Energy-based technologies are accepted by the medical community as essential tools for diagnosis. However, energy therapies, research, and clinical applications and trials have not been as widely embraced (although this is slowly and inexorably changing -- see Western Medicine's Increasing Acceptance of Qigong and Energy Medicine).
Inserting needles at particular points in the body to alleviate pain or cure illness by balancing the body's energy. Types of acupuncture include manual acupuncture, electroacupuncture (EA) and transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS)
Colorpuncture (laser therapy). Also called Laserneedle Acupuncture and laserpuncture
Light is focused on acupuncture and other points on the skin to stimulate healing. In general the use of lasers for healing is referred to as Low-Intensity Laser Therapy (LILT) or Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT). For more information see Healing with Electromedicine and Sound Therapies
Electroencephalography measures the electrical current of the brain. Intracranial EEG (iEEG) is a particular application of this technology where the electrodes are actually inserted into the brain. It is being used, for example, with epilepsy patients. Low Resolution Brain Electromagnetic Tomography (LORETA) can be performed on the EEG recordings to compute the intracortical distribution of neuroelectrical activity.
A flexible probe breaks up small kidney stones with shock waves generated by electricity.
Electromagnetic Acoustic Imaging (EMAI)
Electromagnetic acoustic imaging (EMAI) is a new imaging technique that uses long-wavelength RF electromagnetic (EM) waves to induce ultrasound emission. See Ultrasound.
Measures electrical activity generated by muscles.
Electron holography
Electron Holography Produces First Image of a Single Protein. This research demonstrates the imaging of proteins using low energy electron beams that don’t destroy biomolecules. Low energy electron beams have a wavelength of about a nanometer with is perfect for measuring proteins as well as holography.
Electron microscopy
Microscopy using an electron beam instead of light to form an image. An electron microscope (EM) is a type of microscope that uses an electron beam to illuminate a specimen and produce a magnified image.
The application of an electrical field to enhance transdermal delivery. EM researchers in the 20th Century were severely persecuted by the AMA and existing medical establishment. See The Supression of Energy Medicine. It is encouraging that this type of therapy is being rediscovered. Microsecond and nanosecond electric pulses in cancer treatments. Bioelectromagnetics. 2011 Aug 3.
Also called electroconvulsive therapy. This is administered to patients under anesthesia. Also see Transcranial direct current stimulation.
Endobroncial Ultrasound (EBUS)
See Ultrasound .
Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) or technology (ESWT)
Highly focused sound (shock) waves projected from outside the body pulverize kidney stones anywhere in the urinary system. Also see Ultrasound.
EWST has proven effective for tendon and ligament injuries, wound healing, osteoarthritis and degenerative joint disease, removal of kidney stones, treating plantar faschitis and rotator cuff injuries, and more. PulseVet has been very successful on animals, and it has been successful with humans too.
Diagnostic technique for obtaining images of soft body tissue via magnetic fields and the radio waves generated by them. fcMRI carries MRI a step further by monitoring continuous treatment activity instead of brief and intermittent activity. fcMRI was used to characterize the difference in connectivity in key brain regions due to genuine vs. sham acupuncture: Imaging the functional connectivity of the Periaqueductal Gray during genuine and sham electroacupuncture treatment . See also MRI.
Gas Discharge Visualization (GDV)
Bioelectrography is a new and controversial field within physics whose purpose is to study the electric emissions of objects and living organisms. The method used in bioelectrography is called the Gas Discharge Visualization (GDV) technique. It is a more advanced technique than Kirlian photography and has been accepted as a medical technology by the Russian Ministry of Health. It creates a computer model inreal time of the energies measured by GDV, and is thought to be able to perceive 'imbalances' in energy fields which can then be used as a tool for medical diagnosis.
Technically, GDV is capturing the image of gas discharge during exposure to EMF. The cells exposed to the EMF produce a burst of electron-ion emission and optical radiation light quanta in the visual and ultraviolet light regions of the EM spectrum. These particles and photons initiate electron-ion avalanches, which create the gas discharge along the dielectric surface. A spatial distribution of discharge channels is registered via glass plate by an optical system with a CCD TV camera, and then it is digitized. The avalanche effect amplification of the object response can only occur in ionized gas and does not work in a vacuum.
