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Scientific Support for Energy Medicine

The following is excerpted from Healing Touch: Essential Energy Medicine f or Yourself and Others, availablefrom Sounds True.

"Happiness is what we f eel when our biochemicals of emotion, the neuropeptides and their receptors, are openand f lowing f reely. . . . It is a scientif ic f act that we can f eel what others f eel.The oneness of all lif e is based onthis simple reality. Our molecules of emotion are all vibrating together." - - research biologist Candace Pert,author of the bestselling book Molecules of Emotion.

Because we human beings are so interrelated f rom an energetic perspective, there is a ref reshing optimism inenergy-medicine approaches and in the practice of Healing Touch. In essence, the presence of a f ocused,intentional practit ioner f acilitates healing and movement toward well-being f or someone who is in distress. Thework of f ers a beacon of hope in relieving physical and/or emotional pain. It serves as a f ine complement toconventional medical interventions and is an essential component f or preventive and integrative healingpractices.

Current science does not yet f ully understand all the dynamics involved in achieving the ef f ects noted in energymedicine, but relief f rom human suf f ering abounds in the clinical reports of HT practit ioners. Even though theexact mechanisms are not yet f ully known, use of this well- recognized practice is sought out and welcomed.

Take, f or example, people who are very anxious about diagnostic tests or specif ic medical procedures. It 'scommon knowledge that anxiety and worry by themselves can increase pain symptoms and block the f low ofbiochemicals essential f or a procedure to be ef f ective. Psychological concerns and expectations, eitherposit ive or negative, decidedly help to shape outcomes. The presence of a caring HT practit ioner can helppromote much-needed relaxation as patients think of new ways to anticipate a procedure and f ocus onpositive outcomes.

In this chapter, we'll consider the growing scientif ic evidence f or seeing the human body as a series of vibratingelectromagnetic f ields that can be posit ively inf luenced without the invasion of f oreign substances such aschemicals or drugs. We begin with the realit ies of current medical practices that point to the vibrational natureof the body f or diagnosis and treatment. We'll continue with a brief discussion of modern physics with itsviews toward unlimited, open-ended possibilit ies as opposed to ideas of direct cause and ef f ect. Emergingconcepts in neurosciences such as neuroplasticity will be explored with an eye to the vast capabilit ies of thehuman mind to inf luence health and wholeness. And, perhaps most excit ing of all, we'll look at the new biologythat demonstrates the direct ef f ect of thoughts, belief s, and behaviors on cellular messaging and expressionof genetic material.

Scientists describe their understanding of the world through theoretical models. The concept of humanenergies as a vibratory matrix of nonmaterial structures, such as those described in the previous chapter,gives a usef ul starting place. These vibratory structures seem to interact with identif ied physical structuressuch as cells, f luids, and organs to f acilitate the f low of inf ormation throughout the body. We might think ofthis inf ormational system as a f lowing river that can be impeded where there are blocks to its f low pathways.

Such impeded areas can cause disturbance, congestion, and subsequent illness in our bodies. The concept ofenergy-f low patterns is thus a usef ul model f or understanding human illness and how we might alleviatef urther suf f ering. For example, determining how energy f lows in a given part of the body is already a part ofconventional medical diagnostics. As we shall learn, medicine is becoming more and more energetic in practice,even though the mechanisms f or its ef f ects are not yet f ully explainable. Other more ef f ective models,theories, and inf erences will undoubtedly emerge as science evolves.

Vibrational Medicine

Practitoners of Western medicine are becoming more interested in understanding how energy moves in thebody as medical science considers the electrical and magnetic qualit ies of the human organism. For diagnosis,a variety of noninvasive scanners can now give f eedback about molecular exchanges within sof t t issue.Sophisticated scans such as CT (computerized tomography), PET (positron emission tomography), and MRI(magnetic resonance imaging), show areas of constriction or obstruction that interf ere with healthy f lowpatterns within cells and organ tissue.

