Modern science has demonstrated that electromagnetic fields of the body are generated during various biological processes, including rapid cell division; during natural growth processes, such as growth of bone cells; as well as following fracture, intense nervous activity associated with mental processes, and various pathological conditions, such as abnormal cell growth with diseases like cancer. The distinction between conservative medical practitioners and the new proponents of energy medicine is summed up well by one of the early researchers in the field, Dr. Glen Rein (1992), who wrote:
It is now well known that the human body emits a broad spectrum of electromagnetic and acoustic radiation. Traditional medicine looks at these as by-products of biochemical reactions in the body. They are not considered by most biomedical researchers to be involved with the basic functioning (or healing) of the body. The basic tenet of energy medicine is that these fields are not only involved with functioning of the physical/chemical body but regulate these processes. (p. 7).
For an excellent introduction to the history of Energy Medicine and how it is starting to play a fundamental role in the delivery of 21st Century medicine, read an excerpt from Energy Psychology.
"The goal of the Qigong Institute was to promote the scientific understanding of the basis of Qigong". Ken Sancier, Founder of the Qigong Institute.
"Every molecule, cell, living body, and object is comprised of energy that manifests as physical matter. Some of that energy is detectible as frequencies that belong to one or more radiation bands in the electromagnetic spectrum. And these frequencies correspond to biochemical and biological processes in the body." Nenah Sylver, PhD. inHealing with Electromedicine and Sound Therapies, Part One. Townsend Letter - February/March 2008.
Introductory Articles on Qigong and Energy Medicine
An overview of Qigong as Energy Medicine, information on its effectiveness as a therapy, a list of references, and a call for basic research to understand the fundamental bio-energetic basis of life on earth. - Tom Rogers, President of the Qigong Institute.
Commentary by Tom Rogers, President of the Qigong Institute, on the fundamental problems with the current western medical model and specific initiatives to reserach and promote Qigong as a primary health modality.
A very complete introduction to Electromedicine, including a description of the electromagnetic spectrum and how it manifests in and affects biological organisms, and a description of EM therapeutic methods and tools. - Nenah Sylver, PhD.
Professor Julia Tsuei (M.D)'s describes the science of acupuncture and meridians appearing in IEEE, ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY Magazine, Volume 15, Number 3, May/June 1996. Also see Meridians.
Scientists have long been interested in measuring external qi (EQ or wai qi) during qigong healing, and have produced a large body of literature over the past 20 years. This paper reviews the major research on measuring EQ in China and tries to help other researchers to get a picture on what has been done so as to eliminate the simple replication of already verified results. Starting with the historical background of EQ studies in China, this paper analytically reviews the major studies of EQ effects from five different categories of detectors: 1) physical signal detectors; 2) chemical dynamics methods; 3) detectors using biological materials; 4) detectors using life sensors; and 5) detectors using the human body. By Kevin Chen, Director of Research, Qigong Institute.
Qigong is a mind-body discipline. As a result of the effectiveness of Qigong and other energy-based therapies (e.g. see D. Benor, M.D.'s Energy Medicine for the Internist), western medicine and scientists are beginning to realize that a person's state of mind can affect their health. This should come as no surprise since according to the Department of Health and Human Services Healthy People 2010 report, seventy percent of diseases can be prevented, and other research shows that seventy to ninety percent of illness is due to stress. Up until recently, placebos and "psychosomatic" illnesses were dismissed as byproducts of "legitimate" therapies, usually involving drugs, or made up problems that had no real physical basis or effect upon a person's health. Not anymore. It's been proven without a doubt that mental state can and does affect your health. Candace Pert's ground-breaking Molecules of Emotion describes the genesis of an entirely new discipline in the field of neuroscience and medical biology: Psychoneuroimmunology, the interaction of the mind, body, emotions, and the immune system via the body's own internal chemical signaling system. Understanding the combination of the protein-receptor cellular level communication mechanism (the endocrine system) and psychoneuroimmunology is the goal of psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology. Endocrinology is the study of the protein-based chemical communcation system that controls the body's physiological processes. These processes are set in motion by a feedback system based upon energy where environmental signals affect molecular activity in the body. There is increasing evidence of the efficacy of mind-body therapies. For example, see Mind-Body Medicine: State of the Science, Implications for Practice.
Placebos have been embraced as a legitimate field of study by neuroscientists -- see Pain and the Placebo or NCCAM Funded Research for FY 2006 which includes grants to study placebo analgesia, Tai Chi, and meditation. It is encouraging that more researchers in biomedicine, biophysics, neuroscience, and complementary fields are turning their attention to Energy Medicine research and the scientific basis for Qigong's profound integrated mind-body medicine and stress reduction effectiveness.
