bioelectromagnetic and subtle energy medicine

LONGEVITY, REGENERATION, AND OPTIMAL HEALTH

Bioelectromagnetic and Subtle EnergyMedicine

The Interface between Mind and Matter

Paul J. Rosch

The American Institute of Stress, Clinical Professor of Medicine and Psychiatry,New York Medical College, Yonkers, New York, USA

The concept of a “life energy” can be found in many cultures in the present time, aswell as in past eras reaching back to the ancients. Variously called qi (chi), ki, the “fourhumors,” prana, “archaeus,” “cosmic aether,” “universal fluid,” “animal magnetism,”and “odic force,” among other names, this purported biofield is beginning to yield itsproperties and interactions to the scientific method. Subtle energy is the term used inthis chapter, which traces the recent history of subtle energy studies from Harold SaxtonBurr and Bjorn Nordenstrom to Jim Oschman and Jacques Benveniste. This work takessignaling in living systems from the chemical/molecular to the physical/atomic level ofcommunication. Effects on heart rate variability, stress response, inflammation, and thevagus nerve have been demonstrated and raise the question - Can the power of subtleenergies be harnessed for health enhancement? It is fully accepted that good healthdepends on good communication both within the organism and between the organismand its environment. Sophisticated imaging procedures brought to bear on telomere,stem cell, and genetic research are confirming the ability of meditation and some othertraditional practices to promote optimal health through stress reduction.

Key words: chi; electrical circulatory system; magnetotherapy; subtle energy commu-nication; heart rate variability; cancer as a Disease of Adaptation; the “third eye”;melatonin; inflammation; stress

Chi, Prana, Archaeus, AnimalMagnetism, Orgone, and Other

Energy Fields

Belief in a restorative life energy that per-vades living things dates back to antiquity.Hindu prana, Chinese Qi (chi), and Japaneseki are a few examples of some sort of poorlyunderstood vital energy that flows throughoutthe body and is intimately linked with physi-cal, mental, and spiritual health. Elements ofthis appear in the three doshas in Ayruvedicmedicine and in Galen’s four humors, all ofwhich are associated with different personality

Address for correspondence: Paul J. Rosch, M.D., The American In-stitute of Stress, 124 Park Avenue, Yonkers, NY, USA 10703. [email protected]

types, emotions, and related disorders. Similarenergy-field concepts have resurfaced over theyears as the “archaeus” of Paracelsus, Newton’s“cosmic aether,” Mesmer’s “universal fluid”and “animal magnetism,” Carl von Reichen-bach’s “odic force,” Brunler’s biocosmic en-ergy, the “orgone energy” of Wilhelm Reich,the etheric body, and Rupert Sheldrake’s mor-phogenetic fields. Some of these biofields canbe seen using Kirlian and gas discharge visual-ization photography or detected by devices andeven individuals who are unusually sensitive tolow levels of electromagnetic energy. The inten-sity and other characteristics of these biofieldauras are believed to reflect health status andcan vary with different emotional states likeanger and love, as seen in Figure 1. The abilityof certain healers to transmit or transfer their

Longevity, Regeneration, and Optimal Health: Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1172: 297–311 (2009).doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.04535.x c© 2009 New York Academy of Sciences.

297

298 Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

FIGURE 1. Kirlian and GDV (Gas Discharge Vi-sualization) auras. Kirlian photographs of finger tipaura during feelings of anger (upper left) and love(lower left). Note difference in symmetry of the en-ergy field. GDV representation of aura surroundinga healthy body (right panel). (Black and white repro-ductions are not as vivid.) GDV photos courtesy ofDr. Konstantin Korotkov.

biomagnetic energy to others appears to be sup-ported by special photographic techniques asseen in Figure 2.

Various types of energy medicine prac-tices have also been designed to harness suchsubtle energies to promote health by ma-nipulating bioenergy fields through acupunc-ture, acupressure, therapeutic touch, Qi Gong,Johrei, Reiki, crystals, permanent magnets, andall sorts of electrical and electromagneticdevices. Despite solid scientific support forsome of these approaches, Western physicianshave understandably been skeptical becauseof the lengthy list of charlatans associatedwith many of these modalities going back toMesmer. So many worthless electrotherapeu-tic and other energy devices making outra-geous and unsubstantiated claims were beingpromoted in the early 20th century that doc-tors viewed anything having to do with “elec-tromedicine” as being fraudulent. As a re-sult, the baby was often thrown out with thebathwater.

FIGURE 2. Kirlian photograph of a healer. Auraaround the finger pad of a faith healer (upper)taken while treating a patient. Aura around the fin-ger pad of the same healer at rest (lower) beforestarting therapy. (Difference in pattern of brilliant col-ors and flares not as impressive in black and whitereproductions)

Harold Saxton Burr, a professor at Yale Med-ical School, began studying energy fields in liv-ing systems in 1932. He set up a series of in-genious experiments, later repeated by otherresearchers, which demonstrated that all livingorganisms are surrounded and encompassed bytheir own energy fields, which he called Life-fields (L-fields). He showed that changes in theelectrical potential of the L-field would lead tochanges in the health of the organism. By study-ing trees on the Yale campus that had beenhooked up to his L-field detectors for decades,Burr was able to demonstrate that changes inenvironmental electromagnetic fields, causedby such things as the phases of the moon,sunspot activity, and thunderstorms, substan-tially affected the L-field. He found he coulddetect a specific field of energy in a frog’s egg,and that the nervous system would later develop

Rosch: Subtle Energy, Communication, and Health 299

precisely within that field, suggesting that theL-field was the organizing matrix for the body.In his work with humans, he was able to chartand predict the ovulation cycles of women, lo-cate internal scar tissue, and diagnose potentialphysical ailments, all through the reading of theindividual’s L-field.1