Imaging of live animals at microscopic resolution (intravital
microscopy, IVM) represents a powerful tool for addressing
such questions. IVM can reveal cellular responses over time
and space and can be conducted under conditions closely
approximating those of a natural environment. This is crucial
because cellular behavior is influenced by many factors
including cytokine gradients, interactions with other cellular
and extracellular components, anatomical compartmentaliza-
tion, and forces of fluid flow. Also see Recent advances in intravital imaging of dynamic biological systems.
Iontophoresis is the introduction of ionizable drugs through intact skin by the administration of continuous, direct electrical current into the tissues of the body.
Measures blood flow based on the laser Doppler principle.
Low Intensity Light Therapy (LILT)
LILT has been shown to induce cellular effects such as accelerated ATP production and the mitigation of oxidative stress. Also referred to as Infrared Light Therapy. Low-power laser therapy is also called Photobiomodulation.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI), or magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to visualize detailed internal structures. Wikipedia
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging ( fMRIs )maps brain activity while the subject is performing a particlar task.
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) is a unique technique that can directly assess the concentration of various biochemical metabolites in body tissue. For example, see Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in depression.
Microcurrent Electrotherapy Technology (MET) and Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation (CES)
Used by professional sports teams and others to treat psychological and physical symptoms; by pain specialists to treat pain disorders; and by rheumatologists who see dramatic results with fibromyalgia patients. CES has been found as effective as prescription drugs in relieving pain, but is completely safe.
NIRS probes have been used in energy medicine research to measure psysiological changes such as muscle blood volume and muscle oxygenation resulting from acupuncture stimulation. Infrared spectroscopy is a more general term for this subset of spectroscopy. Also see Vibrational spectroscopy.
Optical magnetic imaging of living cells. This research demonstrates magnetic imaging of living cells under ambient laboratory conditions and with sub-cellular spatial resolution (400 nanometres), using an optically detected magnetic field imaging array consisting of a nanometre-scale layer of nitrogen-vacancy colour centres implanted at the surface of a diamond chip.
Percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (PENS) is a novel analgesic therapy13 that combines the advantages of both TENS and electroacupuncture by using acupuncturelike needle probes positioned in the soft tissues and/or muscles to stimulate peripheral sensory nerves at the dermatomal levels corresponding to the local pathology. In a preliminary study,14 PENS therapy was found to be preferable to TENS and relaxation therapies in the management of pain secondary to osteoarthritis.
Non-invasive technique utilizing light to create images of tissues.
Photonic Stimulation
Near infrared light therapy. Electrons are excited to increase production of energy (ATP) to stimulate normal cellular physiology. For more information, see "Healing with Photons."
A photoplethysmograph (PPG) is an optically obtained plethysmograph, which measures the volume of an organ or the entire body.
Phototherapy
Electromagnetic waves (phototherapy) found safe and effective for treating skin conditions. Phototherapy in the age of biologics. [Semin Cutan Med Surg. 2011] - PubMed.
Photothermal ablation
Photothermal ablation uses nanoparticles excited by light to burn away cancer cells. Metal nanoparticles have molecular appendages called ligands attached to them. The ligands then attach exclusively to chemical receptors on cancerous cells. When irradiated with infrared light, collective electron oscillations (plasmons) begin to resonate and the metal nanoparticles heat up, burning away the cancerous cells while leaving the surrounding healthy tissue unaffected. Reference: Plasmons resonate in atomic-scale metal particles.
"PIP shows pulsating bands of color and changing variations in light quality emanating from living organisms.... In humans, these images tend to correspond to energy meridian pathways, defined by traditional Chinese medicine, and chakras, defined by Ayurvedic medicine.... PIP technology is able to pinpoint disturbed energy states before they become evident by standard diagnosis." Townsend Letter, 2009 Jan; (306): 37.
Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
A computerized imaging technique that utilizes a radioactive dye. This type of imaging may reveal tissue problems that are not visible on CT or MRI scans.
Proteomics (the study of proteins)
This technology is based upon mass spectrometry coupled with hyphenated separation techniques such as two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE) and micro- or nano-scale multidimensional liquid chromatography. The technique of proteomics is one of the fastest developments with the farthest-reaching consequences in the high and new biotechnology in the world of today. It can be used to screen the target molecules of the action of traditional Chinese medicines, to identify the new effective components from traditional Chinese medicines, and to explore the mechanisms of the effects of traditional Chinese medicines.
