What is Energy Medicine?
What exactly is energy medicine? In a nutshell, it is what we in the West are calling medicine that has been used in other countries for years. Ayurvedic medicine, for example, is one of the oldest forms of medicine in the world, as is Traditional Chinese Medicine, which uses acupuncture to treat people. We tend to think these forms of medicine are a little “out there” because we didn’t discover them and they are new to us! Really, what’s “out there” is thinking that something totally foreign to the body (pharmaceutical drugs) will work in harmony WITH the body. Why are we surprised when we have to get more prescriptions to counter the side effects of the drugs that were supposed to “fix” the problem in the first place? While there is a time and a place for pharmaceuticals, the natural options warrant a good look first!
OK – back to what energy medicine is. In short, energy medicine is medicine that assists the body in finding its perfect balance. In some cases, those who have experienced energy medicine say they feel like their body “woke up” and began the process of “remembering” what it was designed to do. There are forms of energy medicine that are measurable (laser, sound, magnetic and vibrational therapies), and some that are putative (reiki, healing touch etc). We don’t have the technology to measure these yet.
There are many well established uses of measurable energy fields in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Some of these include: magnetic resonance imaging, laser eye correction surgery, cardiac pacemakers, radiation therapy and UV light therapies for psoriasis and seasonal affective disorder. There are also a few less researched therapies that use this type of energy. Magnetic therapy involves the use of magnets, which are placed on the body to relieve pain. Sound energy therapy (also sometimes known as vibrational therapy) involves using tuning forks to create certain healing sound frequencies that resonate with the body to promote healing. Music therapy is another type of sound energy therapy: listening to music has been shown to lower blood pressure and to reduce pain and anxiety.
Most frequently, the term energy medicine refers to techniques that involve the putative energy fields. Although it has not yet been able to be measured by conventional methods, therapists who work with this type of energy claim that they can see it with their own eyes or that they can sense it with their hands or bodies. The field of energy medicine involving putative energy fields is based on the fundamental premise that all physical objects (bodies) and psychological processes (thoughts, emotions, beliefs and attitudes) are expressions of energy. Therefore, all bodies are believed to be infused with a “subtle” energy or life force.
If you haven’t tried energy medicine yet, you should. You’ll be amazed.