In November 2005, The Stanford School of Medicine hosted a dialogue between the Dalai Lama and neuroscientists from Stanford and other universities, as well as Buddhist scholars in a day long discussion of the nature of the phenomena of craving, suffering, and choice. Read a summary of this seminar on neuroscience with the Dalai Lama . Project Compassion at the Stanford School of Medicine's Center for Compassion & Altruism Research and Education is an innovative initiative within the Stanford Institute for Neuro-Innovation and Translational Neurosciences that will undertake a rigorous scientific study of the neural, mental and social bases of compassion and altruistic behavior that draws from a wide spectrum of disciplines including psychology, neuroscience, economics and contemplative traditions. The Dalai Lama also appeared in November 2005 in Washington DC at The Science and Clinical Applications of Meditation Conference.
An example of scientific collaboration between Buddhists and neuroscientists can be found in "Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice". One of the main outcomes of this study is that meditation can create permanent changes in neural pathways. Here is another related research article on neuroimaging of the effect of meditation on the brain's receptivity to pain from NeuroReport 17(12):1359-1363, August 21, 2006:
Some meditation techniques reduce pain, but there have been no studies on how meditation affects the brain's response to pain. Functional magnetic resonance imaging of the response to thermally induced pain applied outside the meditation period found that long-term practitioners of the Transcendental Meditation technique showed 40-50% fewer voxels responding to pain in the thalamus and total brain than in healthy matched controls interested in learning the technique. After the controls learned the technique and practiced it for 5 months, their response decreased by 40-50% in the thalamus, prefrontal cortex, total brain, and marginally in the anterior cingulate cortex. The results suggest that the Transcendental Meditation technique longitudinally reduces the affective/motivational dimension of the brain's response to pain.
Six pillars of energy medicine: clinical strengths of a complementary paradigm. Altern Ther Health Med. 2008 Jan-Feb;14(1):44-54. Energy Medicine Institute, Ashland, Oregon, USA.
ABSTRACT: The current status of energy medicine and its increasing challenge to the biochemical paradigm that has dominated conventional medicine are reviewed. Although energy medicine represents only a small fraction of 1% of the $2.2 trillion healthcare industry, 6 properties of energy medicine give it strengths that could augment conventional health care models. These include the ways energy medicine (1) can address biological processes at their energetic foundations (reach), (2) regulates biological processes with precision, speed, and flexibility (efficiency), (3) fosters health and prevents illness with interventions that can be readily, economically, and noninvasively applied (practicality), (4) includes methods that can be used on an at-home, self-help basis, fostering a stronger patient-practitioner partnership in the healing process (patient empowerment), (5) adopts non-linear concepts consistent with distant healing, the healing impact of prayer, and the role of intention in healing (quantum compatibility), and (6) strengthens the integration of body, mind, and spirit, leading not only to a focus on healing, but to achieving greater well-being, peace, and passion for life (holistic orientation).
In spite of the slowly increasing acceptance of energy medicine, there are many reasons why its adoption is not as quick as it should be. Much of the problem is the existing western medical paradigm that is focused on the use of drugs and technology to treat symptoms instead of being focused on prevention of illness. This view is changing as the healthcare train-wreck is slowly coming into focus. Many government agencies have been at the forefront of trying to change the existing paradigm. See the United States Government and Qigong for more information. Although the government realizes the benefits of prevention of illness, there are many interest groups that are threatened by new medical paradigms. See The Suppression of Energy Medicine and the lack of science behind modern medical practice (How Scientific is Modern Medicine Really?.
Denying the 'direct electromagnetic interactions [among] living molecules would be to deny the fundamental reaction upon which all life depends, namely the absorption of sunlight by green plants' - James Oschman in Energy Medicine - The Scientific Basis
Among the many conclusions of the research reported on below is that Qigong masters can consciously control blood flow and other metabolic processes, functions normally regulated by the autonomic nervous system.
Function/organ
How measured?
Effect
Brain
Local oxygen consumption via functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
Stimulation of specific acupoints resulted in changes in activity at specific locations in the brain. For instance, stimulation of foot acupoints commonly used to treat eye disorders increased activity at the visual cortex while treatment of a foot acupoint used for pain relief deactivated the activity at pain centers at the cingulate cortex of the brain.
