Energy Medicine: What is it? Energy, or life force, around the world and across the centuries: qi (China), ki (Japan), dosha (Ayurvedic medicine), prana, fohat, orgone, mana. Energy Medicine is based on the principle that the health of body, mind, and spirit is anchored in the body's energy systems, or biofields. Energy medicine is both a complement to other approaches to medical care and a complete system for self-care and self-help. Energy medicine can address physical illness and emotional or mental disorders, and can also promote high-level wellness and peak performance. While ideally initiated face-to-face, practitioners can often work with you--or those you love, including animals--long distance. This is called distance healing or remote healing, and is well-documented through the centuries in such practices as Qi gong.

Why consider using energy medicine? There are two primary reasons why you might consider energy healing: Getting your body's energies into a good flow, harmony, and balance. While not focusing on any specific health issue directly, this can create within your body an energetic environment that supports your overall health, vitality, and healing. The other area where energy medicine can make a difference with a health concern involves an assessment of your body's energies and the ways they are related to the condition. This assessment can result in individualized treatments that are specifically designed to support and strengthen your energy system, targeting the specific health issue.

When is the best time to use energy medicine? Any time is a great time. An old saying is that the best time to repair the roof when the sun is shining. If you would just like a 'general tune-up,' there is no better time than now...before your energy reserves are stressed or depleted. Everyone can benefit from energy work. If you are experiencing stress or a specific health need, energy work can help restore your well-being; often symptoms are alleviated or decreased immediately. Whether the impact is immediate or takes several treatments, you will feel better and stronger almost from the start.

More questions? Here are two great sources for an overview of energy medicine. Innersource.net, Donna Eden's site, has a huge library of questions about the use of energy medicine for problems ranging from A (autoimmune disorders) to V (vertigo) from Donna Eden's website. Particularly for those interested in the scientific and medical history of energy medicine, there is an excellent overview of energy, or biofield, medicine on the website of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (National Institutes of Medicine). Topics include energy medicine and its related fields, such as Qi gong, Reikki, Healing Touch and intercessory prayer.