His student and later co-worker, LeonardRavitz, a neurologist and psychiatrist, extendedBurr’s clinical studies. He showed that therewas a correlation between the lunar cycleand L-field activity and that L-field strengthreached a peak when the moon was full. Ravitzlater demonstrated that changes in L-field ac-tivity could be influenced by a subject’s men-tal and emotional state and reported that,“Both emotional activity and stimuli of anysort involve mobilization of electrical energy,as indicated on the galvanometer; hence, bothemotions and stimuli evoke the same energy.Emotions can be equated with energy.”2 Burrhad also conducted some intriguing experi-ments showing that he could detect “electro-metric” signs of cancer in the female genitaland urinary tract long before any clinical signsof pathologic changes were evident. Some of hisother findings in experimental cancers inducedin animals are described by Jim Oschman, whoalso explains how Burr’s important observa-tions were ignored by his colleagues and themedical community.3

Differences in the electrical impedance andcapacitance properties of benign and malig-nant tumors had been described in the 1920sand similarly neglected.4 However, it was re-discovered by Bjorn Nordenstrom a half cen-tury later, who noted a strange corona or aurathat occasionally appeared around malignanttumors on routine chest x-rays. His extensiveinvestigations revealed that this was due to adifference in the electrical characteristics ofcancer tissue that eventually led to a very suc-cessful treatment for pulmonary and other ma-lignancies. Nordenstrom described one patientwith a history of ovarian cancer and anotherwith adenocarcinoma of the breast, both ofwhom now had pulmonary metastases. The

only reason they had been referred to him wasthat both were considered inoperable. Afterone day of his painless “electrochemical” treat-ment the tumors gradually disappeared, andhe showed that both patients were well 8 and10 years later with no clinical or x-ray evidenceof cancer.

Is There an Electrical CirculatorySystem?

I first became aware of Bjorn Nordenstrom’sresearch through the cover story in the April1986 issue of Discover Magazine that began: “Dr.Bjorn Nordenstrom claims to have found in thehuman body a heretofore unknown universe ofelectrical activity that’s the very foundation ofthe healing process and is as critical to wellbeing as the flow of blood. If he’s right, he hasmade the most profound biomedical discoveryof the century.”5

It went on to state that some distinguishedscientists and physicians believed that if hisfindings were confirmed by others, they wouldprove to be as important as William Harvey’sdiscovery of the circulatory system. Otherscompared his 1983 book explaining his theoryof an electrical circulatory system6 to Harvey’s1628 treatise on how blood circulates throughthe body. Nordenstrom’s credentials are impec-cable. Chairman Emeritus of the Departmentof Radiology at the prestigious Karolinska In-stitute, he had also chaired the Nobel Assem-bly Committee that selects the Nobel Laureatein Physiology or Medicine and has also beenmentioned as a possible future recipient. His re-markable results in cancer have been confirmedby others in thousands of patients and he hasprogressively refined his theory of an electri-cal circulatory system in the body composed of“biologically closed electric circuits” (BCEC).Reviews of these concepts have been publishedin Bioelectromagnetic Medicine.7 These traced theorigin and evolution of the BCEC concept, howit led to the electrochemical treatment of can-cer and explained why the ATP-driven pump


that kept sodium out of the cell might representan example of one of these biologically closedcircuits.8

According to Nordenstrom, the body’s elec-trical communication system can be comparedto a battery in which the circuit is driven byseparation of oppositely charged ions. Oncethe circuit is closed, long-distance current flowsthrough the conducting cables; and, within thebattery, ions drift across the permeable barrier.When tissue is damaged by injury or malignantgrowth, there is a buildup of positively chargedions in the affected area, whereas adjacenthealthy tissue is negative. As a tumor grows,its inner cells are cut off from the circulatorysystem and slowly perish. This cell death leadsto chemical changes and the production of pos-itive electrical potential in the tumor comparedto adjacent tissue. In Nordenstrom’s 1998 bookExploring BCEC-Systems (Biologically Closed Elec-

tric Circuits), he points out that ancient Orientalphilosophy and approaches to health are basedon the existence of chi, a universal energy thatcan be converted to serve different purposes.How this energy is transformed is described inthe concept of Tao, the order that exists in thecosmos that makes nature and its behavior ex-plicable and with which man must learn to livein harmony. Nordenstrom goes on to explainthat these rules lead to an appreciation of thecyclic motions of energy in the universe withrespect to expansion and condensation. He be-lieves that chi is analogous to the energy flowingthrough his “electrical” circulatory system andthat yin and yang may be thought of as positiveand negative charges.6

Nordenstrom’s theories reinforce an emerg-ing paradigm of communication at a physical/atomic level that emphasizes the connectednessnot only among the body’s components but alsobetween the organism and all of nature. Thisholistic approach helps us to understand whycertain Indo-Tibetan practices provide bene-fits that cannot be explained by the currentchemical/molecular or key/keyhole model ofcellular communication. It has also led to anappreciation that living tissues are much more

sensitive to electromagnetic fields and subtleenergies than previously appreciated. This isparticularly true with respect to the significantnonthermal physiological effects of radiationthat are not accompanied by any detectableheat transfer. It is also clear that stronger stim-uli do not always evoke greater responses inliving systems and that less is often more incertain circumstances. Jim Ochsman suggests,“This is possible because of two important phe-nomena, cellular amplification and stochas-tic resonance”3 and refers to the research ofRoss Adey and A. R. Liboff to explain this.Among other numerous discoveries, Adey firstdescribed a “window of activity” above and be-low which electromagnetic fields had decreas-ing biological effects. We now recognize thatsuch windows of opportunity can refer to fre-quency and amplitude characteristics that in-duce resonant responses.9 Liboff also has in-troduced the related concept of ion cyclotronresonance.10,11 What we may glean from allof this is that in addition to being a protectiveshield, the cell wall is emerging as a power-ful amplifier for electromagnetic and possiblyother subtle energy therapies. The resultantcascade of signals can stimulate or suppress nu-merous intracellular activities, as illustrated inFigure 3.