Independent Component Analysis of electroencephalograms (EEG)
Increase in alpha and theta waves resulting from meditation was also accompanied by an increase in beta waves. Since alpha and theta waves signify a state of relaxation and rest while beta waves reflect a state of alert consciousness, this analysis indicate that meditation is a dual state of “relaxed concentration”. This conclusion is consistent with the common notion that mediation is not only an excellent way to achieve deep rest, but also an effective way to train the mind to be sharply focused during mental activities in every day life.
The brain is both relaxing and concentrating during Qigong meditation!
(1) Cancer cells grown on culture plates had a slower growth rate following exposure to external Qi emitted by a top Zen meditation master. (2) The treated cancer cells exhibited more of the characteristics of normal cells.
Intracellular calcium concentration
Calcium ions measured with a fluorescence indicator dye assay
Exposure to external Qi caused a substantial increase in intracellular calcium concentration in cancer cells grown in culture.
Immune system
Hormone concentration in blood
14 weeks after starting practice of Guolin Qigong (a style popular among Chinese cancer patients), a group of normal subjects had a substantial decrease in stress hormone (i.e., cortisol) and interleukin 10 (suppresses anti-cancer immunity) and an increase in interferon (protects against cancer) in the blood stream
Acupoints and meridians
Conductance and capacitance at meridian terminus acupoints
Following a Qigong practice session, the Qigong masters' electrical conductance and capacitance measured at acupoints at the terminals of meridians went up very substantially. These results could be interpreted as a reflection of the enhancement of the flow of Qi through the corresponding meridians and the strengthening of associated organs in the body.
Research in China on meridians has not been published in Pubmed: e.g. from the injection of radioactive tracers, measurements of pressure resistance to injected fluids, higher rate of transmission of sound and electricity, spreading of feeling of de qi from needling an acupoint, etc.
24 articles from 29 studies in publications from 1970 to 2007 were searched to support or refute the claim that acupuncture points or meridians possess distinct electrical properties. The reported electrical associations at acupuncture points include increased conductance, decreased resistance/impedance, elevated capacitance, and higher potential compared to controls. (Ref: Ahn, J.Alt.Compl.Med. Oct 2007. p.899).
Cardiac system
Heart rate variability (HRV) analysis of data from electrocardiograhy (EKG) is becoming an increasingly common method to non-invasively evaluate autonomic nervous function. In many studies, low frequency variability (LF, < 0.15 Hz as shown in the power spectrum produced by fast Fourier transformation of time series data) is taken as an indicator of sympathetic function, and high frequency variability (HF, > 0.15 Hz) as an indicator of parasympathetic function
In a published study by Dr. Zhong-Yuan Shen and collaborators at the Qigong Research Institute (QRI) of the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, regulation of respiration by a group of Qigong masters produced cycles of increase and decrease in heart rate (defined medically as Heart Rate Variability) corresponding to slow and deep breathing cycles as indicated by computer analysis of electrocardiograms (EKG). This effect is apparently caused by conscious control of the autonomic nervous system, which in turn regulates the heart rate. In a related study at the QRI, Qigong meditation was accompanied by fast cycles of heart rate variability. Because such a variability pattern is normally seen during deep sleep, this result supports the notion that meditation is a very effective way to deeply refresh the mind and the body.
Circulatory System
Laser Doppler Flowmetry and an infrared imaging system.
Qigong masters were asked to focus their intention on sending their internal Qi to their hands. This resulted in significant increases in blood flow in their hands and a corresponding increase in the temperature of that part of the body. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, qi follows intent (i.e. mind intent) and the blood follows the qi.
Single photon counting device
Detected changes in emission of visible light (i.e. biophotons) from the hands. The dark adapted eye can detect single photons
Chemical absorption of laser light shone through the skull (i.e., transcranial photon migration spectroscopy)
Qigong deep breathing and breath-holding exercises produced a strong increase in oxygen content in capillaries of the forebrain.
Researching the link between emotions, heart-brain communication, and cognitive function
The term coherence is used to describe two or more waves (or systems) that are either phase- or frequency-locked. This is also called entrainment. In the coherent mode, respiration, heart rhythms, and blood pressure rhythms become entrained and oscillate at the same frequency. The term cross-coherence is used to specify this type of coherence. Note that this use of the term coherent is different than its use to describe coherent waves, which are man-made concentrated radiation that can harm biological organisms.