Pulse light irradiation
For chloasma, the effect of treatment with acupuncture plus intensive pulse light irradiation is superior to that with simple acupuncture
Pulsed EM fields (PEMF)
Effective for treating slow-healing fractures.
Radiation Therapy/Radio Therapy
High-definition Multileaf Collimator Radiosurgery System: In January 2008, the Palo Alto Medical Foundation in Palo Alto, CA became the first health care organization in the world with a new high-definition multileaf collimator (HD 120 MLC), an ultra-fine device for radiosurgery that shapes each treatment beam to match the exact contour of a tumor or other target. This technology allows doctors to treat brain tumors and cancer in all parts of the body with unsurpassed accuracy – all with fewer side effects, greater patient comfort and improved outcomes.
Radiosurgery is a non-invasive medical procedure in which high-energy X-rays are delivered to a target area within the body from a machine outside the body. With the HD120 MLC, which is part of PAMF’s Novalis Tx® radiosurgery system from Varian Medical Systems and BrainLab, patients receive an ultra-precise dose of high-intensity radiation – accurate within fractions of a centimeter – while avoiding the pain and complications associated with conventional “open” surgery. Palo Alto Medical Foundation March 2008 e-HealthNews Volume 5 Issue 3. Also read Radiosurgery , Cancers Treated with Radiosurgery, and Benefits and Side Effects of Radiation Therapy.
Radio telemetry enables monitoring of cardiovascular functions such as systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate. A more general term for this is biotelemetry.
Diagnostic device that can detect minute magnetic fields. SQUIDS map biomagnetic fields produced by physiological processes in the body. One example is recording the magnetic field of the heart (magnetocardiography). Since thinking causes electrical signals in the brain which in turn produce magnetic fields, it's possible to detect thoughts, even at a distance, using SQUIDS.
Unlike electroshock, tDCS is administered when the patient is conscious. Tests on healthy adults demonstrated that tDCS can increase cognitive performance on a variety of tasks. New Therapy for Depression.
Used for treating nerve disorders such as knee osteoarthritis and managing pain. One criticism of TENS is that its effects are often temporary. See Healing with Electromedicine and Sound Therapies (especially the 'Frequency Specific Microcurrent' section) for a more in-depth discussion. Recent research suggests that TENS over acupoints on lung function and dyspnoea in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease warrants further investigation. For more information, see the Qigong and Energy Medicine Database™.
Use of sound waves for diagnosis and treatment. Ultrasonography is nearly as accurate as CT scans, but does not cause radiation damage. Ultrasonic lithotripsy is the use of high frequency sound waves delivered through an electronic probe break up kidney stones.
Electromagnetic Acoustic Imaging (EMAI). Electromagnetic acoustic imaging is a new imaging technique that uses long-wavelength RF electromagnetic (EM) waves to induce ultrasound emission.
An eye functionality test which monitors brain responses to visual stimulai. Also see the more general term Electrophysiology.
Voltage clamp
The voltage clamp is used by electrophysiologists to measure the ion currents across the membrane of excitable cells, such as neurons, while holding the membrane voltage at a set level. Wikipedia.
"Frequency therapies can increase cell energy, normalize membrane conductivity, lessen oxidative stress, reduce the amounts of inflammatory chemicals in the blood, improve protein synthesis, boost feel-good endorphin levels, restore depleted adrenal function, and enhance immune function. The restoration of these metabolic processes leads to the regeneration of tissue as well as resistance to disease." Nenah Sylver, PhD.
For an overview of Electromedicine, the medical use of electromagnetic frequencies for therapy and healing, and specific EM therapeutic methods and tools, see Healing with Electromedicine and Sound Therapies.
For even more comprehensive information on energy-based technologies, devices, and their use for therapy, complementary therapies and how to use them, and holistic health, see Sylver's recently revised The Rife Handbook of Frequency Therapy and Holistic Health.