The EKG (electrocardiogram) and the EEG (electroencephalogram) measure the electrical outputs of the heartand brain and then compare those outputs to normal electrical outputs in healthy persons. Newer tools, suchas the EMC (electromagnetic cardiogram) and EMEG (electromagnetic encephalogram), additionally measurethe magnetic outputs of heart and brain, which give even more accurate details of deviations f rom normalf unction in these vital organs. Technology using SQUID (superconducting quantum interf erence device) allowsscientists to measure the human biof ield and evaluate relative bodily strengths.

Medical treatments are also becoming less invasive as comprehension of the electromagnetic nature of thebody increases. Orthopedic surgeon Robert O. Becker began to explore the electrical circuitry of the humanbody to treat complex bone f ractures that did not heal with known methods in the late 1960s. He identif iednumerous direct currents of electricity that f lowed throughout the body and f ound they reversed their f lowpattern or direction at the site of an injury. When this "current of injury" was supported with a small amount ofelectrical stimulation, bone healing occurred.

Over the next several decades, Dr. Becker mapped out the energetic grids of the body and surmised that theenergy system paralleled the nervous system in providing the communication of inf ormation to all parts of theorganism. Unlike the nervous system, however, this system is nonmaterial and electromagnetic in nature.Thus, humans and higher lif e f orms have dual inf ormation systems: 1) the nervous system with its manyphysical components such as nerve cells, dendrites, axons, and the spinal cord, and 2) the subtle energies thatare electromagnetic in f orm, which I like to call the human vibrational matrix. These dual systems seem toaugment each other to ensure optimal f unctioning. If a part of the body is diseased or surgically removed,other cells learn to take over missing f unctions as much as possible through our energetic inf ormationnetworks.

Almost every day, new concepts f or stimulating electromagnetic areas within the body are being developed totreat illness. Current energy-related treatments include high-f requency sound waves to break up kidneystones, electricity to relieve pain and shrink tumors, f ocused radiation to pinpoint and destroy specif ic cancers,electromagnetic f ields to accelerate bone healing, laser surgeries to minimize tissue damage, and magneticf ields to alleviate inf lammation associated with arthrit is. Further explorations in modern medicine continue tostudy the presence of dif f ering electromagnetic f requencies within the body to f ind new and more ef f ectivetreatments.

The energy resources of the body can also bring about balance within body and mind to prevent illness orf urther disability. Working with HT is known to bring about relaxation, relief f rom anxiety, a sense of well-being,

and enhanced wound healing and immune system f unction. (These ef f ects are conf irmed by ongoing andextensive research cited in the next chapter.) Because of these ef f ects, many physicians are now encouragingtheir patients to explore energy therapies as part of treatment planning.

Quantum Interrelationships

The presence of subtle energy was proposed in physics init ially to describe the minute, ongoing relationshipsevident between subatomic particles even when separated over great distances. The presence of invisible,nonmaterial energies is now conf irmed by particle astrophysicists who observe that at least 95 percent of theuniverse is made up of matter and energy that cannot be seen or measured. Called "dark energy" and "darkmatter" f or lack of better words, these subtle energies are also present in each one of us. Allied to our vital lif ef orce, such subtle energies are part of the qi (lif e- f orce energy) that can be noted in the many interactivef unctions within our bodies.

Einstein's f amous equation f or the interrelationship between energy and matter (E=mc2 ) also predicted theexistence of energy beyond the known constant of the speed of light. Such extremely rapid f requencies arenot yet measurable but exist in the theories of leading physicists, especially those who consider multidimensional models of the universe.

Matter, energy, and human consciousness are prof oundly interconnected. New concepts in quantum mechanicssuggest the universe is made up of a succession of vibrating particles, or "strings." In a similar f ashion, thehuman organism appears to consist of interactive vibrational patterns in the dif f ering f requencies of the vastelectromagnetic spectrum. Light that is visible to the human eye is but a very small f requency range within thehuge array of known wave f requencies. They range f rom very slow patterns such as radio waves to very rapidones such as gamma rays.