Chemical/Molecular VersusPhysical/Atomic Communication

Oschman’s figure (Fig. 3) depicts this processas being initiated by physical contact between aneurotransmitter, antigen, or some other chem-ical messenger with a specific receptor on thecell wall. However, this key/keyhole modelof chemical/molecular communication is notconsistent with numerous observations that arebest explained by communication at a physi-cal/atomic level. Molecular signal and molec-ular signaling are terms that are frequently usedbut rarely defined, which prompted JacquesBenveniste to ask, “Would you please tell mewhat is the physical nature of the molecular


FIGURE 3. Schematic of the cellular cascade and amplification process that provides abasis for the effects of pulsing electromagnetic field therapies as well as various complemen-tary therapies such as Reiki and Therapeutic Touch. A single antigen, hormone, pheromone,growth factor, neurotransmitter molecule, or a photon of electromagnetic energy can producea cascade of intracellular signals that initiate, accelerate, or inhibit biological processes. Thisis possible because of enormous amplification – a single molecular event at the cell surfacecan trigger a huge influx of calcium ions, each of which can activate an enzyme. The enzymes,in turn, act as catalysts, greatly accelerating biochemical processes. Some of the reactionsare sensitive to electromagnetic fields, some are not, and others have not yet been tested.(After Ochsman.3)

signal?”12 The reason for his question is that thecurrent QSAR (quantitative structure-activityrelationship) theory of molecular signalingclaims that two structurally matched moleculesexchange specific information by mere contactthat sends a signal to the interior of the cell.Such interactions, requiring random collisionson a trial-and-error basis, would have little sta-tistical chance of occurring within seconds formolecules that depend on the circulation toreach their target. Such chemical/molecular

communication could never explain the myriadautomatic and immediate reactions that occurthroughout the body in the “fight or flight”response to acute stress. As shown below inFigure 4, Benveniste proposes that the ligandmolecule emits an electromagnetic signal with afrequency identical to the receptor’s moleculesthat causes them to co-resonate and activate thesame intracellular responses. This model doesallow the simultaneous transmission of differentmessages to different sites, much as a radio that


FIGURE 4. The key/keyhole concept (left panel)requires random collisions on a hit or miss basis thatsends a signal to the interior of the cell. These wouldhave little statistical chance of occurring with greatfrequency and therefore could not explain the ra-pidity of responses to stress or immediate humoralantigen-antibody reactions. Nor does this explainhow signals are sent back to indicate what changeshave been made that need to be responded to. In an-other model (right panel), the ligand molecule emitsan electromagnetic signal with a frequency identi-cal to the receptor’s molecule that causes them toco-resonate and activate intracellular responses. Thiscan occur at very low frequencies a long distanceaway, much as one tunes in to a radio station bychanging the AM, FM, or short wave frequency.(After Benveniste.12)

can tune in to various AM, FM, or short-wavestations because the receiver and transmitterare vibrating at identical frequencies.

Benveniste goes on to explain that everyatom of every molecule and every intermolec-ular bond emits specific frequencies that canbe detected at astronomical distances by ra-diotelescopes. Many of these signals are in aspectrum of frequencies between 20 Hz and20,000 Hz, the same range as human hearing.It is well known that certain musical frequen-cies can have significant biological and emo-tional effects. High-pitched rapid sounds seemto engender lightness of spirit, deep and rapidsounds awaken the fighting spirit, deep andslow sounds are more apt to invoke sadnessand mourning, etc. Some of the Indo-Tibetanmeditative chants that have evolved over cen-

turies may take advantage of these physiologicalresponses.

It is important to appreciate that subtleenergies generated in the body can also havepowerful effects that may help explain the ben-efits of Eastern practices. Research in this areahas been hampered by the difficulty in definingexactly what these strange forces are, how theycan be measured, and how they relate to otherforms of energy. The person who has arguablycontributed the most to our knowledge of thenature of subtle energies is Bill Tiller, ProfessorEmeritus of the Department of Materials Sci-ence and Engineering at Stanford. He believesthat although subtle energies are frequentlyassumed to be similar to or associated withelectromagnetic fields, this is erroneous. Inaddition, subtle energies involved in biologicprocesses are not necessarily weak but ratherelusive, because they cannot be measureddirectly, but only by their effects. To help clarifythese and some other issues, Tiller explains therole of subtle energies in bioelectromagneticphenomena and the difference between elec-tromagnetism and bioelectromagnetism.13,14

He has been studying intentionality, a subtleenergy that he has demonstrated can be usedto increase or decrease the pH of an aqueoussolution by one full unit and to increase thein vitro thermodynamic activity of alkalinephosphatase, a liver enzyme.13 There arealso substantial effects on living systems sinceintentionality can increase the ratio of ATPto ADP in developing fruit fly larvae, whichsignificantly reduces the development timerequired to reach the adult fly stage.13 Evenmore impressive has been Tiller’s abilityto develop what he calls IIEDs (intentionimprinted electrical devices). These allowintentionality to be stored and used at a laterdate in a different location to produce the sameeffects, much like information can be copiedonto a computer diskette or flash drive to useelsewhere.14 Jacques Benveniste described howhe could also transfer his “memory in water” toa computer chip that allowed his results to bereplicated in laboratories on other continents.12


