Energy Medicine

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Energy Medicine
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Two World Views

• Cartesian

• 20th Century Physics

• All science is certain, evident knowledge. We
  reject all knowledge which is merely probable,
  and judge that only those things should be
  believed which are perfectly known and about
  which there can be no doubts.

• An electron may either have particle or wave like
  properties, depending on its environment.
  Neither the electron nor any other atomic object
  has any intrinsic properties independent of its
  environment.

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The Turning Point Fritjof Capra

• The resolution of the particle-wave paradox
  forced physicists to accept an aspect of reality
  that called into question the very foundation of
  the mechanistic world view the concept of the
  reality of matterWe can never predict an atomic
  event with certainty we can only predict the
  likelihood of its happening.

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One thing that has not changed with 20th Century
physics

• The scientific method
• Systematic observation, measurement and
  experiment
• Formulation, testing and modification of
  hypothesis
• Repeatable steps

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Comparison of complexity

• The revolution in physics allowed the
  understanding of the H atom - what governs its
  behavior, and that it can be predicted
• The human body consists of quadrillions of
  atoms7,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 - all
  interacting with each other.

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Definitions

• Biomedicine based on chemicals, cells, cell
  membranes, organs and body systems
• Biomedicine focuses on the physical body, and has
  two interventions drugs and surgery.

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Energy Medicine

• We absorb light nd heat from the sun, bu also
  produce our own internal energy fields
• Electro-magnetic forces are active in Earths
  atmosphere and in binding of a hormone to its
  receptor
• The integration of complex systems within the
  human body reflect the integration between the
  body and the external world.

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Definitions Energy Medicine

• Body-person is moving, changing, metabolizing,
  and
• All parts are linked, thus the whole is
  represented in the parts, and the parts in the
  whole
• Energy is non-local one part can treat another,
  the energy of an organ can be found everywhere

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Energy Medicine contd

• Homeodynamics/alostasis our balance point is
  constantly changing
• Cassidy energy medicine works more with what is
  felt than measured qi, prana
• Perhaps we dont have a name, and thus no way to
  measure, energy changes.

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Diagnostic procedures using energy

• Sonograms
• X-rays
• MRIs
• EKGs
• EEGs
• PET

• Motoyama machine (measures energy in meridians)
• Bioelectrography (visualizes the corona discharge
  - advances Kirlian photography)

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We are spiritual beings, emanations of something
beyond us, as well as bodies and minds. We are
connected to oneanother, to the earth, and to
that beyond in ways that are more powerful and
deeper than any of us may know. Disease
represents an imbalance within ourselves and
between ourselves and the natural, social and
spiritual world. Our health depends on
restoration of that balance.James Gordon,
Manifesto for a New Medicine p 165
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Chinese Medicine as Energy Medicine

• We cannot see or measure meridians
• We treat based on correspondences that are not
  physically linked (LRwoodspringangerrancidsou
  r)
• Dietary and herbal therapy based on energetics of
  the food, not its vitamin/mineral make-up
• Qi gong/tai chi are neither aerobic nor anaerobic

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What constitutes an energy treatment?

• Touch
• Encouraging patients to sense changes in their
  bodymindspirit
• Treatment modulated by working signs
• Improvement is found in the whole bodymindspirit

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It is a model of reality that experiences
body-persons as responsive, changeable,
dynamic-positing that their malfunctions can heal
and their biases can be controlled so that
disorder can be prevented as energy pattern
returns toward their own homeodynamic.
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Different Energy systems

• Meridians of Chinese medicine
• Chakras of Yoga
• 10 Sephiroth form the Tree of Life in the
  Kabbalah - from Jewish mysticism
• Lightwheels - heart of the medicine wheel and
  shamanic practice of Native Americans

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What in the bodymindspirit changes in an energy
treatment?
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Energy treatments include

• Chinese Medicine
• Homeopathy
• NAET
• Reiki
• Healing Touch
• Healing Thoughts
• Prayers

• Aromatherapy
• Ayurveda
• Energy Psychology Therapies
• EFT, NET
• Hypnosis
• Thought Field Therapy
• Applied Kinesiology
• And many more

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How can we measure some of these mindspirit
changes?
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Ways to measure energetic shifts

• every event in the body, either normal or
  pathological, produces electrical changes, and
  alterations of the magnetic fields in the spaces
  around the bodyDisease states can be detected by
  measuring changes in the electrical conductance
  of tissues, making possible early diagnosis and
  treatments Oschman

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Research to support this

• Magneto encephalography (MEG) is a technique for
  mapping brain activity by recording magnetic
  fields produced by electrical currents occurring
  naturally in the brain.

