Energy Medicine is a branch of complementary medicine. Many proponents of this approach posit the existence of an energy field or bio-field in humans that can be influenced by the energy of a practitioner through touch, acupuncture needles, light frequencies, and other modalities. To some, energy medicine is the diagnostic and therapeutic application of information, and the energetic interaction and self-regulation between mind and body. Today, research of some energy medicine practices are being sponsored by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Center at the National Institutes of Health.
Some investigators have shown interest in whether the bio-field can be detected not only in humans but also in animals, cells, and plants by using bio-electromagnetic and optical instruments. Energy psychology is a more recent application of energy medicine for healthcare in the treatment of anxiety, trauma, and other psychological problems. There are many ideas to explain the probable mechanisms of action for the positive results of energy medicine practices; some of these include psychological mechanisms, placebo effects, methodological flaws in the research, and so on. Clearly, more research needs to be conducted in this field. I have found of particular interest the explanatory suggestions from the field of energetic science made by Dawson Church. Dawson has suggested the name “Epigenetic Medicine” as a substitute to energy medicine. It appears that there are over 100 genes in our body that can be activated (turned on or off) by thoughts, feelings, experiences, and environmental factors. Epigenetic signaling or gene activation can then affect the immune system, resistance to disease, and our health.