FIGURE 5. Tiller’s energy level diagram embrac-ing both classical physical substance and “unseen”vacuum substances. Acupuncture, homeopathy, andother subtle energies are thought to reside in this vac-uum level. (After Tiller.14)

So where does intentionality come from?Tiller studied Chi Gong practitioners, faith heal-ers, and others who had demonstrated the abil-ity to transfer their energies to other individualswithout physical contact as evidenced by effectson the recipient’s EEG, accompanied by simul-taneous voltage drops in the healer. Intention-ality may be thought of as the subtle energysummoned up in association with the inten-tion to heal in such individuals. Tiller had alsoshown for the first time that it was possible toseparate the poles of a permanent magnet andthat a magnetic monopole had distinctive en-ergy effects.14 These and other subtle energiessuch as those involved in acupuncture, home-opathy, ESP, and remote viewing reside in whatTiller refers to as the vacuum level of nature asshown in Figure 5. This diagram represents asummary of a vast amount of data that is dis-cussed at length in both of Tiller’s chapters.The main points are (1) that people manifest aheretofore undetected energy that has the prop-

FIGURE 6. Disordered and chaotic heart rhythmpattern during feelings of frustration in contrast tosmooth and synchronous pattern associated with pos-itive emotions. (After McCraty.15)

FIGURE 7. Amplitude spectra of 10-secondepochs of ECG data. Example of a spectrum asso-ciated with a type of physiological coherence gen-erated during feelings of appreciation and love (leftpanel). Depiction of an incoherent spectrum reflect-ing disordered heart rhythms and negative emotionssuch as those associated with feelings of anger orfrustration (right panel). (After McCraty.15)

erty of increasing both electron microavalanchesize and number in a nearby gas discharge sys-tem, (2) that a person can direct the flow ofthis energy in a chosen direction using his orher mind to influence both inanimate and an-imate material, and (3) that the mind-electroninteraction can be effective over an appreciabledistance and transferred to a computer chip toreproduce the same effect.

Subtle energy communication between peo-ple is discussed at length by Rollin McCraty,who demonstrates how the heart can be a pow-erful source of energy and how it is affectedby stress.15 Just as Kirlian photographs showdistinct differences in energy patterns betweenlove and anger, these emotions also have aprofound effect on heart rhythm patterns asshown in Figures 6 and 7. The ancient Greeks


FIGURE 8. Institute of HeartMath diagram show-ing communication links between the heart and thebrain that can influence heart rate variability patterns.(After McCraty.15)

taught that the heart rather than the brainwas the seat of emotions, and we still describepeople as being “heartbroken,” “cold-hearted,”having a “heart of gold,” etc. The brain and theheart communicate with each other via ner-vous system and humoral pathways, as well asby biophysical (pulse wave) and energetic (elec-tromagnetic) connections as shown in Figure 8.Standard methods of recording electrical fieldsusing skin surface electrodes may not accu-rately reflect bioelectric activities in the heartor brain because the electrical resistance of dif-ferent tissues can vary by a factor of as muchas 30. In contrast, the magnetic permeabilityof all tissues is about the same, so that biomag-netic measurements provide a much better pic-ture of brain and heart activities.3 The heartproduces an electric field 60 times strongerthan the brain’s, but its electromagnetic fieldis 5,000 times stronger, and these forces can af-fect others, as illustrated by the EEG changesseen in Figure 9. Other studies show that phys-ical contact is not essential in individuals whoare less than three feet apart since the same sig-nal can be transferred by radiation, althoughit is not as strong. Individuals who are in closeproximity without physical contact often showa tendency to develop similar heart rhythmpatterns.15

FIGURE 9. Signal averaged waveforms showingthe detection of electromagnetic energy generated bySubject A’s heart in the receiving Subject B’s EEG.The baseline recording (left panel) is from a 10-minperiod during which time the subjects were seated4 feet apart without physical contact and the record-ing from the 5-min period during which the subjectsheld hands (right panel). The EEG data shown herewere recorded from the C3 location of the EEG. (AfterMcCraty.15)

Heart Rate Variability, Stress,Inflammation, the Vagus and

Resonance

HRV (heart rate variability) refers to thebeat-to-beat alterations in heart rate that nor-mally occur during respiration. Heart rate in-creases during inspiration and decreases dur-ing exhalation, a rhythmic phenomenon knownas respiratory sinus arrhythmia. This is usu-ally evident only on ECG tracings as shown inFigure 10, and the greater the standard devia-tion in successive R-R intervals, the higher theHRV. A low HRV is associated with poorerhealth and increased risk of sudden death,whereas a high HRV reflects a greater ability tomaintain homeostasis and health by adaptingto any demands for change. The growing im-portance of HRV measurement and analysis isevident from the more than 26 different typesof arithmetic manipulations of R-R intervalscurrently available. Power spectral density anal-ysis also provides information on the frequencydistribution of HRV components that reflectdifferent influences depending on whether they


FIGURE 10. Heart rate variability showing themillisecond changes in beat-to-beat intervals that varywith respiration. Low heart rate variability is associ-ated with increased stress and reflects a diminishedability to respond to demands for change. (AfterMcCraty.15)

are high (0.15–0.40 Hz), low (0.04–0.15 Hz),and very low (0.003–0.04 Hz). In general, thehigh-frequency component measures vagal andparasympathetic activity, low frequency reflectssympathetic effects on the heart, while very lowfrequency is influenced by a variety of other fac-tors such as chemoreceptors, thermoreceptors,and the renin-angiotensin system. DiminishedHRV is emerging as a very sensitive barometerof current stress levels as well as cumulative al-lostatic load.

