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Information Wellness Blog

Detailed Reviews and Guides about energy and informational health and wellness

October 15, 2026|Editorial

The Difference Between Hopeful Ideas and Proven Treatments

Brittany is a US Air Force Veteran who practices functional medicine, including bio-identical hormone therapy, medical weight loss counseling, and IV nutrition therapy. She enjoys helping patients navigate their health journey and achieve vitality!
While it’s important to seek hope during illness, misapplying quantum physics ideas to healing risks distracting patients from effective therapies. This article separates fact from myth to help you make safe, informed choices for complementary treatments during cancer treatment.

Myths

Quantum Healing offers hope during illness by appealing to comforting ideas about mind-body connections. It combines quantum mechanics, which explains the behavior of matter and energy at microscopic levels, with the idea that thoughts and emotions influence health. While these concepts may provide a sense of control during illness, there is no scientific proof that Quantum Healing can cure cancer or alter its course. Instead, effective treatment requires evidence-based medical therapies recommended by your oncology team. It is important to understand the difference between hopeful ideas and proven practices to avoid neglecting essential care.

While incorporating complementary therapies like meditation and mindfulness for stress relief is safe, it’s crucial to speak with your doctor before trying any new approach to ensure it won’t interfere with your cancer treatment.

Facts

Quantum Healing is inspired by quantum mechanics, the science of matter and energy at the tiniest scales. Its proponents claim that our thoughts and intentions affect our body’s energy fields, which can encourage healing. The concept is appealing because it offers hope and a sense of control during illness. However, it’s important to separate fact from myth when considering complementary therapies like Quantum Healing for cancer. Choosing unproven methods over proven treatments can delay or hinder your recovery. Moreover, misapplying quantum physics ideas to health risks spreading false information and distracting from the science-based treatments recommended by your oncology team. Rather, focus on practicing stress-relieving techniques and receiving emotional support during your cancer journey. These strategies can improve your quality of life while supporting your treatment.

Limitations

Quantum healing offers hope and a sense of control during illness by using comforting ideas about the mind-body connection. However, misapplying quantum mechanics to health is misleading and can distract from effective medical care. There is no evidence that quantum energy, meditation, or positive thinking can cure cancer. Instead, people with cancer should follow the proven treatment recommendations of their oncology team. Adding mindfulness or other stress-reduction practices to conventional therapy may be helpful. However, it is important to talk with your doctor before trying anything new.

Conclusions

As the name suggests, Quantum Healing is inspired by quantum mechanics, the science of energy and matter at the tiniest scales. Its advocates claim that you can control the biological processes involved in cancer with your thoughts or energy vibrations. However, unless supported by scientific research, these ideas about the mind-body connection are unproven. It’s important to balance hope with facts during illness, and to avoid relying solely on unproven approaches that can distract from effective medical care.

It’s safe to try complementary therapies like Quantum Healing alongside evidence-based medical treatments recommended by your oncology team. Just make sure to discuss these options with your doctor so they know you’re using them safely and won’t interfere with your care. This is also true for other practices like meditation and stress reduction.

October 15, 2026|Editorial

Holistic Skincare Practitioner Certification

The typical esthetician is trained in rejuvenating skin by giving facials, full-body treatments and massages. They also learn about the right products to use and recommend.

Holistic skincare practitioners go beyond those basic steps to understand the bigger picture of what causes skin problems and how to help. They learn to identify hidden contributors, like hormone imbalances and poor diet.

Deeper Understanding of Skin Issues

When you pursue holistic skincare certification, you will learn to view skin problems beyond the surface. You will gain an understanding of the underlying factors that contribute to your client’s wellness and health, including their diet and hormones. This can help you provide more targeted, effective treatments that produce long-lasting results.

While estheticians typically have extensive knowledge about a variety of topics related to the skin, such as rejuvenation methods and proper product use, holistic estheticians go much further by incorporating energetic healing and bodywork techniques. This allows them to create deeper, more profound client results by supporting their nervous system, emotional well-being and energetic alignment.

