerations for Holistic Practitioners

Question
Hello

I wonder if you can advise me. If someone is attending an osteopath for back pain, is it OK to offer them massage (I'm a holistic massage student), or Reiki (i have stage 2) to ease the pain, or not?

i'm thinking that maybe reiki could mask the cause....

would it be a good idea to ask the osteopath? i don't want to make a huge fuss over what would be a gesture, but am worried about making things worse.

thanks very much
mel  

Answer
Thanks for your question, mel.

I would say it is fine to offer massage to this person, but it would also "be a good idea to ask the osteopath" as well.  "Definition of Osteopath: therapist who manipulates skeleton and muscles."  By that definition alone, he would be the perfect one to ask, especially if the osteopath has taken all the relevant medical notes on this patient.

Hope that helps.
Michael, LMT