Many signs and symptoms of stress are dueto stimulation of sympathetic nervous systemactivities such as those that result in “fight orflight” responses. The antithesis of this is the“relaxation response” that is associated withincreased parasympathetic tone. This is a sim-plified form of meditation characterized by slowrhythmic breathing in which a word or phraseis repeated with each exhalation. Practicingthis for 20 minutes several times a week hasbeen shown to reduce stress and lower bloodpressure by promoting parasympathetic pre-dominance, which is associated with increasedHRV. Optimal breathing patterns vary, espe-cially with respect to the duration of exha-lation, and this is best determined by find-ing the respiratory rhythm that produces thehighest HRV pattern. The recent availabil-ity of relatively inexpensive hand-held devicesthat provide immediate HRV feedback signif-

FIGURE 11. StressEraser Heart Rate Variabil-ity Feedback Display. Small jagged waves (upperpanel) are indicative of diminished heart rate vari-ability and decreased parasympathetic tone. Longsmooth waves are (lower panel) seen during slowrhythmic respiration reflecting increased heart ratevariability due to parasympathetic predominance.Users are encouraged to find a breathing patternthat produces regularly spaced triangles and corre-sponding waves containing two or three squares (seewww.stresseraser.com). Quantum Intech’s EmWaveuses changing colored lights to provide feedback(see www.emwave.com) and RESPeRATE, which isapproved for the treatment of hypertension, utilizes anumerical display (see www.resperate.com).

icantly facilitates learning how to achieve andsustain the stress reduction and other benefitsassociated with increased HRV as shown inFigure 11. Feedback is provided by display-ing increases or decreases in HRV by visualor sound cues that are easy to interpret. Mostsubjects can quickly determine by trial and er-ror what breathing in and what breathing outtempo and number of breaths/minute is bestfor them using such devices, some of which canstore data that allows the user to track theirprogress.

Other reports have shown that transcenden-tal meditation and yoga, both of which are pop-ular stress reduction techniques, also improve


HRV by stimulating vagal and parasympatheticresponses.16,17 Additional health rewards fromvagal stimulation include a reduction in inflam-mation, which has increasingly been incrim-inated in the pathogenesis of metabolic syn-drome and cardiovascular disease. Chapters inBioelectromagnetic Medicine are devoted to the useof vagal stimulation in seizure disorders,18 de-pression,19 and morbid obesity.20 There is also afascinating chapter by Jacob Zabara describingwhat led to his discovery of vagal nerve stim-ulation and the evolution of its current FDA-approved indications.21

The mechanisms of action responsible forthe benefits associated with meditation andother traditional Eastern practices are not clear.Some that involve nonthermal biologic re-sponses are difficult to explain since the absenceof detectable heat exchange would appear to vi-olate the laws of thermodynamics and Newto-nian physics. However, these and other seem-ingly inexplicable subtle energy effects, suchas those described by Tiller, are quite consis-tent with quantum physics. As astronaut EdgarMitchell explains, there is no difference be-tween energy and matter at subatomic levels.22

And we are only starting to appreciate how res-onance can dramatically increase the effects ofenergy communication in biological systems.Most of us first become aware of the power ofresonance as kids on a swing, who quickly learnthat they can go faster and higher by pulling onthe rope and kicking at just the right time. Sim-ilarly, if you were pushing someone else, a littleshove just when the swing reached the top gotgreat results but not if you did it a second orso before. And applying the same push lowerdown on the upswing would have the reverse ef-fect. Resonance explains why singers can shat-ter a glass several feet away if the note theycreate is the same resonance frequency as theglass. The collapse of the Takoma suspensionbridge at Puget Sound in 1940 was caused bywind-induced vibrations that were not particu-larly strong but just happened to coincide withthe bridge’s resonance frequency. Atoms andmolecules vibrate, but at different frequencies,

which helps to explain why seemingly feebleforces can have such powerful effects if theyhappen to resonate with something having thesame frequency. This has important medicalimplications, since each type of body tissue res-onates differently. Magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) is a particularly powerful diagnostic aidbecause, unlike x-rays, nuclear magnetic res-onance signals identifying blood vessels, carti-lage, muscle, and other tissue are readily trans-mitted through bone. Not as much progresshas been made with respect to treatmentbased on resonance technologies, but thereis growing interest in this and other aspectsof what has been referred to as “vibrationalmedicine.”

Good health and life itself are entirely depen-dent on good communication between compo-nents of the body at the organ, cellular, molec-ular, atomic, and quantum levels, preservinghomeostasis, for example, by maintaining theconcentrations of sodium, potassium, calcium,and glucose as well as other ions and moleculeswithin fairly narrow limits. The same appliesto blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, andessential physiologic functions. If any of thesevital components of good health are above orbelow their acceptable ranges, immediate cor-rective changes must be made to restore nor-mal values. Constant feedback is necessary tosignal any such change in status so that ap-propriate alterations can be made. This couldnot be accomplished without some incrediblesystem of communication that can constantlydetect and respond to any threat to homeosta-sis within milliseconds. This again emphasizesthat good health is entirely dependent on goodcommunication – good communication withinthe internal environment as well as with theexternal milieu.

But how does communication take placein the body? The role of the central ner-vous system with its autonomic sympatheticand parasympathetic components that are an-tagonistic but complementary is fairly welldelineated. The endocrine system has itsown balancing mechanisms in which the


secretion of hormones is regulated by feedbackfrom target glands or metabolic consequence.Much less is known about how equilibriumis maintained in neurotransmitter networks orin the immune system, which has both hard-wired and humoral central nervous systemconnections.