The remarkable world of interrelationships between subatomic particles that inf luence one another beyondspace and time was proposed by physicist John S. Bell and later conf irmed in particle experiments. Much of thepresumed interrelationship between linear events, the tradit ional cause and ef f ect brought f orth by Newtonianphysics, has been superseded in modern physics by an understanding of the vast array of possible outcomesf or any given event or treatment. Nonlinear inconsistencies, such as the dual nature of light as both wave andparticle depending on circumstances and observer ef f ects, are now seen as part of a much larger picture thatis not yet f ully understood.

The possibility exists that a minute change in direction of a single subatomic particle, such as an electron, caninf luence a whole series of vibratory changes. This appears to be true within both the microcosm of molecules,atoms, and subatomic particles and the macrocosm of stars and galactic clouds. Global weather is an exampleof a large, well-known, but unpredictable and nonlinear system that responds to minimal perturbations. Minortemperature changes in one part of the ocean tend to produce massive changes in outcome patterns acrossthe planet.

As we think of the human mind and body, we know that a single psychological insight or new "aha!" or idea cangenerate f ar-reaching emotional shif ts and many new options. The body and our world f unction as largeholograms in which change in one aspect or dimension can create wide-ranging ef f ects throughout the entiresystem

The biof ield as a whole and the energy centers have been studied extensively and their existence is steadilyconf irmed by science. Several experiments additionally show that a posit ive thought held by a strong adherentof meditation can cause a specif ic f ield of the body, such as one of the energy centers, to increase itsvibratory rate.

Other studies with f unctional MRI demonstrate that tapping or stimulating specif ic acupoints can bring aboutactivation of dif f ering parts of the brain. Combining this stimulation with a self -af f irming statement can shif t adepressed person's limited brain patterns to a more ef f ective utilization of all parts of the brain. Activatingother parts of the brain via such stimuli can relieve depression and open pathways to more adaptive thinking.The likelihood that subtle energy components of the body can inf luence cellular structures and genetic materialis also becoming more evident in the biological sciences, as we'll learn shortly.

A medical device known as pulsed electromagnetic f ield therapy (PEMF) is currently in use to "jump-start" andaccelerate wound healing and severe bone f ractures. This device emits an extremely low electrical andmagnetic vibration ranging f rom 0.5 to 30 hertz. In a study of Therapeutic Touch practit ioners and relatedhands-on healers, Dr. John Zimmerman was able to show that the emissions f rom the hands of the centeredpractit ioners f ell in the same f requency range of 0.5 to 30 hertz. In the case of the practit ioners, thef requencies would vary according to the needs of the clients, while the PEMF machine cycles through thesef requencies in a more random f ashion. The human interchange between the f ields of practit ioners and clientsthus f acilitated more specif ic outcomes than the machine could.

Since the advent of quantum mechanics, science is moving to a much more f luid understanding of the delicateinterrelationships in nature and in human societies. Earth's environments constitute whole interactiveecosystems, which, when permitted, always evolve toward increasing balance and stability. Systems theorybased on the interactive networks within any given system also af f irms these self -organizing, self - regulatingpotentials. Computer imagery and modeling f urther enhances and supports comprehension of global changesand can of f er inf ormation about desirable, possible outcomes f or worldwide systems.

At a recent social f unction, a lively retired physician asked me about my interests and career. When I mentionedmy af f ection f or energy medicine, he shook his head and stated f irmly, "If something is not measurable, it doesnot exist." It appeared he was speaking f rom the model of physics that has been outdated f or more than acentury, yet was likely taught in his medical training.

I could not resist jumping into the f ray and replied, "My understanding now is that if something is notmeasurable and it has known ef f ects, it probably does exist in the f orm of subtle energy we can't yetmeasure." We went our separate ways in peace, but I wondered if he might also think love does not existbecause we can't yet measure it directly. The most interesting aspects of human lif e seem to be f ull ofintangibles.