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Other ways to measure energetic shifts

• Institute of Heartmath found that heart rate
  variability, or heart rhythms, stood out as the
  most dynamic and reflective of inner emotional
  states and stress. It became clear that negative
  emotions lead to increased disorder in the
  hearts rhythms and in the autonomic nervous
  system, thereby adversely affecting the rest of
  the body. ..positive emotions create increased
  harmony and coherence in heart rhythms and
  improve balance in the nervous system.

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They believe the heart is, in fact, a highly
complex, self-organized information processing
center with its own functional "brain" that
communicates with and influences the cranial
brain via the nervous system, hormonal system and
other pathways.
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Thought Energy Therapy a new psychological
approach

• Thought energy (including electrochemical,
  electromagnetic and biomagnetic) can interact
  with the body at the neural, molecular and atomic
  levels.

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Thought energy contd

• Thinking about a troubling aspect of ones life,
  the electrical system would weaken, as shown by
  muscle testing.
• The electrical system can be strengthened by
  tapping on a series of acupuncture points.

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Will these measurements be accepted by Western
medicine?
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Research on different Energy modalities

• Distance healing meta-analysis showed a small
  but highly significant effect in changes in the
  SNS as measured by skin conductance.
• Qi Gong practitioners show greater blood flow to
  the hands using their intention alone
• Cortisol levels were lowered by the short-term
  practice of qi gong

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Research contd

• Qigong groups showed more improvement or better
  survival rates than conventional methods alone in
  treating cancer.
• Some evidence of qigong lowering SBP.
• Battlefield Acu protocol patients had
  significant improvement in pain control and QOL
  in 4 week study

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Research contd

• Very mixed results on prayer and long-distance
  healing, with very many confounding factors
• When you consider objective medical measures,
  (of days hospitalized) there is no change
• When you do see a link between prayer and good
  health, you dont know which came first.
• Regular attendance at religious services is
  reasonably predictive of decreased mortality
  rate, decreased risk of cardiovascular disease
  and depression.

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More research

• Emotos findings regarding water crystals
• Intention May alter the structure of water
• There is one study that has been able to
  corroborate some of his results

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What do you think?
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The scientist knows that in the history of
ideas, magic always precedes science, that the
intuition of phenomena anticipates their
objective knowledge. Gauguelin 1974
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Scientific establishment attitude towards
discovery

• Advance in detail is permitted fundamental
  novelty is barred. This dogmatic common sense is
  the death of philosophical adventure. Alfred
  North Whitehead (1948)

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Either you repeat the same conventional
doctrines everybody is saying, or else you say
something true, and it will sound like its from
Neptune. Noam Chomsky
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What is your attitude toward ideas that dont fit
the commonly accepted world view?

• Wholehearted acceptance?
• Complete rejection of crazy ideas?
• Healthy skepticism?
• Be conscious of your automatic reactions!

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Blow Your Mind Ideas

• Bigu Living without food for years, while
  living in the modern world
• Multiple personalities where one personality has
  a life threatening disease, and another
  personality does not.

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Do not believe in anything simply because you
have heard itDo not believe in anything simply
because it is spoken and rumored by manyDo not
believe in anything simply because it is found
written in your religious booksDo not believe in
anything merely on the authority of your teachers
and eldersDo not believe in traditions because
they have been handed down for many
generationsBut after observation and analysis,
when you find that anything agrees with reason
and is conducive to the good and benefit of one
and all, accept it and live up to it. (Kalama
Sutta, pp 188-193)
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How will you evaluate new ideas, claims, findings?