All of these neurotransmitter, endocrine, im-mune, and nervous system responses and inter-relationships have been exquisitely honed overmillions of years of evolution to preserve lifeand health by acting in concert with one an-other, much like individual instruments in anorchestra. Does this orchestra have a conduc-tor? It is difficult to conceive how this staggeringamount of complex and constant communica-tion back and forth can take place with suchspeed without the intervention of some otheragency. But what could it be? The ancient con-cept of chi with its complementary yin and yang

energies that pervade the body and all of natureallegedly served such a purpose. However, weare unable to define or quantify this mysteriousforce, and the closest we can get is to compare itwith electrical or electromagnetic signals. Thespeed, versatility, and integration of all theseactivities suggests the existence of the biologicequivalent of electrical systems composed ofelectrodes, switches, amplifiers, resistors, andcapacitors that can store and regulate energyflow similar to the model proposed by BjornNordenstrom.

Life on earth evolved under constant geo-magnetic influences, and the earth itself is ahuge magnetic sphere. Thus, it should not besurprising that all living cells, tissues, and or-gans are sensitive “electromagnetic systems”with specific electrical or magnetic resonancecharacteristics. This can be readily demon-strated in lower forms of life as well as inbirds, fish, and mammals that utilize such sub-tle signals for navigational purposes. Most hu-mans retain an innate ability to sense thedirection of magnetic north. Our sense of di-rection in the absence of visual cues can beobliterated by placing a bar magnet againstthe forehead for only five or ten minutes, and

this blockage can last for up to two hours.23

Tibetan Buddhists have used bar magnets forcenturies to block influences that might affectthe minds of novitiate monks during their train-ing to achieve deep meditative states. Electro-magnetic energies can also influence behav-ior and emotions, and a strong correlation hasbeen found between magnetically vigorous so-lar storms and mental hospital admissions.24

The gravitational or other force of the full moonhas long been associated with mental disor-ders (lunacy) and according to folklore, were-wolves required the power of the full moon tochange into their bestial form. Some dowsersare allegedly able to detect underground de-posits of water because they are sensitive tochanges in geomagnetic energies. Such forceswere also believed by the ancient Chinese toinfluence future health as well as good fortune.Feng shui, the art of placement and arrange-ment to achieve harmony with nature, datesback thousands of years and is still used to de-termine the architectural design of buildingsand the internal arrangement and orientationof its contents based on geomagnetic energyinteractions.25

A vivid example of how electromagnetic sig-nals from the environment can be intimately re-lated to internal signaling and communicationsnetworks is represented by melatonin produc-tion by the pineal gland. Daily cyclic light isregistered by the pineal gland, at least partially,if not entirely through the optic nerve, stimu-lating the gland to produce melatonin duringdarkness and suppressing it in light. This is partof the control network that maintains the body’scircadian rhythms. Melatonin secretion is alsosignificantly suppressed by low-frequency elec-tromagnetic fields.26 In addition to melatonin,which can have powerful effects on mood andbehavior, the pineal gland also produces otherpsychoactive neuropeptides like serotonin anddopamine. Therefore, it is quite possible thatdisturbed pineal function from exposure to in-visible electromagnetic fields can produce a va-riety of behavioral and emotional abnormali-ties that are attributed to some other cause, if


not physiologic perturbations associated withdisease.

Can the Power of Chi Be Harnessedfor Health Enhancement?

Over 2,500 years ago, Lao Tsu, the “Father”of Taoism, described chi as follows:

Look, it cannot be seen – it is beyond form

Listen, it cannot be heard – it is beyond sound

Grasp, it cannot be held – it is intangible.

Ancient Chinese medical texts taught thatgood health depended on the orderly flow of chi

through prescribed pathways called meridians.Blockages in flow could be relieved by stimu-lating special sites on the skin where meridianscame close to the body’s surface by needling(acupuncture) or by applying heat (moxibus-tion) or a static magnetic field (lodestones). Wehave not learned much since ancient timesabout either the composition or structure ofchi or its varied effects and functions. However,it would now appear that chi can also emanatefrom the body in the form of an electromag-netic radiance that can be seen with Kirlian andgas discharge visualization photography.27 Themagnitude and intensity of this aura can varywith health status and emotions and appears tobe greatest in healers or chi gong practitionerswho can focus and transmit their chi energy toothers. Robert Becker studied various healersand chi gong masters and authentic reports oftheir ability to transmit or their chi energy toanother person or object without having anyphysical contact.28 Some healers could inducea marked increase in the voltage of EEG’s ofrecipients who were not aware they were be-ing targeted. This often corresponded with asimultaneous similar drop in the healer’s volt-age. Nuclear magnetic resonance studies con-firmed the ability of Chi gong masters to changethe molecular structure of a liquid in a closedcontainer several feet away. Repeated effortsproduced further changes.

Becker, who was the first to prove thatacupuncture points had significant electricalcharacteristics, also showed that meridian path-ways had characteristics of transmission lines,with acupuncture points acting as amplifiersto forward the signal.28 It has been reportedthat stimulation of an acupuncture point inthe foot results in EEG changes that are soinstantaneous that they are difficult to mea-sure, but clearly exceed the speed of sound.29