What is Frequency Medicine
"The electrical currents set up by the heart, brain, muscles, the retina, and by other tissues and organs give rise to electric fields that are measurable at the surface of the body. These fields are used in medical diagnosis...Energy medicine is the diagnostic and therapeutic use of energy (heat, light, sound, gravity, pressure, vibration, electricity, magnetism, chemical energy, electromagnetism) whether produced by or detected by a medical device or by the human body. Energy medicine recognizes that the human body utilizes various forms of energy for communications involved in physiological regulations. Energy medicine involves energy of particular frequencies and intensities and wave shapes that stimulate the repair of one or more tissues." James Oshman.Theory and Practice of Energy Medicine.
A Brief History of the Use of Electricity for Pain Treatment
Neuromuscular electrostimulation techniques: historical aspects and current possibilities in treatment of pain and muscle waisting. The pain relieving action of electricity is explained in particular by two main mechanisms: first, segmental inhibition of pain signals to the brain in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord and second, activation of the descending inhibitory pathway with enhanced release of endogenous opioids and other neurochemical compounds (serotonin, noradrenaline, gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), acetylcholine and adenosine). The modern electrotherapy of neuromusculo-skeletal pain is based in particular on the following types: transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (PENS or electro-acupuncture) and spinal cord stimulation (SCS).
Shockwave Therapy
Shockwave therapy is a relatively new treatment option in orthopedic and rehabilitation medicine. Shockwaves (high frequency sound waves) are used to treat many orthopedic conditions, including plantar fasciitis (heel spurs), patellar tendinitis (jumper’s knee), lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow), medial epicondylitis (golfer’s elbow) and shoulder tendinitis. Multiple studies have been conducted to assess the efficacy of shockwave therapy. Many have shown a positive response versus placebo treatment and others have shown no benefit over placebo. No studies have reported any significant side effects when utilized for orthopedic conditions. However, there are some orthopedic conditions for which this technology is contraindicated.
Theory and Practice of Energy Medicine: A Powerpoint presentation by James Oshman, PhD describing Frequency Medicine, including a short history of electromagnetic research, physics and physiology of bioenergy, use of PEMF for therapy, biofeedback, and the Ondamed PEMF device and frequency therapy.
Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) Therapy relieves chronic pain without pills or surgery. This therapy is coming of age. It has been featured on American television on the Dr. Oz show. The FDA has approved various devices and treatments. NASA has been researching its effects upon bone loss and muscular degeneration in astronauts on long space voyages and has taken out a patent for enhancing tissue repair in mammals. For a commentary on this information read Dr. Magda Havas' blog PEMF Therapy and Pain Relief.
Pulsating Electromagnetic Field Therapy on Dr. OZ.
Dr. Len Saputo on infrared light therapy: "Photonic stimulation sounds like “Star Trek” medicine -- something out of the future that seems too far-fetched to exist in today’s world. However, quantum healing with near infrared light photons is a reality today and is poised to become an essential technology in medical practice for years to come. This powerful, effective, safe, and affordable technology is revolutionizing medical treatment for pain, many neurological disorders, and a wide variety of musculoskeletal and soft tissue maladies. Many health problems that had previously been notoriously difficult or even impossible to successfully manage can now benefit from photonic stimulation." This therapy is being used in diabetic and other neuropathies, sports and other injuries, plantar fascitis, cervical and lumbar disc disease, repetitive stress injuries, postoperataive pain, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, osteoarthritis, and other conditions.
Colored Light Therapy
Cellular Mechanisms of Low Power Laser Therapy. Colored light threapy is being used by physiotherapists (to treat a wide variety of acute and chronic muscosceletal aches and pains), dentists (to treat inflamed oral tissues, and to heal diverse ulcerations), dermatologists (to treat oedema, indolent ulcers, burns, dermatitis), rheumatologists (relief of pain, treatment of chronic inflammations and autoimmune diseases), and by other specialists (e.g., for treatment of middle and inner ear diseases, nerve regeneration). Photobiomodulation is also used in veterinary medicine (especially in racehorse training centers) and in sports medicine and rehabilitation clinics (to reduce swelling and hematoma, relief of pain and improvement of mobility and for treatment of acute soft tissue injuries.
www.dinshahhealth.org. Dinshah Health Society. A Non-Profit Organization Dedicated to Advancing Non-Pharmaceutical Home color Therapy.
Review of electromagnetic techniques for breast cancer detection.