In f act, we live in an open-ended, evolving world alive with possibilit ies and vastly more complex than realizedheretof ore. Let's f ind out what the neurosciences and the new biology of epigenetics can tell us about thegreat potentials within human consciousness.

Neuroplasticity and Neurogenesis

Both neuroplasticity and neurogenesis represent concepts that were unheard of bef ore the last decade. Theneuroscientist studying the human nervous system believed until recently that the mind did not have the powerto change itself and that mental belief patterns, once established, were set. The newly discovered f lexibility ofbrain cells that enables them to take on dif f erent f unctions is called neuroplasticity.

The number of neurons, the nerve cells within the brain, were believed to be static af ter one's birth and todegenerate and diminish in number as one ages. The concept of neurogenesis describes the capacity f orneural cells to regenerate and increase their numbers under certain conditions.

Neuroplasticity has become the new buzzword in neurology, because the human mind and its major organ, thebrain, do indeed change constantly. For example, the f lexibility of the human mind allows brain cells to interpret

electronic signals understandable as human speech. This is evident when someone with total loss of hearing istreated with a cochlear implant in which the entire auditory nerve is removed and a small electronic chip isimplanted in its place.

Sound is activated by a magnet outside the person's skull, and over t ime, his brain learns to interpret theelectronic pulses as communication f rom another person. Many other examples abound as technologicaladvances f acilitate recovery f rom incapacitating conditions such as strokes and blindness.

Consciousness is def ined as the total impressions, thoughts, and f eelings of an individual. Everything in ourlives is inf luenced by the nature of the patterns of consciousness we choose. Willingness to learn and respectour unique interests can prof oundly inf luence and direct outcomes in our lives. However, lack of willingnessand lack of f lexibility limit our potentials.

Fixation on repeated thinking patterns and compulsive activity is the other, less desirable side ofneuroplasticity. One can choose either direction with apparent ease. Thus, we experience people who are highlyf unctioning in their advanced years and who engage in lif elong learning with enthusiasm, while other peopleseem "burned out" and uninterested by midlif e.

Focused intention to help oneself and others is a most powerf ul f orce f or change. In Healing Touch, studentslearn to direct consciousness in creative directions as a central theme. When practit ioners speak of thedramatic changes in their lives af ter learning centering and self -care practices, they are in f act engaging thef lexible capacities of their neurological wiring through willingness to learn and explore new dimensions ofthemselves.

Additionally, neurons have most recently been shown to multiply in the presence of novel and creative thinking.Repetit ive patterns of thought and activity tend to inhibit or limit the generation of new nerve cells, orneurogenesis. Repeated activit ies and ruminating thoughts are especially prevalent in those who believe "it 's alldownhill af ter f if ty" or those who believe aging is a t ime of misery and ill health.

A study of 2,700 older men over a ten-year period showed that those who engaged in regular volunteeractivit ies had signif icantly lower death rates and better quality of lif e than those who did not. The studysuggests that doing good is also good f or the helper. Noted ef f ects of altruism were reduced stress; improvedimmune f unction; and a sense of joy, peace, and well-being. The body is known to produce hundreds of f eel-good chemicals called endorphins, which relieve pain and mitigate stress responses. When endorphins areactivated, our minds come alive and brain cells tend to reproduce.

Research into the nature of consciousness and its inf luences is ongoing. Although we appear to be individuals,we are also part of a larger whole known as humanity. Directed intention to help each other is a special f orm ofconsciousness. As we reach out to others with caring, we activate the various resources of our subtleenergies and connect to a wider consciousness beyond that of the personal self .

The Genius in Your Genes

One of the most f ascinating interrelationships between consciousness, energy, and matter is f ound in the newscience of epigenetics, f irst identif ied in 2001. This new f ield within biology f ocuses on the study of the manysignals that activate or suppress gene expression within cells and in an entire organism. Until the advent ofknowledge about gene expression, it was assumed that genetic material, stored in the double helix of the DNAmolecule, was received at conception and did not vary throughout one's lif etime.