Becker also showed that our bodies are mag-netic systems with a positive polarity along thecentral axis and a negative polarity in periph-eral structures. He has demonstrated that thispolarity is reversed in hypnosis and anesthesia,as well as following an injury, which creates apositive potential at the site of trauma. Beckerbelieves that the body’s connective tissue actsas a semiconductor for minute DC currents,which in itself produces a small magnetic fieldand that this current is synonymous with chi

energy.Nordenstrom also believes that the electro-

magnetic energy in his biologically closed elec-trical circuits is analogous to or the same as chi.These energies can transform inanimate matterinto biological substances and play a crucialrole in health, performance, and aging in allliving things. The life span of many cell types isgenetically predetermined by limiting the num-ber of times it can divide and reproduce. Thisprogrammed cell death, called apoptosis, is spe-cific for each cell, which is why life span variesgreatly in different plant and animal speciesand even different tissues. Nordenstrom has de-scribed how biomagnetic forces can influenceeither regression (apoptosis) or proliferation (re-growth and survival) by explaining how a treepreserves its life during the cold of winter by al-tering metabolic activities to sacrifice its leavesin the fall. In the spring, apoptotic regressionis replaced by proliferative regeneration, whenenergy preserved in the tree is activated by heatto again produce the same kind of leaf. He il-lustrates how even a leaf that is “dead” still hasenergy in the form of a corona around it thatcan be seen with Kirlian photography. This


repetitive cycle of death and rebirth that isguided by the same energy constantly takesplace in other systems. In the Chinese view ofnature, they provide balance in the Sheng and Ke

cycles of ongoing regeneration and destructionfor the five elements.29,30

How can the same chi flowing in the bodybe transformed into an energy that regulatesapoptosis and regeneration in nature? Wheredoes chi come from and why do some peo-ple have much more than others? Do they at-tract more from the environment or generategreater amounts? How can chi be projected out-side the body to affect a person or inanimateobject by concentration or some other men-tal process? Why do stressful emotions cause adiminution in chi, whereas positive feelings havethe opposite effect? At present, we can only as-sess what appear to be some of the effects ofchi. In that regard, it is wise to keep in mindthe sign in Albert Einstein’s Princeton officethat read, “Not everything that can be countedcounts, and not everything that counts can becounted.”

As indicated previously, the body contains itsbest pharmacy if we can learn how to tap intothe vast innate potential for self-healing that re-sides in all of us. Indo-Tibetan approaches willfacilitate not only achieving this goal but alsoour ability to promote peace and harmony withothers, something that is desperately needed atpresent. As the Dalai Lama emphasized, “Wecan never obtain peace in the world if we ne-glect the inner world and don’t make peacewith ourselves. World peace must develop outof inner peace.” Mahatma Gandhi similarlywarned, “You must be the change that you wishto see in the world.” As indicated in Figure 12,we are all connected with each other and withnature by some mysterious force that the an-cients referred to as chi. Bioelectromagnetic en-ergies may provide clues about how these com-munication links are forged. Learning how tostimulate, simulate, or emulate subtle energiesmay also teach us to how to attain the bene-fits of the vis medicatrix naturae (healing ways ofnature).

FIGURE 12. “No man is an island, entire of it-self” – John Donne (1623). As indicated above, weare all connected, not only with each other, but witheverything else in nature.

Envoi

I have tried to show how advances in sophisti-cated imaging procedures, telomere, stem cell,and genetic research are steadily confirmingthe ability of meditation and other traditionalIndo-Tibetan practices to promote longevityand optimal health. Such benefits appear tobe linked or due to stress reduction effects thatare best explained by an emerging paradigmof communication at a physical/atomic levelrather than the current chemical/molecularmodel. This helps to explain why electromag-netic fields affect living tissues in so many unan-ticipated ways and why humans also generateelectromagnetic and/or other energies that canhave profound effects internally as well as onothers. Imaging and HRV studies confirm theeffects of emotions on energy fields, and it isclear that emotions can also influence the heartrate patterns of other persons as well as ani-mals. Energy fields emanating from the handsof healers have been shown to be within thesame frequency range as human brain waves.Tiller has also demonstrated how intentional-ity affects internal physiology as well as externalbiologic and inanimate systems and that it canbe stored to produce the same effects at othertimes and locations. Other research shows that


electromagnetic fields as well as conscious in-tent can also influence numerous genetic pro-grams and activities.

All of the above and other studies cited con-firm that good health depends on good com-munication not only internally but also withthe external environment. Thus, it is importantto emphasize the importance of unappreciatedsubtle energy communication links that canbest explain how homeostasis is maintained byconstant and instantaneous responses to inter-nal and external demands for change. Whetherthis energy is synonymous with some mysteri-ous force called chi that correlates with electro-magnetic fields is not clear. However, it doesseem likely that chi can be cultivated and uti-lized by Eastern practices that promote a deepconcentration that leads to enlightenment anda sense of deep inner peace that abolishes feel-ings of distress.

I would conclude with the following:

A human being is a part of the whole, called by us the

Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences

himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from

the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This

delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal

desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our

task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening

our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and

the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve

this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in

itself a part of the liberation and of a foundation for inner

security.

Albert Einstein31

Conflicts of Interest

The author declares no conflicts of interest.

References

1. Burr, H.S. 1971. Blueprint for Immortality. NevilleSpearman. London, United Kingdom.

2. Ravitz, L.J. 1982. History, measurement, and appli-cability of periodic changes in the electromagneticfield in health and disease. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 98:1144–1201.

3. Oschman, J. 2004. Recent developments in bioelec-tromagnetic medicine. In: P.J. Rosch & M.S. Markov(eds.). Bioelectromagnetic Medicine, pp. 77–92. MarcelDekker, New York, NY.

4. Fricke, H. & S. Morse. 1926. The electric capacity oftumors of the breast. J. Cancer Res. 16: 310–376.

5. Taubes, G. 1986. An Electrifying Possibility. Discover.(April) 23–37.

6. Nordenstrom, B.E.W. 1983. Biologically Closed Electric

Circuits: Clinical, Experimental and Theoretical Evidence for

an Additional Circulatory System. Nordic Medical Publi-cations, Stockholm, Sweden.

7. Xin, Y., H. Zhao, et al. 2004. Electrochemical therapyof tumors. In: P.J. Rosch & M.S. Markov (eds.). Bio-

electromagnetic Medicine, pp. 709–726. Marcel Dekker,Inc., New York, NY.