Physiological Coherence: A state characterized by:
High heart rhythm coherence ((sine wave-like rhythmic pattern)
Increased parasympathetic activity
Increased entrainment and synchronization between physiological systems
Efficient and harmonious functioning of the cardiovascular, nervous ,hormonal and immune systems
An exchange of electromagnetic energy produced by the heart occurs when people touch or are in proximity. Signal averaging techniques are used to show that one's electrocardiogram (ECG) signal is registered in another person's electroencephalogram (EEG) and elsewhere on the other person's body. While this signal is strongest when people are in contact, it is still detectable when subjects are in proximity without contact.
Sustained positive emotions affect bodily functions. Thus, there are physiological correlates of positive emotion. This is called psychophysiological coherence. This mode, characterized by heart rhythm coherence, increased heart-brain synchronization and entrainment of diverse physiological oscillatory systems, is associated with increased emotional stability, improved cognitive performance, and a range of positive health-related outcomes. Additionally, individuals frequently report feelings of increased spiritual connectedness during psychophysiologically coherent states.
Through the use of tools and technologies that foster positive emotions and psychophysiological coherence, individuals can effectively initiate a repatterning process, whereby habitual emotional patterns underlying stress are replaced with new, healthier patterns that establish increased emotional stability, mental acuity, and physiological efficiency.
The heart generates the largest electromagnetic field in the body. The electrical field as measured in an electrocardiogram (ECG) is about 60 times greater in amplitude than the brain waves recorded in an electroencephalogram (EEG). The magnetic component of the heart's field, which is around 5000 times stronger than that produced by the brain, is not impeded by tissues and can be measured several feet away from the body with Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID)-based magnetometers. Clear rhythmic patterns in beat-to-beat heart rate variability are distinctly altered when different emotions are experienced. These changes in electromagnetic, sound pressure, and blood pressure waves produced by cardiac rhythmic activity are "felt" by every cell in the body, further supporting the heart's role as a global internal synchronizing signal.
Researchers from the National Chiao Tung University in Taiwan have used an interesting visualization tool called a synchrogram to demonstrate that meditation enhances cardiorespiratory phase synchronization (coherence/entrainment). Read the full abstract.
Comparison Between Mind-Body and Physical Exercise
Tai Chi and Qigong can increase bioenergy (as indicated by Bioenergetic Markers) to a greater degree than ‘hard' Kung Fu styles, riding a stationary bicycle, or lifting weights. The bioenergy increase produced by Tai Chi practice can also be measured as an increase in physical strength. Tai Chi and Qigong practices can increase both blood flow and bioenergy markers, consistent with the Chinese concept of “blood is the mother of Qi”.
Bioenergetic Marker
How Measured
Higher level of heat emission at the palm
Infrared thermography
Increase in pre-polarization electrical conductance at acupoints
Motoyama’s single square voltage pulse method (averaged over hand and foot points)
Increase in biophoton emission
Single photon counting system
Greater change in bioelectrical charge measured at the finger tips
Bioelectrography: Gas discharge visualization (GDV)
Reference: Dr. Shin Lin, Laboratory for Mind-Body Signaling and Energy Research, University of California, Irvine: Quantitative Measurements of Physiological and Bioenergetic Changes Associated with Qigong and Tai Chi Practices
A bodywide network of peptides and receptors are the molecular (i.e. biochemical) basis of emotion.
"Every cell in our body has a characteristic vibration. When these cells vibrate at a certain rate and in a certain pattern, the body functions well and the person feels good. When they vibrate at a different rate and pattern, the body functions less well and the person feels not so good … every thought is a pattern of energy characterized by a certain vibratory rate and pattern … the vibratory pattern of the thought and its consequent emotion are experienced throughout the entire body, by each cell, and this vibratory influence triggers the release of certain kinds of neuropeptides which flood through the body … thus thoughts are patterns of energy which influence the functions of the whole body." Dr. Candace Pert in Molecules of Emotion.
ABSTRACT: Emotion is a general term for subjective feelings of individuals such as happiness, sadness, anger, and so on. Emotion is related fundamentally to preserve species and individuals. For example bad odor alerts animals not to eat while pleasant perfumes act like pheromones to lure the opposite sex. Emotion includes at least three principal components, (1) physiological changes such as autonomic responses, (2) changes expressed in behaviors like facial expressions, and (3) components recognizable and being expressed by words. Most researches in the past handled the above three elements as indexes of emotion. Recently thanks to progress in brain imaging techniques, we have 4th overt element of emotion. Emotion is expressed on regional anatomical brain maps as activation or deactivations of distinct brain areas. P.MacLean explained our brain as a composition of three evolutionally distinct layers, the neocortex, reptilian, and limbic brain (Triune Brain in Emolusion, 1990). He explained the limbic system or intermediate brain between the neocortex and the reptilian brain is responsible for emotion. Activations in these regions create feeling of emotion. The limbic brain is evolutionally created to regulate the autonomic nervous system and primitive (reptilian) brain. In mammals it intervenes or relay signals between the neocortex and primitive brain. Sensory information is processed in the limbic brain and is transmitted to the neocortex with a tag of emotion. The tags help us to select necessary signals to be processed and stored. This session reviews recent progress in brain imaging related to emotion.