Gene expression, as it is currently known, varies with the electromagnetic energy f lows shaped by eachperson's intention and consciousness. To put it simply, genetic material can turn "on" or "of f " depending on

circumstances and inf luences f rom outside the sheath that surrounds and protects the DNA strands. Hence,the pref ix epi ref ers to ef f ects f rom beyond the DNA genetic structures that can inf luence whether a givengene will be activated or not.

Get this: these outside inf luences can be our emotions, which produce identif iable chemicals such as themolecules of emotion that Candace Pert, PhD, described in the quotation at the beginning of this chapter.Other inf luences are our thoughts, belief s, actions, att itudes toward lif e, and our choices. What our parentsgave us in the f orm of genetic material is simply the stuf f with which we start. We modif y this material throughour daily choices, intentions, and consciousness. Seemingly major lif e events such as trauma, war, and polit icalinf luences also have some ef f ect on our genetic material, but our internal choices are the ult imate lens throughwhich events external to the body are perceived. In ef f ect, our consciousness is the f ilter through which theon/of f switch of genetic material operates.

To give an example, consider what happens when you cut your f inger. The traumatized tissue sends a quicksignal via the body's two inf ormational systems to the genes that are associated with wound healing, such asthose that generate f ibrins to create a blood clot to stem bleeding. These signals tell the proteins that arewrapped like protective sheaths around DNA strands to unwrap so that each gene associated with woundhealing can be released. If there is a strong negative emotion such as anger present at the time the f inger iscut, the signals to the protein sheath f low less rapidly or ef f ectively. The messages may be garbled or alteredbecause dealing with the emotion diverts available energy in that moment. Consequently, wound healingbecomes delayed or compromised.

In his popular book The Genie in Your Genes, author-publisher Dawson Church, PhD, writes: "Epigenetic signalssuggest a whole new avenue f or catalyzing wellness in our bodies." To this extent, the psychological andbiological f actors involved in our daily stress reactions directly af f ect gene expression hundreds of t imes aday. If posit ive thoughts prevail, or if we have means to release blockages quickly, genes express theirmessages by unwrapping the proteins and genetic material needed at each given time f or cellular healing. Ifnegativity prevails in the f orm of a limiting belief or by hanging onto resentments, the expression will either bemissing, incomplete, or delayed.

Among the many current studies of genomics, the nature of gene expression and its relationship to states ofconsciousness is one that actively demonstrates the ef f ects of Dr. Herbert Benson's well- recognized"relaxation response." Systemic changes in the organism produced by relaxation and meditation methods havebeen documented f or more than thirty years. These ef f ects include release of muscle tension, increasedoxygenation to t issues, and empowerment of the immune system. The exact mechanism f or these broadchanges at the cellular level was not understood until a recent study showed that a large number of genesexpress when a subject is centered and relaxed. The corresponding opening of the protein sheaths permitsgenetic material to init iate wide-ranging changes such as activation of the body's immune response teams,ef f ective coping with inf lammation, regulation of cellular lif e spans, and absorption of f ree radicals. The newresearch provides the f irst compelling evidence regarding what actually happens inside our cells when weengage in f ocused breathing, meditation, centering, prayer, or posit ive self -statements.

The interaction between body and mind is indisputably clear with the emerging science of epigenetics. The workleads us to see ourselves as the key to gene expression via att itudes and belief s. We have the power to selectthe interests, actions, and lif estyles that nurture gene expression. Each of us is indeed the genius behind theunique patterns that emerge f rom the billions of options possible within our biological make-up!

We have looked at the growing scientif ic evidence f or practices of energy-oriented therapies. They include thereality of energetic diagnostic testing and treatment within the most current medical technology, the f rameworkof interrelationships and subtle energies known to physics, the emerging science of human consciousness,and the actual conf irmations within the science of epigenetics. It remains now f or us to consider some of themost relevant research studies in relation to Healing Touch and associated energy-medicine modalit ies.

©2011 Dorothea Hover-Kramer. Used by permission of the publisher. Visit Healingtouchbook.com.