In addition to this, many holistic skincare practitioners offer a more natural approach to skin care. This can include avoiding the use of synthetic chemicals and using products that contain organic ingredients. Additionally, some also incorporate herbal medicine and other traditional practices into their practice. This may be a great choice for estheticians who want to expand their offerings and attract clients who are interested in alternative medicine.

As an added bonus, many holistic skincare practitioners choose to become members of professional organizations to stay up-to-date on the latest techniques and to network with others in their industry. These associations may provide liability insurance, continuing education opportunities and business resources.

Holistic estheticians often focus on building a strong foundation for their practice before expanding their services. This is because they understand that a successful career in the field requires a high level of professionalism and a commitment to ongoing learning and personal development.

In the world of modern esthetics, where most beauty professionals are focused on giving facials and massages and recommending products, holistic estheticians take things to the next level by incorporating ancient wisdom into their work. The resulting transformational experience for the client can be life-changing and can allow them to find balance both inside and out.

Deeper Understanding of the Body

Estheticians are trained to provide rejuvenating facials and full-body treatments, recommend skin care products and dermatological procedures, and give clients dietary and lifestyle advice. Those who choose to become holistic estheticians go beyond these basics, learning about the emotional and energetic components of skin health, and integrating ancient healing techniques into their practice.

In addition to more traditional treatments, these practitioners often incorporate modalities like herbal skincare, massage and energy work to create truly transformational experiences for their clients. Many of these modalities aren’t taught in basic esthetician training, but can be incorporated into any treatment plan to create profound results that last.

This approach to the skin also teaches practitioners to identify hidden causes of a client’s skincare issues. For example, an acne breakout or patch of eczema may be the result of underlying hormone imbalances or poor diet. A holistic skincare practitioner will be able to help their client address these root causes and prevent them from returning.

Adding a holistic element to an esthetician’s treatment regimen also means taking into account the impact of external factors on their clients, like environmental pollution and stress levels. For this reason, a holistic skincare specialist is also likely to incorporate techniques like breathing exercises and meditation during treatments.

Those who pursue a career as a holistic esthetician can learn the skills needed through a variety of programs and workshops. For those who want to complete a comprehensive, accredited program, a certification offered by the Association of Holistic Skincare Practitioners can help. This organization provides liability insurance, continuing education opportunities, networking events and other resources for spa professionals who focus on holistic skincare.

Deeper Understanding of the Mind

Holistic skin care practitioners are not only trained in rejuvenating the skin through facials, full body treatments and massages; they also understand how nutrition and emotional health impact the complexion. A holistic skincare specialist can guide clients in making better lifestyle choices, which will ultimately lead to healthier skin.

Unlike traditional esthetics, holistic facials integrate eastern medicine influences and energetic practices into their treatments along with therapeutic massage techniques, acupressure, herbal poultices, crystal grids, aromatherapy and other sensory elements that invite the body to come back into balance. The result is a restorative experience that gives the client an opportunity to slow down, relax and breathe deeply.

A holistic skin care practitioner may also use an array of hand-on techniques during a treatment that are not typically taught in regular esthetics training, such as sculpting massage, gua sha from multiple approaches and facial reflexology. These methods, combined with herbal poultices, acupressure and lymphatic drainage are designed to promote healing of the skin and a deeper level of relaxation for the whole person.

More conventional kinds of esthetics do not go beyond the superficial layers of the skin and often miss important contributing factors to a client’s complexion. Whether it is the result of stress, poor diet, lack of sleep or hormonal changes, many issues are hidden below the surface and only a trained holistic esthetician can provide the patient with long-lasting solutions.

If you are looking to add a more holistic approach to your existing esthetics practice or would like to start your own skincare business, it is essential that you find the best holistic esthetics training program available. Choose a course that combines a clear and concise curriculum with hands-on activities and live demonstrations from experienced instructors. You should also look for an option that offers flexible learning with the ability to begin your course immediately and finish at your own pace. The course should also offer support and resources to help you become a successful holistic esthetician, including access to scripts, forms and client rituals.

