While both Eastern and Western physicians practice their skills and prescribe their remedies with the intention of healing, their basic philosophies remain fundamentally opposed. Practitioners of alternative medicine say that the conventional view of illness as a random and accidental physical misfortune is wrong, because the mind and spirit are as much involved in poor health as they are in good health, and it is disturbances of the balance and harmony of mind, body, and spirit that are the true causes of illness. Any treatment that is undertaken to heal ailments of the body must also include the mind and spirit, a relationship that Eastern traditional medicine regards as inseparable. 

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On the other hand, Western medical "experts" dismiss many alternative therapies due to the lack scientific proof, and while recognising the benefits of faith and hope in treatment and recovery, are opposed to philosophies that include concepts such as 'healing energy' and 'life force' or any metaphysical, spiritual, or paranormal influences that contribute to 'healing from within'. Apparent successes of such treatments are put down to autosuggestion, self-hypnosis, parapsychology, or unexplained spontaneous remission. But research into the mechanisms of the body/mind connection has shown that physical health is undoubtedly modified by the influences of mind and spirit, research that is perhaps less to do with discovery than re-discovery. 

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Fundamental to the principles of most alternative therapies is the concept of 'energy balance'. This is not the Western understanding of energy, but instead a healing and spiritual energy in a state of motion and change, derived from the Greek for balance - 'en ergo' meaning 'in motion'. This energy or vital force is said to flow through the universe and the human body, and imbalances or blockages in the flow cause health problems and diseases, while a state of balance allows the body to carry out its natural process of self-healing. 

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Traditional Chinese Medicine

In traditional Chinese medicine the name given to this energy is Qi meaning 'breaths', which can also be expressed as Shi or Ch'i, and is also known as Ki in Japan and Prana in India, but is usually referred to as 'Chi' (pronounced "Chee") in the Western world. For example, the Chinese theory of acupuncture is based on the belief that specific channels or 'meridians' carry the flow of energy or Chi through the body, and by stimulating various points or 'gateways' along these meridians, either with needles or finger pressure, or just the hands in contact or close proximity to the body, the flow can be increased or decreased.

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Acupuncture and acupressure have numerous approaches around the world, and many different techniques. According to various theories, there are about 70 meridians in the body, but 14 are commonly used. The meridians are associated with an organ or system of the body through or near which they pass, and each has a Western and a Chinese name such as 'Conception vessel' called 'Ren' (the Sex meridian), and 'Governor vessel' called 'Du' (the Brain meridian). Other meridians include Liver, Gall Bladder, Heart, Small Intestine, Pericardium, Triple Warmer or Heater, Spleen, Stomach, Lung, Large Intestine, Kidney, and Bladder. 

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Every meridian has numbered and named points along its length such as ST43 called Xiangru meaning 'Sinking Valley', and ST41 called Jiexi meaning 'Release Stream', both on the Stomach meridian; and GB20 which is named Fengchi meaning 'Pool of Wind', and GB21 called Jiangjing or 'Shoulder Well', both of which are on the Gall Bladder meridian, and so on. There are also special points called trigger, power, source, master extraordinary, Yu, Shu, alarm or Mo, and Potent Gates of Chi. Traditionally there were 365 points, but this has risen over the years to around two thousand, depending on the school of theory.

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In Chinese medicine, the two opposing but complementary aspects of existence are called Yin and Yang, which together constitute a balanced whole and contentment called Tao or 'the way'. This balance can be upset by emotional, physical, or environmental factors. Yin and Yang are also characterised by five metaphysical or symbolic elements - Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood, which in acupressure and acupuncture regulate various meridians. Each element either stimulates or suppresses the others - for example, water stimulates wood but suppresses fire, and earth stimulates metal but suppresses water.