This paper focuses on reviewing the main electromagnetic techniques for breast cancer detection. More specifically, this work reviews the cutting edge research in microwave imaging, electrical impedance tomography, diffuse optical tomography, microwave radiometry, biomagnetic detection, biopotential detection, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Magnets may cure acid reflux. A small band of magnets placed around the valve just above the stomach to prevent acid from rising into the esophagus or throat expands to allow food to travel from the esophagus into the stomach but also tightens the valve so that acid does not rise up out of the stomach. Once the band is in place, patients can resume a normal diet without any reflux symptoms.
Optical magnetic imaging of living cells. This research demonstrates magnetic imaging of living cells under ambient laboratory conditions and with sub-cellular spatial resolution (400 nanometres), using an optically detected magnetic field imaging array consisting of a nanometre-scale layer of nitrogen-vacancy colour centres implanted at the surface of a diamond chip.
Magnetic sensing via ultrasonic excitation. Magnetization on the surface of ferromagnetic metals is temporally modulated with the rf frequency of the irradiated ultrasonic waves, and the near-field components emitted from the focal point of the ultrasonic beam are detected.
Extremely low frequency electromagnetic field (EMF) and wound healing: implication of cytokines as biological mediators. Research supports an anti-inflammatory effect of EMFs by the modulation of cytokine profiles that drive the transition from a chronic pro-inflammatory state to an anti-inflammatory state of the healing process. In this review, we focus on the effect of EMFs on skin wound healing showing emerging details of the anti-inflammatory effects of EMFs, with a view to cytokines as candidate biomarkers.
Electron Holography
Electron Holography Produces First Image of a Single Protein. This research demonstrates the imaging of proteins using low energy electron beams that don’t destroy biomolecules. Low energy electron beams have a wavelength of about a nanometer with is perfect for measuring proteins as well as holography.
Electron Holography: phases matter. Phases have to be determined precisely, because they encode the most dominant object properties, such as charge distributions and electromagnetic fields.
Terahertz Technology
Terahertz nanotechnology. Terahertz (THZ) spectroscopy techniques are becoming increasingly important in nanomaterial characterization. In contrast to hazardous x-ray radiation, in medical imaging, the advantage of THz radiation is safety, because its energy is much lower than the ionization energy of biological molecules.
Terahertz detection and imaging systems. Field effect transistors (FETs) based on semiconductor nanowires (NWs) are highly-sensitive room-temperature plasma-wave broadband terahertz (THz) detectors.
Terahertz molecular imaging. The principle, characteristics and applications of molecular imaging with terahertz electromagnetic waves are reviewed in this paper. Surface plasmons, induced around the nanoparticles, raise the temperature of water in biological cells, and the temperature-dependent changes in the optical properties of water, which are large in the terahertz range, are measured differentially by terahertz waves.
Professional Societies Researching Energy-Based Medical Technologies and Therapies
The EEG and Clinical Neuroscience Society (ECNS) and the International Society for Brain Electromagnetic Topography (ISBET) focus on all types of electrical and magnetic brain activity. The International Society for Neuro-Imaging in Psychiatry (ISNIP) specializes in structural and functional brain imaging, such as fMRI. The Evoked Potentials International Conference concentrates on brain function studies based on evoked responses.
EEG and Clinical Neuroscience Society (ECNS). The primary goal of ECNS is to further the clinical practice of classic electroencephalography (EEG), quantitative EEG (QEEG), evoked potentials, magnetoencephalography (MEG), electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), deep brain stimulation (DBS), polysomnography (sleep EEG), and EEG Neurofeedback from the professional, scientific, and economic standpoints.
The ECNS is an international scientific and educational organization dedicated to disseminating knowledge regarding the latest scientific advances in the above mentioned fields of electrophysiology as they relate to the understanding, treatment, and prevention of Neurobehavioral disorders including, but not limited to, head injury, epilepsy, pain syndromes, movement disorders, cerebrovascular disorders, metabolic and degenerative disorders, thought disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, personality and substance dependence disorders.
International Society for Neuroimaging in Psychiatry (ISNIP). ISNIP is an international non-profit scientific and educational organization dedicated to disseminating knowledge regarding the latest scientific advances in the field of Neuroimaging in Psychiatry and related fields and promote the understanding, treatment, and prevention of neuropsychiatric diseases.
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