Deeper Understanding of the Spirit

In a world saturated with products and quick fixes, clients are seeking more holistic guidance. A holistic facial specialist’s approach goes beyond skin care and focuses on the mind, body + spirit. The holistic skincare practitioner certification teaches you how to create next-level experiences with clients that help them shift their lifestyle, emotional health and energetic alignment.

You learn how to use a variety of touch therapies during a holistic face treatment that include sculpting massage, gua sha from multiple approaches, acupressure and herbal poultices. Adding these techniques to your practice will help you deliver profound client results. You’ll also learn to incorporate Eastern medicine principles and somatic healing into your treatments.

Unlike conventional esthetician programs, a holistic facial certification program teaches you to identify the root causes of imbalance in your client’s skin. More often than not, the causes of a problem such as acne or dryness are associated with other issues such as stress, poor diet, and hormone imbalance. A holistic facial specialist knows how to address these hidden causes and create long-lasting transformation in the skin.

After finishing your holistic facial practitioner certification, you can join a professional organization that provides networking events, advanced education and resources for practitioners to support their growth. Some organizations provide liability insurance, and others offer business advice and support. You can also pursue a niche specialization like organic skincare or Ayurvedic treatments to attract clients with specific needs and interests. These niches will help you build a more thriving business and stand out from other estheticians.

October 15, 2026|Editorial

Are Bioresonance Tests Accurate?

Bioresonance testing remains controversial within the scientific community. The lack of clinical evidence raises concerns about accuracy and reliability.

The premise behind bioresonance is that all living things emit electromagnetic frequencies. These frequencies can be detected, amplified, and influenced with corrective frequencies to promote healing. The technique is often used to identify food intolerances.

What is Bioresonance?

Bioresonance, as a holistic form of therapy, aims to synchronize the body’s energies and promote healing. Often paired with a therapeutic relationship, it can be used to identify the root cause of symptoms and help guide individuals towards their optimal health. Bioresonance tests are also widely available as a hair analysis test, and many individuals find that it provides an accurate picture of their physical and energetic health.

A bioresonance machine reads electromagnetic frequencies emitted by the body and compares them to a database of optimal frequencies. It then sends a series of impulses to the organs and systems to reset their energy patterns, creating resonance in the system. The body can then use its natural energy systems to heal itself, without the need for medications or invasive treatments.

While a scientific explanation for the phenomenon of bioresonance has yet to be discovered, there are many studies and testimonials supporting the effectiveness of this type of treatment. For example, one study showed that bioresonance therapy improved depressive symptoms in patients with recurrent depression, even better than selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor medication.

Another benefit of bioresonance is that it can reveal imbalances that traditional blood tests miss. For instance, the technology can identify food sensitivities and environmental stressors like toxins that may be contributing to your symptoms. This information can be used to support the patient’s overall wellness and rebalance their diet and lifestyle.

A session begins with the client sitting or lying down comfortably, and electrodes are placed on the skin to read the body’s energy frequency. The data is then analyzed by the device, which identifies imbalances and emits corresponding corrective frequencies to restore harmony. The bioresonance test can be helpful for individuals who struggle with chronic fatigue or unexplained stress. In addition, it is a great tool for identifying physical and emotional imbalances that can contribute to anxiety or depression.

Those who are interested in pursuing this holistic approach to healing can also learn more about bioresonance through the practice of psychophysical integration. This involves combining grounded and regulated presence with somatic work like yoga, breathwork, or EMDR. The therapist’s centered and connected state enhances client attunement, promoting nervous system synchronization to facilitate emotional regulation and recovery from trauma.

How is Bioresonance Tested?

The premise behind this alternative diagnostic technique is that your body’s cells emit electromagnetic signals that create an energy signature of your health. This bioresonance system scans and flags these frequencies as they deviate from a healthy baseline, identifying imbalances that may manifest as physical symptoms. It’s also possible to detect toxins, food sensitivities, and other energetic disturbances with this non-invasive approach.