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Traditional Indian medicine has energy centres known as 'chakras', a word derived from Sanskrit and meaning 'wheels' or spinning wheels of light or movement (depending on the translation). The theory of the chakra system is quite complicated and involved, but the simplest definition is that chakras are a link between the emotional, physical, and spiritual aspects of existence. They bring together hundreds or even thousands of energy channels or 'nadi' (meaning 'river') which traverse the body. Basically, chakras are thought to control our being on different levels, and each chakra is responsible for an organ or group of organs in the body. There are various numbers and positions of chakras depending on which theory is being described, but generally there are seven major chakras, which are associated with the spine, in a line down the centre of the body - one on top of the head (Sahasrara or crown), one on the forehead (Ajna or third eye), one on the neck (Vishuddha or throat), one on the chest (Anahata or heart), one on the stomach (Manipura or solar plexus), one on the navel (Svadhisthana or sacral), and one on the lower abdomen (Muladhara or root).

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Balanced chakras are said to be spinning clockwise at different speeds to metabolise energy from the universal energy field, and convert its frequency of vibration to become usable by the chakras. This energy is then delivered through meridians to the organs of the body with which the chakras are associated. Unbalanced chakras cause physical and mental symptoms that ultimately lead to illness.

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Later developments or re-discoveries work on similar principles to those ancient therapies, such as reflexology, which has ten energy 'zones' that run vertically through the body. If the flow of energy is out of balance it indicates a problem with an organ of the body along that zone. The whole body is said to be mirrored on the soles of the feet, a sort of holographic image of the organs and systems in miniature. Reflexologists work mainly on these foot pressure points, but sometimes on the hands too, to balance energy flow. 

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Auriculotherapy

Auriculotherapy (ear acupuncture or acupressure) is based on the theory that every part of the body is represented on the external ear, another holographic 'microsystem' that reflects the whole body in points on the ear. These are stimulated with probes, lasers, electricity, or just with the fingertips. It is said to work by encouraging the central nervous system and brain to release pain-relieving neurotransmitters into the body. 

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There is no doubt that massage and other sensory influences have a direct effect on the mind and body, to soothe, calm, relax, and drain away stress and tension. The feelings of relaxation together with sensory stimuli are received by a part of the brain known as the 'emotional centre' (technically the 'limbic system') which then causes the release of chemicals such as hormones, endorphins (endogenous morphine molecules), and encephalins, including serotonin - the body's natural sedative. Some of these chemicals are painkillers with a similar power to morphine, some create a sense of well-being, and others affect mood by accentuating positive emotions while suppressing negativity.

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The brain's emotional centre, referred to by some as a person's soul or spirit, is also in direct contact with another area called the hypothalamus, known as the 'control centre' of the brain, which is responsible for maintaining functions such as temperature, hormone levels, and metabolism, all contributing to healthy balance and homeostatic equilibrium. So sensory stimulation can help support the body's systems and essential functions, relieve pain, ease stress and tension, reduce anxiety, and strengthen the body's immune system. Impressive claims indeed, yet known for centuries by traditional medicine, whose aim is not to directly heal, but to create the right environment to encourage the body to heal itself.

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Psycho-neuro-immunology and the Mind / Body Connection: A whole new area of research into the phenomenon of mind and body interaction called psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) is finding evidence that human emotions have a strong effect on the immune system. It shows that every single part of the body involved with immunity is connected to the brain in some way, either by nervous tissue connection, or by chemical messages, so is not merely an automatic reaction but is being actively controlled. We know that a weakened immune system allows illnesses and infections to take hold, but to discover that it is sensitive to positive mental-emotional moods and feelings is an interesting finding. It perhaps begins to explain how traditional therapies achieve their results, and also what the benefits can be of therapies specifically designed to supply those positive influences.

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Other research is revealing evidence of the mind/body connection, often echoing ancient traditional beliefs. Negative thoughts and emotions such as anger have been proved to increase the risk of heart attacks significantly. Prayer has been shown to improve the outcome of hospital patients, and compares with 'distance healing'.

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Coincidences with the ancient Eastern concepts of energy channels regularly emerge. In the 1930s the Director of Clinical Research at University College Hospital in London, Sir Thomas Lewis, was investigating the phenomenon of referred pain - a pain in a part of the body distant from its actual cause. He found that by purposely generating a pain in the shoulder with an injection of a salt solution, the pain travelled down the arm to the fingertips, coinciding with one of the meridians of Chinese acupuncture.