The mind-body connection: not just a theory anymore. Littrell, J. School of Social Work, Georgia State University. Soc Work Health Care. 2008; 46(4): 17-37.
ABSTRACT: The field of psychoneuroimmunology has witnessed an explosion of empirical findings during the last two decades. Research has documented the mechanisms through which stressful emotions alter white blood cell function. Stress diminishes white blood cell response to viral infected cells and to cancer cells. Moreover, vaccination is less effective in those who are stressed and wounds heal less readily in those who are stressed. While stress decreases the activity of some white blood cells, stress does not compromise the function of all types of white blood cells. Indeed, some types of autoimmune disease, which involve particular subsets of white blood cells, are exacerbated by stress. The literature documents the efficacy of talk-therapy interventions in altering immune system parameters and enhancing the body's ability to combat disease. The literature also documents the impact of the chronic stress of poverty on immune system function.
For additional information on the mind-body connection, see Autogenic Training.
The nervous system is a network based on neurotransmitters (chemical proteins which consist of peptides).
A "second" nervous system based on ligands and receptors (vibrating molecules/peptides) coordinates the activities of cells throughout the body. This includes the endocrine, neurological, gastrointestinal, and immune systems. Peptides are created throughout the body. Peptides that affect the brain are called neuropeptides. Brain function is moderated by both neurotransmitters and neuropeptides. A "gut feeling" is related to the density of receptors in the intestines.
Emotions are physically instantiated as neuropeptides and their receptors, both of which can be found throughout the body. Physiology and emotions are inseparable. There's a wonderful section in the movie What the Bleep which depicts this process.
Cells are constantly signaling other cells via neuropeptides, which bind with receptors. The signaled cells respond by making physiologic changes. These changes create a feedback loop to the signaling cell, providing a mechanism to moderate the production of the neuropeptides.
Virtually any peptide found anywhere in the body can be found in the respiratory center. This may provide the substrate for the powerful healing effects of consciously controlled breathing.
Psychoneuroimmunology is the study of the functional integration via peptides of the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems. Neuropeptides and their receptors join the brain, glands, the spleen, bone marrow, and immune system in a multi-directional network of communication between the brain and body. At the molecular level, there is no difference between the mind and the body.
Conscious breathing modulates peptide production and activity which in turn creates the healing effects associated with Qigong breathing practices.
Epigenetics (literally, control beyond genetics) is a new field of biology that is exploring the effect of the environment on cellular behavior. The environment directly affects cellular behavior and gene expression. Gene expression is the process by which proteins are manufactured from instructions stored in the DNA. Humans have about the same number of genes as rats, mice, and other mammals (~30000) and roughly 4500 more genes than plants, 10900 more genes than roundworms, and 16400 more genes than fruit flies. There simply aren't enough genes to account for the complexity of human biological processes and behavior. The complexity is made possible by regulatory proteins which direct the activity of the genes. Note that a cell's nucleus contains chromosomes consisting of regulatory proteins and DNA. The environmental signals affect the binding of the regulatory proteins to the DNA. This gives a mechanism for a bridge between the energetic (described by electromagnetism and to a lesser extent by quantum physics) basis and the biological/chemical physiological basis of our existence. This observation is one outcome of an increasing interest in mind-body medicine by western researchers. Consider the following:
Epigenetic engineering and its possible role in anti-aging intervention. Vaiserman AM. Rejuvination Research. 2008 Feb;11(1):39-42. Institute of Gerontology, Kiev, Ukraine.