The testing process begins with you lying comfortably while electrodes or sensors are attached to your skin. These connect to a computer that translates the electromagnetic signals into digital data. The information is then sent to a laboratory in the UK, where specialist equipment reads these frequencies and assesses them against established healthy ranges. Your results are then delivered in a detailed digital report, typically within 48-72 hours.

A key element of the bioresonance scanning process is to identify the unique frequency patterns produced by each organ and body system, and then compare them against their normal ranges. These can be affected by a variety of factors, including nutritional deficiencies, exposure to toxins, and DNA damage. Using this data, your practitioner can identify the specific energy patterns that are out of balance and determine the root cause of your discomfort.

This holistic diagnostic approach has gained popularity for its ability to identify food sensitivities, toxins, and other imbalances that conventional tests often overlook. While evidence supporting bioresonance therapy is limited, some small studies have reported improvements in conditions such as fibromyalgia and cigarette smoking cessation.

Allergy management is one of the most common applications of this advanced technology, and ukfoodintolerance has built its service around making it as accessible and straightforward as possible for people in the UK. This includes a low price point and an at-home hair sample collection that removes barriers for those struggling to access NHS-validated allergy testing. However, it’s important to treat any bioresonance testing findings with caution. Unless you’re under the care of a GP or registered dietitian, it’s not a replacement for clinical allergy testing and should be used as a starting point for an elimination diet.

Does Bioresonance Test Work?

Every organ and system in the body vibrates at a unique frequency, but imbalances like inflammation, stress, toxins, or emotional turmoil can shift those frequencies. The bioresonance machine scans your energy field to identify these imbalances and sends correction frequencies back to the body to help restore balance. It’s a bit like re-tuning your internal radio station.

The science behind bioresonance testing is based on the theory that systems that vibrate at similar frequencies can influence each other. In the case of your child’s health, bioresonance tests assess the vibrational patterns of key organs, identifying areas where those frequencies deviate from healthy norms. This allows a practitioner to create a tailored treatment plan aimed at resetting the body’s natural frequencies.

During the test, the practitioner will apply electrodes to the head and wrist to measure vibrational responses. They will then compare the results to a database of optimal frequencies. Disturbed frequencies will be isolated and modified through a process called “phase inversion” or filtering, which is designed to stimulate the body’s natural self-healing processes.

Some bioresonance practitioners also offer hair analysis. Here, the sample is collected from the scalp rather than blood. While it can be used to assess nutritional needs, it is more commonly associated with evaluating food intolerances and allergies. While there is no scientific evidence that the technique works, it remains popular in alternative health circles.

It is important to understand that neither IgG 1-4 testing nor bioresonance tests provide medically validated allergy or intolerance diagnosis. These tests work best as a starting point, reviewed alongside GP or dietitian advice. They may encourage you to remove foods from your diet without clear justification, and can lead to avoiding certain foods for years without any beneficial effect.

If you are suffering from persistent symptoms, please visit your GP or dietitian before trying an elimination diet. They can recommend appropriate testing to rule out serious medical conditions, and help you structure dietary changes safely.

Is Bioresonance Test Accurate?

Despite its popularity, bioresonance testing remains unproven and should not be used to diagnose allergies. The MHRA sets a high bar for devices that make medical claims, and bioresonance hair testing fails to meet those standards. Many at-home food sensitivity tests claim to detect hundreds of ingredients using the ‘bioresonance’ of a hair sample. While these tests offer genuine practical appeal – no clinical appointment needed, no needles, and a wide range of items covered in a single test – the results should be taken with caution and should be viewed alongside professional medical advice to avoid misleading conclusions.

Rather than detecting specific antibodies to foods like IgG1-4, bioresonance technology scans the body’s electromagnetic frequencies to identify imbalances within organs and systems. These frequencies shift in response to stressors, such as toxins or infections, and the resulting bioresonance signals flag these changes. The test is non-invasive, painless, and safe for all ages.

In fact, it’s even been utilised by professional athletes and sports teams to help them achieve better performance balance and faster recovery. Members of the Swedish National Cross-Country Skiing Team, for example, have used the technique to support injury prevention and boost training and competition recovery.

