[Stanley-RN2B]

Originally Posted by zenman

Once your view of reality is rocked, you realize that the scientific community does not possess all the required knowledge.

I agree with you. Remember science has all the answers. We just don't have all the science.

[hypocaffeinemia]

Originally Posted by StanleyRW

I agree with you. Remember science has all the answers. We just don't have all the science.

Couldn't have said it better, myself.

[CORELLC]

I am so glad that you posted this thread, passionflower. As an infusion nurse, I always believed that health was interventional. Many of us have seen patients discharged from the hospital with the comment, "We've done all that we can do...take your mom/sister/brother home." Yet, the patient recovers in spite of what was said - often beause we stopped intervening and allowed the body to do what it should do! I, too, believe that Energy Medicine is not only the next big thing - but that it is already here - and here to stay. Over 40% of US hospitals alone have CAM departments as a result of patient demand. In my work throughout Eastern Europe and the Far East, I realized that in other countries, especially in Japan, the physician is paid to keep the patient well. Think of the plethora of immune system disorders that we see today; these were once rare. Why do so many people have compromised immune systems? Why do we have so many kids with ADHD/ADD/Autism disorders? What are we doing - or what have we done - to our environment that has created so many health challenges? If nurses and nursing are truly going to be at the core of health - then nurses and nursing need to begin caring for themselves so that they may care for others. They need to walk the walk and talk the talk. They need to contribute to the evidence-base for wellness practice, and they need to recognize that Energy Medicine is here to stay! It is time to:
· Recognize the emergence of a new and exciting branch of academic medicine
·Prepare professionals to identify the biological effects of magnetism
·Address the use of pulsating magnetic fields
·Discuss the growing trend toward energy medicine

Polls tell us that we, as nurses, are the most trusted healthcare professionals. As professionals, it behooves us to be on the cutting edge of trends in healthcare - not just sickcare - and to experience wellness ourselves so that we may share it with others. Have a wonderful, energized day!

[Josh L.Ac.]

Just to clarify, acupuncture has little or nothing to do with "energy".

[kitnkids]

I'm surprised to see you post this, Josh. No disrespect intended, but acupuncture points align with meridians which have everything to do with the flow of energy through the human body. My sister and I both study with an internationally reknowned actupuncturist, and he speaks of energy, flow and blocks and how these relate to dis-ease all the time.

If you believe, as you said, that actupuncture has nothing to do with energy - how do explain how acupuncture works to your clients.? (I ask out of true curiosity.)

I'm guessing you've studied acupuncture within a Western model, given your statement. That said, acupuncture came from China, and while the western model of medicine may choose to discount the importance Chinese medicine attributes to qi (or chi, our vital energy), the research conducted over the last decade supports the existence of meridians and suggests the importance the body's electromagnetic field (another reference to energy). Either way, acupuncturists working in a more western paradigm still use meridians even if only as a metaphorical guide, which calls into question whether they influence the body's energy flow without realizing what they're actually affecting. Again research supports this idea given that when you take the energy model / existence of meridians away, science cannot explain the changes effected by acupuncture.

[hypocaffeinemia]

Originally Posted by kitnkids

I'm surprised to see you post this, Josh. No disrespect intended, but acupuncture points align with meridians which have everything to do with the flow of energy through the human body. My sister and I both study with an internationally reknowned actupuncturist, and he speaks of energy, flow and blocks and how these relate to dis-ease all the time.

If you believe, as you said, that actupuncture has nothing to do with energy - how do explain how acupuncture works to your clients.? (I ask out of true curiosity.)

I'm guessing you've studied acupuncture within a Western model, given your statement. That said, acupuncture came from China, and while the western model of medicine may choose to discount the importance Chinese medicine attributes to qi (or chi, our vital energy), the research conducted over the last decade supports the existence of meridians and suggests the importance the body's electromagnetic field (another reference to energy). Either way, acupuncturists working in a more western paradigm still use meridians even if only as a metaphorical guide, which calls into question whether they influence the body's energy flow without realizing what they're actually affecting. Again research supports this idea given that when you take the energy model / existence of meridians away, science cannot explain the changes effected by acupuncture.

The way accupuncture works != the way accupuncture is explained to work.

[CORELLC]

I enjoyed perusing the messages related to Dr. Oz, the concept of Energy Medicine, and the responses from my nurse colleagues. As a professional, I have always considered myself one step ahead of the pack. I did home infusion when it was not fashionable, internatinal work in the People's Republic of China, the former Soviet Union and beyond when it was not in vogue, and complementary and alternative nursing in its infancy. Think about this concept: [FONT='Arial','sans-serif']The human body represents the ultimate biosphere. Ideally all its systems are in dynamic balance with each other. But, as we know, that is not always true - thus, the influx in chronic disease and more. Dr. David Feinstein articulates it so clearly, "Energy Medicine recognizes energy as a
vital, living, moving force that is at the foundation of our well-being. The human body is composed of some 100 trillion cells, each connected electrochemically with up to 10 thousand other cells. Energy medicine works directly with the electromagnetic and more subtle energies that orchestrate health, emotions, and behavior within this incomprehensibly complex network. It is proving to be an effective, powerful, and surprisingly precise way of improving health, enhancing performance, and increasing the joy in one’s life. Energy medicine draws upon ancient healing and spiritual practices (e.g., acupuncture, qi gong, and yoga), combines them with scientific procedures (e.g., empirical research, biofeedback, EEGs, and MRIs), and adopts them into modern contexts. Its applications extend far beyond the health care setting, into business, education, government, and family life everywhere that people wish to be more effective, vital, and creative.



Energy Medicine is a very new field with very old roots. It borrows from a hundred traditional healing methods, integrates them into a hundred types of modern settings and perspectives, and is practiced in a thousand different ways. Quality varies. The field is still finding itself, its standards, and its efficacy studies. Yet even in this early stage, commentators such as the renowned physician Norman Shealy are making statements such as "Energy medicine is the future of all medicine"
Energy medicine is both a complement to other approaches to medical care and a complete system for self-care and self-help. It can address physical illness and emotional or mental disorders, and can also promote high-level wellness and peak performance.
There is so much that we have yet to learn...let's remain open to the learning process and the transformations that occur in health to ensure well-being for all.

[/font]

[Crystal2dish]

My two cents; Books to read - (food for thought)

Gary Zukav - The Tao of Physics
Barbra Ann Brennan - Hands of Light and Light Emerging
Beck Walters - The Sacred
Lawrence Blair - Rhythms of Vision
Ina Mae Gaskin - Spiritual Midwifery
Fritjoe Capra - The Web of Life

These books are alternate reading to explain commonalities in a different light, so to speak. Best way is to find material that clicks and build from there.

Life is short. Follow your bliss.

[softstorms]

thanks for the reading list, I agree.

[proflo]

I just had EFT training and it was quite amazing. For many reasons, I agree with Dr. Oz., and believe nurses will be the ones to bring it to the bedside.