ABSTRACT: Recently a cluster of new hypotheses of aging has been suggested, which explicitly predict the importance of early-life events in health and life span modulations. It has been widely assumed that these long-lasting consequences of early-life exposures may depend on the same mechanisms as those underlying "cellular memory," that is, epigenetic inheritance systems. There is a growing body of evidence that environmentally induced perturbations in the epigenetic processes (which involve alterations of gene expression without a change in DNA sequence) can determine different aspects of aging, as well as etiology and pathogenesis of age-related diseases. Long-term beneficial effects can also occur under some conditions. Changes in gene expression were detected by the life-extending hormetic interventions, such as irradiation, both heat and cold shocks, repeated mild heat stress, dietary restriction, and hypergravity, as well as by geroprotectors (e.g., antioxidants). It might be hypothesized that life-extending effects are most likely a consequence of unspecific (hormetic) action, rather than specific (geroprotective) action, and induced transcriptional changes may be a common mechanism for all anti-aging treatments. The epigenetic interventions (e.g., pre- and postnatal mild stresses), it seems, can be specifically useful in the modulation of aging processes and healthy life extension.
Genomic counter-stress changes induced by the relaxation response.
Dusek JA, Otu HH, Wohlhueter AL, Bhasin M, Zerbini LF, Joseph MG, Benson H, Libermann TA.
Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. PLoS ONE. 2008 Jul 2;3(7):e2576. Read the public press release . PMID: 18596974.
ABSTRACT: Mind-body practices that elicit the relaxation response (RR) have been used worldwide for millennia to prevent and treat disease. The RR is characterized by decreased oxygen consumption, increased exhaled nitric oxide, and reduced psychological distress. It is believed to be the counterpart of the stress response that exhibits a distinct pattern of physiology and transcriptional profile. We hypothesized that RR elicitation results in characteristic gene expression changes that can be used to measure physiological responses elicited by the RR in an unbiased fashion. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We assessed whole blood transcriptional profiles in 19 healthy, long-term practitioners of daily RR practice (group M), 19 healthy controls (group N(1)), and 20 N(1) individuals who completed 8 weeks of RR training (group N(2)). 2209 genes were differentially expressed in group M relative to group N(1) (p<0.05) and 1561 genes in group N(2) compared to group N(1) (p<0.05). Importantly, 433 (p<10(-10)) of 2209 and 1561 differentially expressed genes were shared among long-term (M) and short-term practitioners (N(2)). Gene ontology and gene set enrichment analyses revealed significant alterations in cellular metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation, generation of reactive oxygen species and response to oxidative stress in long-term and short-term practitioners of daily RR practice that may counteract cellular damage related to chronic psychological stress. A significant number of genes and pathways were confirmed in an independent validation set containing 5 N(1) controls, 5 N(2) short-term and 6 M long-term practitioners. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This study provides the first compelling evidence that the RR elicits specific gene expression changes in short-term and long-term practitioners. Our results suggest consistent and constitutive changes in gene expression resulting from RR may relate to long term physiological effects. Our study may stimulate new investigations into applying transcriptional profiling for accurately measuring RR and stress related responses in multiple disease settings.
Qigong and Gene Expression - BREATHROUGH!!
"For hundreds of years Western medicine has looked at mind and body as totally separate entities, to the point where saying something 'is all in your head' implied that it was imaginary. Now we've found how changing the activity of the mind can alter the way basic genetic instructions are implemented." Herbert Benson, MD, director emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute
Mind-body practices that elicit the relaxation response (RR) such as Qigong and Tai Chi have been used worldwide for millennia to reverse the detrimental physiological effects of stress. Practices that trigger the relaxation response (a term pioneered by Dr. Benson), have been reported to be beneficial therapeutically (sometimes as an adjunct to medical treatment) in numerous conditions that are caused or intensified by stress.
Dr. Roger Jahnke has written a review of the Benson study and several others on gene expression that will fundamentally transform science, medicine and society. The implications for corporate wellness, integrative medicine and fitness are huge. There are nowhere near enough Qigong and Tai Chi teachers for this coming boom. Read Dr. Jahnke's Report [PDF].
"the notion that only physical molecules can impact cell physiology is outmoded. Biological behavior can be controlled by invisible forces, including thought, as well as it can be controlled by physical molecules like penicillin, a fact that provides the scientific underpinning for pharmaceutical-free, energy medicine." Dr. Bruce Lipton.
The function of the nervous system is to perceive the environment and coordinate the response/behavior of all cells in the body
Environmental influences, including nutrition, stress, and emotions can modify genes without changing their basic blueprint
Chromosomal contents of the nucleus of the cell are made up of an equal combination of DNA and regulatory proteins
Information that controls biology starts with environmental signals that in turn, control the binding of regulatory proteins to the DNA. The regulatory proteins direct the activity of the genes.
The malignancies in 95 percent of breast cancers are derived from environmentally-induced epigenetic alterations and not defective genes.