However, bioresonance testing is not a diagnostic tool. Instead, it provides insights into functional imbalances that may be contributing to your symptoms – but they are not a replacement for standard blood tests or a medical diagnosis.

While a number of healthcare professionals remain cautious or critical of these approaches, others believe that if you are symptomatic and struggling to get to the bottom of what’s going on, then it’s worth exploring alternatives that can reveal new layers of the problem. If you’re struggling with bloating, fatigue, or digestive discomfort, the food intolerance tests offered by Ukfoodintolerance can provide useful starting points for conversations with your GP or a registered dietitian.

As an added benefit, the testing can be done as part of a consultation and is included in our extended health plans for existing clients. We’ll ensure you understand the process and methodology so that you can get the most value out of your appointment.

October 15, 2026|Editorial

Resonant Voice Therapy Exercises Handout

Resonant voice therapy (RVT) emphasizes oral vibratory sensations in the front of the face during easy voicing. This enables individuals to produce sound that is loud, clear, and powerful without excessive vocal cord tension or breath pressure.

RVT begins with humming and nasal consonant exercises, then progresses to shaped vowels and connected speech production. RVT is a safe and effective approach to healthy voice production.

1. Hum Exercise

Resonant voice therapy is a unique approach to the care of people who have difficulty producing a clear, healthy voice. It focuses on optimizing the natural acoustic properties of the human vocal tract, reducing effort through optimal resonance, and provides the foundation for more efficient, comfortable voice use.

Humming serves as the foundation of RVT, with patients learning to produce a comfortable, sustained “mmm” sound while keeping their lips closed. This exercise is important because it promotes forward focus and requires minimal vocal cord tension. In addition, humming allows for an evaluation of whether the laryngeal muscles are being set correctly (i.e., are they being tense or relaxed).

The goal of the hum exercise is to feel vibrations in the front of the face around the lips and nose. This sensation indicates that the voice is being produced efficiently and with optimal resonance. Once the patient has mastered the hum, they can progress to nasal consonant exercises and then to syllables and words. This gradual progression ensures that the voice is being used efficiently and effectively before moving on to more complex speech sounds.

Once the humming and nasal consonant exercises have been mastered, RVT will introduce gentle pitch glides to develop flexibility in maintaining resonant patterns with different pitches. Then, the therapist will move on to connected speech to practice resonant pattern formation with voiced and voiceless syllables, phrases, and eventually conversational speech. This hierarchical progression ensures that the voice is being used effectively and efficiently at all times, avoiding acoustic distortion and excessive vocal cord strain. In this way, resonant voice therapy is an evidence-based approach to the treatment of many common voice disorders.

2. Nasal Consonant Exercise

Resonant voice therapy helps patients achieve a healthy, strong, clean, and clear sound by teaching them to speak with forward focus and easy phonations. Unlike traditional approaches that may stress increased effort, greater breath support, and harder vocal cord contact, resonant voice therapy focuses on improving the quality of a person’s voice through optimal resonance.

In the early stages of RVT, clinicians teach patients to feel vibrations at the front of their face (i.e., the anterior alveolar ridge, lips, nose, and facial bones). This feeling of a resonant voice is the result of nasal-nasal coupling and can be achieved by performing hum exercises and moving on to nasal consonants such as m and n. Once this is mastered, a patient can move on to syllables and simple words to learn how to produce these sounds with forward focus and the same sensations they experienced with humming.

For individuals with functional dysphonia and breath-holding tendencies, resonant voice therapy also incorporates casper-stone flow phonation techniques to help the individual develop a consistent airflow during inhalation and exhalation. In addition, resonant voice therapy can help reduce the incidence of benign vocal fold lesions such as nodules and polyps by decreasing the forces exerted on the vocal cords during phonation and allowing them to recover more quickly.