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Russian research has found that light is absorbed into the body at certain points that coincide with acupuncture points, and then conducted through the body along pathways which closely match the location of acupuncture meridians. Researchers at Cornell University in the USA demonstrated that light applied to the skin can influence circadian rhythms (the body's timekeeping), and the location they used to direct the light was in the crease behind the knee, which is also the site of a major acupuncture point called B54, one of the 'Potent Gates of Chi'.

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Biomagnetic fields a thousand times stronger than those from the human heart have been found to emanate from the hands of touch therapists during treatment, as well as infrasonic sound known to produce healing effects. These natural influences are said to have the same effect as the artificial electromagnetic fields used to stimulate healing and injury repair in hospitals. 

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Even the mere presence of a therapist can have beneficial effects. Experiments have shown that when two people are sitting quietly in the same room with eyes closed and in a relaxed state, their heart and brain rhythms gradually become synchronised. This effect was enhanced when they held hands, providing evidence of the power of touch therapies. It is also known that the menstruation cycles of women living together in a group become synchronised.

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The electrical and magnetic fields in and around the body are used diagnostically by machines such as the electrocardiogram and the electroencephalograph to read the electrical activities of the heart and brain respectively. Every event in the brain or body produces electrical changes and alterations in the magnetic fields, and machines can detect the electrical activity of the heart from a distance of four metres. The timing of ovulation in women has been accurately predicted by measuring the electric field between their hands.

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Ancient traditional therapies necessarily had to express their experience and knowledge with figurative and analogical terminology, hence phrases such as 'healing from within', 'energy flow', 'vital force', and the mind/body/spirit triumvirate to express the importance of wholeness and completeness in treating or preventing illness. As we learn more about the complexities of the brain and the mind, their interactions and functions, how the immune system is controlled, how pulsing electrochemical messages stimulate growth, healing, regeneration and repair, we can perhaps begin to appreciate those ancient concepts of energy flows, and look at the symbol and metaphor of their theories in the light of our increasing knowledge.

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The 'life force' that is said to glow as an aura around the body has been compared to pictures of the body's electromagnetic energy field illustrated by imaging systems such as Kirlian photography. The positions of anciently mapped acupuncture points and meridians have been shown by similar techniques. The electrical resistance of the skin shows lower readings at acupuncture points than surrounding areas, particularly when disease is present.

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The flow of life force or 'vital energy' along meridians, sometimes referred to as 'strange flows' along 'wondrous channels' may simply be analogies to represent the constant stream of electrochemical signals and messages between the brain and the body's life support and control systems, such as the distribution and absorption of proteins and dietary nutrients, cell regeneration and repair, the nervous system's pathways, the release of beneficial chemicals, and the protective immune system now known to be in close contact with the brain. This flow of communications between brain and body is the continuous attempt to maintain the complete electromagnetic vibratory network - the essential healthy state of balance.

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The body's systems are being constantly confronted by internal and external challenges such as environmental pollution, inadequate diet, lack of exercise, excessive alcohol or drugs, emotional pressures, and stress. If just one of the interdependent systems becomes inefficient or unable to cope, or the vibratory electromagnetic network is impaired, then the whole balance is disturbed. Signals and messages become confused or 'blocked', so the brain is unable to respond with its self-healing mechanism, and the body's failing defence and repair systems allow disease a chance to become established.

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The 'balance' is the process of removing those blockages and re-establishing the electrochemical network and flows of messages through mental and physical stimulation, which activate an instinctive response in the subconscious mind to feelings that it is being cared for, nurtured, focused upon, and 'healed'. And the sensory receptors or limbic system of the brain, which receives those messages, connects to the control centre responsible for maintaining functional harmony, so generating the self-healing process.

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More formal comparisons such as these may one day link physics and metaphysics, the ancient and modern, the conventional and alternative, and perhaps narrow the gap that still exists between Eastern and Western medicine. But in the meantime, when people find a therapy that suits them, and a therapist they can trust, then the benefits of holistic alternative medicine will begin to flow, and the mind, body and spirit will at last be harmonised and balanced.

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Libra Therapy

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