Humans have about the same number of genes as rodents; only 9000 more genes than fruit-flies; and only 1500 more genes than microscopic worms. How can we be so complex with so few genes?
The nucleus of a cell is simply a memory disk, a hard drive containing the DNA programs that encode the production of proteins - proteins are part of the endocrine system and they control the autonomic nervous system as well as all other bodily functions
Since each atom has its own specific energy signature (wobble or vibration), molecules radiate their own identifying energy patterns. Every material structure in the universe, including individual humans, radiates a unique energy signature.
Specific frequencies of electromagnetic radiation regulate DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis, alter protein shape and function and control gene regulation, cell division, cell differentiation, hormone secretion, nerve growth and function.
Protein synthesis, or folding, is where proteins (poly-peptide chains) are instantaneously transformed into their final three-dimensional state. The signaling speed required to make this happen is faster than is possible via a bio-chemical mechanism. In other words, the signaling seems to require electromagnetic (or faster) speeds. Protein folding is being investigated by the National Science Foundation.
Electromagnetic or acoustic vibrations can create a constructive interference or "harmonic resonance" in atoms. The atom absorbs energy and starts to vibrate faster as a result. Kidney stones have been treated by doctors with constructive interference mechanics. Focused energy waves interact with atoms.
Thoughts, the mind's energy, directly influences how the brain controls the body. Thoughts, a form of energy, can activate or inhibit the function of a cell's proteins via constructive or destructive interference.
Our conscious mind experiences the chemical communication signals between cells as emotions.
If positive thinking/emotions is good for you, imagine what negative thinking can do.
"Specific frequencies and patterns of electromagnetic radiation regulate and control gene regulation, cell division, cell differentiation, morphogenesis (the process by which cells assemble into organs and tissues), hormone secretion, nerve growth and function....Though these research studies have been published in some of the most respected mainstream biomedical journals, their revolutionary findings have not been incorporated into the medical school curriculum."
Genes do NOT control our biology. For more information on epigenetics, see Dr. Lipton's videos. A good place to start is Bruce Lipton epigenetics part 1
The Universe is one indivisible, dynamic whole in which energy and matter are so deeply entangled it is impossible to consider them as independent elements. Bruce Lipton. Biology of Belief.
Physics is the mathematical description of nature. Einstein published the Special Theory of Relativity in 1905 which proves that E= mc2. Energy is mass; mass is energy. Western physicists embraced this new concept of energy and mass being the same thing. This was further confirmed with the discovery of the particle-wave duality and development of quantum physics. Interestingly, "wu li" ("organic patterns of energy") is Chinese for "physics". Quantum mechanics is the study of the relationship between matter/particles (yin qi) and energy/waves (yang qi). Quantum Physics is asking the same questions and arriving at the same conclusions as Qigong, Taoism, and Buddhism. All of these disciplines have a similar description of reality. For more background on ancient Chinese physics, qi, and qigong, see Subtle Energies and Uncharted Realms of the Mind.
This chart highlights the convergence of Eastern thought and Western science. Physicists are leading the way in the scientific understanding of Eastern practices and philosophies.
Qigong, Taoism, and Buddhism
Quantum Physics/Mechanics
Reality perceived intuitively through right-brain and direct experience instead of symbols/left-brain.
Impermanence/change - The formless void (the Tao) is the source of the ever-changing interplay of yin and yang
Taoism/Buddhism: Emptiness is form - Form is emptiness - The Heart Sutra
Dalai Lama: Emptiness is a state and a process. It is the purified mind or the natural purity of mind -- The original/ultimate nature or state of mind.
"It is not true that you came into this world. You came out of it." Alan Watts.
Feynman or "vacuum diagram" - From "empty space" comes something and then it disappears back into empty space. Matter appears out of thin air, and then disappears.
It is not possible according to our usual conceptions for "something" to come out of "empty space"; but, at the subatomic level, it does - Dancing W-Li Masters, page 267.
What we call matter (i.e. mass or particles) is being forever created, annihilated, and created again.
Interconnected/interdependence. Unity.
Taoism - unity is implied in the interdependence of things
"Bodies in space and the space surrounding them are two aspects of a single continuum." Alan Watts.
"wu li" = organic patterns of energy. Nothing is separate. According to physics, everything is a web of relationships between elements. There is nothing but space-time and motion, and they are the same thing.