Resonant voice therapy is also effective in treating neurogenic disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease and Multiple Sclerosis, as it provides a non-invasive alternative to other therapies, focusing on the natural mechanisms of the voice and promoting a healthy acoustic outcome. To improve the acoustic quality of speech and to increase vocal endurance, it is important for patients to perform resonant voice therapy exercises regularly and to seek regular monitoring and follow-up to track progress, make adjustments to their home exercise program, and address any concerns or questions that arise.

3. Basic Training Gesture (BTG)

Resonant voice therapy is an evidence-based approach that has helped thousands of patients recover their voices. By emphasizing forward resonance, this treatment method helps to reduce vocal fold strain and enhance overall vocal quality. It also promotes optimal acoustic properties of the human vocal tract, reducing recurrent voice problems such as nodules and polyps.

During resonant voice therapy, the goal is to produce a resonant voice that is powerful yet effortless, requiring little or no effort from the vocal cords. This allows the power of the voice to move off the vocal folds, reducing tension in the vocal cords and larynx. It is also a helpful approach to treating voice disorders associated with muscle tension dysphonia, such as vocal nodules and polyps.

As with any treatment, the key to success is consistent practice outside of formal therapy sessions. Therefore, patients are provided with specific home practice routines and self-management strategies to ensure they can maintain resonant voice techniques long after their speech therapy sessions have ended.

Patients begin their resonant voice therapy journey with humming exercises, which help to build awareness of forward-focused sensations. Then, as they progress, they are introduced to nasal consonant exercises that naturally promote oral-nasal coupling and facilitate resonant voice production with minimal effort. Finally, they are given more advanced exercises that gradually transfer resonant voice production to the production of vowels, syllables and simple words.

Although humming is the most common exercise, resonant voice therapy can be used with any sound that produces a buzz or increased energy in the front of the mouth/nose (such as lip trills, tongue out trills, y-buzz, straw phonation, etc.). Ultimately, the objective is to help patients realize that they can produce a powerful and effortless voice without excessive force or strain, allowing them to maintain this technique long-term.

4. Voiced versus Voiceless Sounds

The goal of RVT is to create a stronger, more powerful voice with minimal impact and strain between the vocal folds. This helps reduce the likelihood of vocal injury and enables the patient to perform daily activities with greater ease.

Achieving this goal involves a continuum of oral vibratory sensations that begin on the anterior alveolar ridge and move up through the nose, lips, and facial bones (Stemple et al., 2010). During resonant voice therapy sessions, patients are introduced to humming and both voiced and voiceless productions of consonants that are then shaped into phrases and conversational productions.

For more difficult sounds, therapists may use a modified version of the flow phonation program which eliminates the stretch component and allows a higher rate of speech (Gartner-Schmidt, 2008, 2010). In addition to this hierarchical approach, therapists can introduce voiceless trills with the goal of increasing airflow through the mouth and into the throat. These exercises, combined with chanting and negative practice of dropping back into the throat, are designed to facilitate a more efficient production of the resonant voice (Ziegler & Hapner, 2014).

Once the resonant voice is mastered, clinicians can focus on helping individuals to transfer these techniques into functional speech contexts. This can include asking questions such as “What did you have for breakfast?” or, as the therapy progresses, more complex conversational questions that require a sustained resonant response. Consideration of the linguistic features of each patient’s language as well as functional daily voice needs is also critical when setting goals for this type of treatment. For example, in tonal languages, the rate of speech may be directly impacted by the need for a stronger and more resonant voice.

5. Negative Practice

In the world of voice therapy, few therapeutic approaches have garnered as much attention or proven effectiveness as resonant voice therapy (RVT). RVT differs from traditional methods that rely heavily on increased effort, breath support, and hardened vocal cord contact to produce sound. Instead, it recognizes that the human voice is a primarily acoustic instrument that functions best when effort is minimized and resonance is maximized.

RVT teaches individuals to recognize and reproduce the specific vibratory sensations of optimal voice production, such as vibrations felt in the front of the face around the lips and nose. This forward-focused resonance allows the voice to produce sound with less muscle tension and breath pressure, minimizing impact stress between the vocal cords, while producing superior acoustic results.

