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Energy Medicine

WHAT IS ENERGY MEDICINE?
By Leigh E. Connealy, MD

Imagine that you’re sitting in the doctor’s office. The doctor takes a small, hand-held probe connected to a meter and, with no further questions, gently presses certain points on your hands and feet while noting the figures displayed on the meter. From this he or she is able to tell you which parts of your body are functioning correctly and which organs are causing problems. Some small glass vials containing colorless liquids are placed into a container, which is also connected to the device, and the doctor re-measures some of the points. From this, the doctor is able to tell you why there is a problem. Finally, he or she gives you a few drops of a tasteless medicine. Before long, you feel better.

A description from a futuristic fantasy? No, this is precisely what is happening in medical clinics around the world today with practitioners of Energy Medicine.

What is Energy Medicine? “For most of this century,” says William Tiller, Ph.D., of Stanford University, “science and medicine have seen health as being dependent upon the balance of body chemistry and the functioning of physical structures. However, attempts to treat illnesses and imbalances chemically often lead to unwanted side effects or the body becoming insensitive to the chemicals.”

This fact has led many physicians and health professionals to look beyond conventional drug-based therapies to the field of Energy Medicine. Many of the most sophisticated diagnostic systems used today in conventional medicine, such as the EKG, EEG, and MRI employ the principles of Energy Medicine. Energy Medicine refers to therapies that use an energy field – electrical, magnetic, sonic, microwave, infrared – to screen for or treat health conditions by detecting imbalances in the body’s energy fields and then correcting them.

The detection of energy level imbalances in the body is essential for providing an early warning system for potential disruptions in chemical balance that may lead to disease. Balance can then be restored using holistic therapies, or with treatment devices that rebalance the energy levels of the various fields before the chemical or structural disturbances can occur.

Most energy medicine devices are based on the acupuncture meridian system. Acupuncture works on the principle that there is a network of energy channels, called meridians, throughout the body. Different organs are associated with different energy meridians, and health problems in various organs show up as disturbances of energy in the associated meridians. Acupuncture points are the points along these meridians where energy flow can be measured and manipulated.

Since the 1940’s, research has established that acupuncture points possess electrical conductivity. German doctors, led by Reinhold Voll, M.D., measured changes in electrical conductivity at each of the body’s acupuncture points. They discovered that the electrical resistance of the skin decreases dramatically at the acupuncture points when compared to the surrounding skin. They also found that each point appeared to have a standard measurement for anyone who is in good health (when there is a steady flow of bioenergy, or qi, in the meridians). This measurement changes when health deteriorates.

These discoveries greatly simplified the task of locating acupoints rapidly and accurately. Based on the work of Dr. Voll and his colleagues, and later by researchers in Japan, a new field of Energy Medicine instruments has been developed both for assessment and treatment.

Dr. Voll developed a precise measuring instrument known as the EDS (electrodermal screening device) that allowed him to measure the electrical resistance at acupuncture points. He discovered that higher or lower

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Essential Fatty Acids

How Essential Fatty Acids Help the Body

Approximately 80% of Americans lack sufficient amounts of essential fatty acids or in short (EFA’s in their diet. This presents a serious health threat. EFA’s are needed to provide the body with energy (especially the heart), and serve as integral parts of nerve cells, cell membranes and hormone-like substances called prostaglandins. To keep the body healthy, essential fatty acids and prostaglandins have many widespread roles. They help to:

1. Produce steroids and hormones
2. Direct hormones to their target cells
3. Reduce pain, inflammation and swelling
4. Mediate the immune system
5. Dilate or constrict blood vessels
6. Regulate circulation
7. Regulate smooth muscle and autonomic reflexes
8. Regulate the rate at which cells divide
9. Regulate secretions such as mucous and their viscosity
10. Regulate pressure in the eye, joints and blood vessels
11. Maintain the fluidity and rigidity of cell membranes
12. Regulate the flow of substances in and out of cells
13. Transport oxygen from red blood cells to the tissues
14. Maintain proper kidney function and fluid balance
15. Keep saturated fats moving in the blood stream
16. Prevent blood cells from clumping together
17. Mediate the release of pro-inflammatory substances from cells which may trigger allergic reactions

Symptoms of Essential Fatty Acid Deficiency

The symptoms of essential fatty acid deficiency may be mild to very serious, ranging from dry skin to a fatal heart attack. Doctors who are not trained in nutrition may miss very obvious signs of essential fatty acid deficiency. Typical symptoms of essential fatty acid deficiency are:

o Dry lifeless hair o Immune system disorders o Constipation
o Dry skin o Fatigue and poor energy o Lack of motivation
o Dry mucous membranes o Breast cancer o High blood pressure
o Chest pain o Indigestion o Depression
o High Cholesterol o Gas and bloating o Split nails
o Frequent colds and flu o Forgetfulness, memory loss o Aching joints
o Arthritis o Cardiovascular disease, endurance

In this era of fat phobia, it may be hard to believe there are good fats. These good fats are called essential fatty acids because they are essential for life. You must get them from your diet since your body cannot make them. Lack of essential fatty acids in your diet can progress from minor symptoms at first, such as dry skin, to chronic degenerative disease later on, such as heart disease and cancer. Therefore, I recommend as a corner stone of therapy that everyone take all the essential fatty acids in a supplement called Perfect Oils.

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