8. Nordenstrom, B.E.W. & J. Nordenstrom. 2004. Theparadigm of biolologically closed electric circuits andits clinical applications. In: P.J. Rosch & M.S. Markov(eds.). Bioelectromagnetic Medicine, pp. 697–708. MarcelDekker, Inc., New York, NY.

9. Adey, R.W. 2004. Potential therapeutic applicationsof nonthermal electromagnetic fields: ensemble or-ganization of cells in tissue as a factor in biologicalfield sensing. In: P.J. Rosch & M.S. Markov (eds.). Bio-

electromagnetic Medicine, pp. 1–16. Marcel Dekker, Inc.,New York, NY.

10. Liboff, A.R. 2004. Signal shapes in eletromagnetictherapies. In: P.J. Rosch & M.S. Markov (eds.).Bioeletromagnetic Medicine, pp. 17–38. Marcel Dekker,Inc., New York, NY.

11. Jenrow, K. & A.R. Liboff. 2004. Electromagnetictechniques in neural therapy. In: P.J. Rosch & M.S.Markov (eds.). Bioeletromagnetic Medicine, pp. 213–228.Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, NY.

12. Benveniste, J. 2004. A fundamental basis for the ef-fects of emf’s in biology and medicine: The interfacebetween matter and function. In: P.J. Rosch & M.S.Markov (eds.). Bioelectromagnetic Medicine, pp. 207–211.Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, NY.

13. Tiller, W. 2004. Subtle energies and their roles in bio-electromagnetic phenomena. In: P.J. Rosch & M.S.Markov (eds.). Bioelectromagnetic Medicine, pp. 159–192.Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, NY.

14. Tiller, W. 2004. Electromagnetism and bioelectro-magnetism. In: P.J. Rosch & M.S. Markov (eds.). Bio-

electromagnetic Medicine, pp. 193–206. Marcel Dekker,Inc., New York, NY.

15. McCraty, R. 2004. The energetic heart: biomag-netic communication within and between people.In: P.J. Rosch & M.S. Markov (eds.). Bioelectromag-

netic Medicine, pp. 541–562. Marcel Dekker, Inc., NewYork, NY.

16. Merz, C.N., M. Paul-Labrador, et al. 2006. Effectsof a randomized controlled trial of transcendental


meditation on components of the metabolic syn-drome in subjects with coronary heart disease. Arch.

Intern. Med. 166: 1218–1224.17. Sarang, P. & S. Telles. 2006. Effects of two yoga based

relaxation techniques on heart rate variability (HRV).Int. J. Stress Manage. 13: 460–475.

18. Schachter, S.C. 2004. Vagus nerve stimulation for thetreatment of epilepsy. In: P.J. Rosch & M.S. Markov(eds.). Bioelectromagnetic Medicine, pp. 329–342. MarcelDekker, Inc., New York, NY.

19. George, M.S., Z. Nahas, et al. 2004. Repetitive trans-cranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for depressionand other indications. In: P.J. Rosch & M.S. Markov(eds.). Bioelectromagnetic Medicine, pp. 293–312. MarcelDekker, Inc., New York, NY.

20. Roslin, M. & M. Kurian. 2004. The use of electricalstimulation to treat morbid obesity. In: P.J. Rosch& M.S. Markov (eds.). Bioelectromagnetic Medicine, pp.761–770. Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, NY.

21. Zabara, J. 2004. The origin and evolution of va-gal nerve stimulation: implications for understandingbrain electrodynamics, neuroendocrine function, andclinical applications. In: P.J. Rosch & M.S. Markov(eds.). Bioelectromagnetic Medicine, pp. 115–132. MarcelDekker, Inc., New York, NY.

22. Mitchell, E. 2004. Quantum holography: A basis forthe interface between mind and matter. In: P.J. Rosch& M.S. Markov (eds.). Bioelectromagnetic Medicine, pp.153–158. Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, NY.

23. Horn, D.T. 1993. Basic Electronics Therapy 100–101.McGraw Hill, New York, NY.

24. Rosch, P.J. 1986. Some thoughts on the endemiologyof cancer. In: S.B. Day (ed.). Cancer, Stress and Death,pp. 293–303. Plenum Publishing, New York, NY.

25. Rosch, P.J. 1998. Serendipity and science. In: R.Lawrence, P.J. Rosch & J. Plowden (eds.). Magnet Ther-

apy, pp. 193–222. Prima Publishing, Rocklin, CA.26. Graham, C. & M. Gibertini. 1997. Laboratory stud-

ies of melatonin in humans exposed to magneticfields. In: R.G. Stevens, B. Wilson, W. Wilson &L.E. Anderson (eds.). The Melatonin Hypothesis: Neuroen-

docrine Effects of Light and Electromagnetic Fields. BattellePress, Columbus, OH.

27. Korotkov, K.G., B.O. William, T.J. Bugno & P.H. Par-sons. 2002. Human Energy Field Study with GDV Bioelec-

trography. Backbone Publishing Co., New York, NY.28. Becker, R.O. 1990. Cross Currents. Jeremy Tarcher,

Los Angeles, CA.29. Rosch, P.J. 1998. Afterword. In: B.E.W. Nordenstrom

Exploring BCEC-Systems, pp. 98–112. Nordic MedicalPublications, Stockholm, Sweden.

30. Rosch, P.J. & B.E.W. Nordenstrom. 2004. Is there anelectrical circulatory system that communicates inter-nally and externally? In: P.J. Rosch & M.S. Markov(eds.). Bioelectromagnetic Medicine, pp. 229–250. MarcelDekker, Inc., New York, NY.

31. Einstein, A. 1972. Untitled reprinted letter dated1950. New York Post, 28 November.

bioelectromagnetic and subtle energy medicine

Documents