Initially, clinicians guide patients to practice a range of vowel and consonant sounds using this technique. Later, they introduce word pairs that differ by just one sound to develop precise articulation. Then they progress to connected speech, using guided conversation exercises that help transfer resonant voice techniques into spontaneous communication.

Positive/negative practice is a behavioral treatment that is often prescribed for patients with nonorganic voice disorders. These patients typically have a history of persistently lurching between the normal and abnormal voices on an involuntary basis. During positive/negative practice, the patient alternates between the re-established normal voice and the old abnormal/nonorganic voice upon clinician cue (optionally with digital manipulation). This is done at first at sentence level, then every few words, and eventually word-by-word until it is achieved at the conversational level.

It is important to be cautious with negative practice in children with speech sound disorders, particularly childhood apraxia of speech. If a child is practicing the incorrect motor plan, it can be difficult to teach them how to correct that error. This is why it is important to use multisensory cueing when working with these clients.

October 15, 2026|Editorial

Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basis

Energy medicine involves techniques like reiki, acupuncture, qigong, reflexology, and others in which a practitioner channels healing energy to support the body. Some research suggests that these practices may come with several health benefits.

But does energy healing really work? And if so, how does it work? This article explores these questions.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture involves inserting very thin needles into specific points on the body that connect with energy channels called meridians. Traditional Chinese beliefs say qi, or life force energy, flows through these channels to keep the body healthy and moving in the right direction. But injury, illness, poor diet, and stress can block qi, and acupuncture helps unblock it and move qi to the areas that need it most.

For patients, that means less pain, more energy, and better sleep, among other things. More recent scientific studies have found that acupuncture may affect how the brain processes pain signals, and it also appears to activate the parasympathetic nervous system (the “rest and digest” side of your stress response), dial down inflammation, and boost communication between the gut and the brain.

Other forms of energy healing, such as reiki and qigong, are based on beliefs that a practitioner can channel a healing energy to support the body and mind. The NICCIH recommends checking with your health plan to see if these practices are covered and talking to your doctor before trying them.

One thing that sets acupuncture apart from other forms of energy healing is its focus on a pattern, not a single symptom or test result. Your acupuncturist will look for signs that tell the full story of how your body’s systems are out of balance and how it’s attempting to get back to a natural rhythm. One clue is the tongue, which reflects how well your organs are functioning by its color, size, coating, and moisture. Hints are emerging that acupuncture may even broadcast its benefits over long distances by tapping into a network of interstitial fluid pathways within our connective tissue, called the interstitium.

Reflexology

A form of energy healing, reflexology involves a practitioner applying pressure to specific points on the feet. Proponents believe that different parts of the foot correspond to various organs and body systems. They also believe that congestion or tension in these points may cause similar symptoms in the corresponding part of the body.

During a session, a person remains fully clothed. The practitioner may wash the feet before starting to work on the reflex areas. The session lasts for about an hour. The feet are manipulated using different amounts of pressure, and it is common for the person to feel a tingling sensation.

Practitioners say that when the body’s energy is healthy, it can create within it an environment that supports good health and vitality. They say that this is a way to reduce stress in people’s lives. It is also said to promote relaxation, which helps relieve a variety of ailments.

Research on this type of healing is in its early stages, and results are mixed. Some studies show that acupuncture and qigong, for example, are associated with positive outcomes, including pain relief, improved mood, and greater overall well-being. Other studies, however, have found no clinical significance.

Many experts recommend that you talk to your doctor before trying any new type of therapy. They should also be able to help you find a certified reflexologist in your area. If you decide to seek a reflexologist, be sure to find one with a background in traditional medical training and who is familiar with your current treatment. Be sure to tell your reflexologist about any conventional treatments you are receiving. You do not want to stop or delay any medical treatments that are working for you.

Reiki

Reiki, pronounced “ray-key,” is the most common form of energy healing and the one that’s most widely used in hospital settings. Derived from the Japanese words “rei” meaning higher power and “ki” meaning life force energy, it’s believed to improve the flow of energy around the body, easing pain and anxiety and potentially speeding up the healing process.