The idea that objects exist apart from event is part of the epistemological net with which we snare our particular form of experience. This idea is dear to us because we have accepted it, without question, as the basis of our reality. It profoundly influences how we see ourselves. It is the root of our inescapable sense of separateness from others and environment - Dancing Wu Li Masters, Page 279.
Bell's Theorem: separate parts of the universe are connected in an immediate way. The results of Bell's experiment are said to have shown that subatomic particles that are far apart are able to communicate in ways that cannot be explained by the transfer of physical signals traveling at or slower than the speed of light. Many physicists regard these 'nonlocal' connections as absolutely instantaneous.
ZPF - The Zero Point Field is the empty vacuum of space that is uniform and isotropic (the same in all directions) which is why it is so hard to detect and observe. The ZPF consists of enormous residual background energy (ZPE or Zero Point Energy) which, according to classical physics, is brought into existence (form) by the laws of Quantum Mechanics.
Stochastic Electrodynamics goes a step further than Quantum Mechanics and postulates that the ZPF is real and is as fundamental as the universe itself.
Buddhism: Dependent origination
Taoism: wu-wei - being spontaneous and letting everything follow its natural course, the way of nature (the Tao)
"You function by happening, that is to say, by spontaneous occurrence." Alan Watts.
At the quantum level, the wave function (the possibilities that can happen to an observed system) are described by probabilities that are a function of chance.
Particles exist as combinations of other particles
S-matrix theory: "particles" are intermediate states in a network of interactions
Now = presence = the present moment = enlightenment = satori = great spirit = emptiness = samadhi = nirvana = perfection = Unity = Tao = ego-less state (listen to Eckart Tolle explain enlightenment).
"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. inHealing with Electromedicine and Sound Therapies, Part One. Townsend Letter - February/March 2008.
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 - Part Two .
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.
Electrohydraulic lithotripsy (EHL)
A flexible probe breaks up small kidney stones with shock waves generated by electricity.
Electromyography (EMG)
Measures electrical activity generated by muscles.
Electron microscopy
Microscopy using an electron beam instead of light to form an 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.
ESM uses sound and radio frequencies to create three-dimensional numerical information in decibel levels about a subject's energy field.
Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL)
Highly focused impulses projected from outside the body pulverize kidney stones anywhere in the urinary system.
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
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 .
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.
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.
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.
The measurement of magnetic fields over the head which are generated by electrical currents in the brain
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.
A tool for non-invasive diagnostics in dermatology and other medical specialties.
Near Infrared Spectrometer (NIRS)
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.
Optogenetics is creating light-responsive mammalian tissue via insertion of a DNA encoding for a light-sensitive protein. One example is controlling circuits in the brain with pulses of visible light: Light Switches for Neurons. Another is creating heart muscle cells (cardiomyocytes) for use with light-based pacemakers: Researchers Create First Human Heart Cells Paced With Light.
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."
"PIP shows pulsating bands of color and changing variations in light quality emanating from living organisms.... In humans, these imaes 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
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 - Part 2 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, search 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.
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.
How Much EM is Too Much -- The Radiation Poisoning of America
"Prior to 1996, the wireless age was not coming online fast enough, primarily because communities had the authority to block the siting of cell towers. But the Federal Communications Act of 1996 made it nearly impossible for communities to stop construction of cell towers "even if they pose threats to public health and the environment. Since the decision to enter the age of wireless convenience was politically determined for us, we have forgotten well-documented safety and environmental concerns and, with a devil-may-care zeal that is lethally short-sighted, we have incorporated into our lives every wireless toy that comes on the market. We behave as if we are addicted to radiation. Our addiction to cell phones has led to harder "drugs" like wireless Internet. And now we are bathing in the radiation that our wireless enthusiasm has unleashed. Those who are addicted, uninformed, corporately biased and politically-influenced may dismiss our scientifically-sound concerns about the apocalyptic hazards of wireless radiation." Read about the hazards of the increasing proliferation of EM in our daily lives, including cell phones, cell-towers, and wi-fi: The Radiation Poisoning of America.
The mystery is not what causes us to get debilitating illnesses. What is truly remarkable is that everyone does not constantly suffer from a number of chronic conditions. Tom Rogers, President, Qigong Institute.
The Ages of Pollution
Each Age of Pollution has added more new types of pollution to challenge our bodies' biological processes to overcome.
The Industrial Age The Nuclear Age
The Pharmaceutical Age
The Information Age (aka the Electromagnetic Age)
The Genetic Engineering Age
by Dr. Mayer.
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describes the genesis of an entirely new discipline in the field of neuroscience and medical biology: 
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