Practitioners channel energy through their hands or other mediums—like acupuncture needles—to balance the energy field, which brings about purported health benefits. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) notes that a few small studies suggest some forms of energy healing, including reiki, acupuncture and qigong, may come with a number of health benefits.

Energy healers often encourage their clients to practice simple, ethical ideals—which include kindness and compassion—as a part of the healing experience. This is because Mikao Usui, founder of Reiki, felt that these practices were an essential component of the healing process.

During a session, clients lay fully clothed on a treatment table and the practitioner uses light, no-pressure touch to support the relaxation response. Many practitioners also invite clients to share any intentions or questions they have beforehand. It’s important to find a practitioner you trust, says Lily Allen-Duenas, a reiki master teacher and crystal healer in Des Moines, Iowa.

Energy healing is considered safe, though it should never be viewed as a replacement for medical care or psychotherapy. It’s also best to notify your energy healer of any mental or physical health concerns so they can take precautions and help prevent any negative side effects, Blythe says. She adds that patients should always talk to their primary care providers or integrative doctors before beginning any energy healing therapy.

Healing Touch

Healing Touch is a form of energy medicine developed by nurse Janet Mentgen in the late 1980s. Mentgen believed that all people have the ability to provide healing for themselves and others. Today, healing touch practitioners offer compassionate care in private practice and healthcare settings worldwide. In Healing Touch sessions, a person seeking healing lies on a massage table or sits comfortably in a chair, fully clothed. The practitioner becomes calm and focused through a process known as centering, and then uses hand motions to scan the client’s energy field for sensations and imbalances. The practitioner may talk with the client or ask questions as the session progresses. During the session, the client is often able to connect with the energy and experience an emotional release.

The theory behind Healing Touch is that all living things, including humans, have an energy system in constant interaction with the environment. An individual’s energy field extends from the body and is imperceptible to the naked eye. The practitioner is able to interact with this energy field and, according to one nurse theorist, reorder or remove blockages in the flow of vital energy to the client’s body.

In addition to reordering or removing blocks in the flow of energy, the Healing Touch practitioner can also help the client develop a stronger connection with their personal guidance and intuition during sessions through techniques such as Cellular Memory Release. Healing Touch sessions can also reveal the energetic interrelatedness of past events and how they may have influenced the development of a health condition.

Although studies of energy healing are sparse, some research suggests that therapies like acupuncture, reflexology and Healing Touch can improve quality of life, boost the immune system and reduce side effects associated with cancer treatment. While more rigorous scientific testing is needed to determine efficacy, these treatments are increasingly being used by hospitals and medical clinics alongside conventional treatments.

Quantum Healing

For those who want to take a more active role in their health, energy-based practices like Reiki and quantum healing may offer a holistic new treatment paradigm. At its core, quantum healing is based on the idea that your inner energy is connected to a universal energy pool of unlimited potential. You can channel that energy to clear and heal your body, mind, and emotions.

At its simplest, quantum mechanics revolutionized physics by suggesting that at the smallest level, particles aren’t solid but rather a field of potential energy. These particles interact through vibrations to create our world and shape our experiences. Quantum healing takes this scientific principle and applies it to the practice of self-healing, with visualization and energetic alignment as key tools for change.

This type of healing offers many benefits, including stress reduction, improved focus and clarity, and faster injury recovery times. It also promotes a deeper sense of well-being and connects you to your personal power. It may even expand your consciousness to connect with the infinite potential of the universe and all its beings.

However, it’s important to note that quantum healing techniques do not replace traditional medical treatment. There is no evidence that they help cure cancer, for example. Cancer is a complex disease that requires the attention of an oncologist, so be sure to use proven treatments recommended by your doctor.

That said, quantum healing can offer hope and a sense of control during treatment, especially when paired with other proven mind-body modalities like meditation for stress relief or support groups. Harriet Trejo, a student of Burt’s, recently used these techniques to heal her beloved dog, Wolfie, from unexplained cancer.

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