Jill Blakeway is the acclaimed founder and acupuncturist of New York City’s Yinova Center and an energy medicine student. Additionally, she was the first acupuncturist ever to give a TED Talk and has written three books about healing.
She shares her global journey in pursuit of understanding both the science and mysticism surrounding healing, along with modern studies that support ancient practices.
What is Energy Medicine?
Energy medicine (a.k.a. energy healing or energy therapies) refers to various holistic practices that harness an invisible field of energy surrounding and flowing through our bodies, and which practitioners believe can be controlled to restore balance, promote wellness and heal illness. Since energy healing therapies don’t pose any side effects or require any surgery for treatment purposes, they may be combined with more traditional medical solutions as part of an integrative healthcare approach.
Energy healing modalities vary, each practice depending on the experience and techniques of its practitioners. Reiki (ray-key) and Healing Touch both use Eastern beliefs about an energy supporting our natural ability to heal ourselves as healing agents; other modalities focus on manipulating biofields according to detailed descriptions such as acupuncture or acupressure which stimulate specific points along the body’s meridians.
Practitioners of energy healing claim they can use life force energy to send into your body in order to identify imbalances in its energetic field and clear them, or clear away energy blocks which keep you from feeling better. Energy has long been used as a form of medicine; its usage has been observed across cultures over time using terms like life force, prana, qi and chi as descriptive names for these energies in various contexts.
Scientists have recently learned that our bodies produce massive amounts of information through electromagnetic fields generated from cells, tissues and organs as well as voltage potentials that control ion flux across cell membranes. Scientists now understand that these signals form a network connecting our endocrine and cellular systems together to form an informational ecosystem.
Human Energy Field, or HEF, influences many physical processes including hormones, peptides, neurotransmitters, cell signaling and ion flux. When communication channels between body systems break down, subtle energy treatments may realign HEF and restore homeostasis, or normal functions for body systems.
While energy therapies may seem promising, their efficacy has yet to be proven. Therefore, you should continue seeing your healthcare provider for conventional medical advice and treatments.
How does Energy Medicine Work?
EM is an integrative medicine approach to healing that utilizes subtle energies to address the human biofield – an invisible energy field thought to envelop and penetrate the body. Therapeutically addressing energy fields to restore equilibrium may indicate disease or age-related patterns of energy imbalance; using therapeutic energy techniques EM therapies use subtle energies such as chakra energy healing or assessments using known subtle energies can restore homeostasis (balance).
Energy medicine practitioners believe in an invisible force flowing throughout your body, connecting mind and body. Healers channel this healing energy to their patients in order to promote balance, harmony and vitality within them. Healers use holistic treatments like acupuncture, reflexology and tapping (an emotional release method).
Energy healers use their hands to activate electromagnetic fields on a small scale inside of a patient’s body, known as cellular voltage potentials, that direct ions across cell membranes, modulating their function. Furthermore, energy healers believe the biofield holds information regarding bodily physiology; such as presence or absence of hormones or peptides in different tissues of the body.
As for the claimed energy healing effects of biofield therapy treatments, a 2015 systematic review of 27 studies using it found positive results in terms of reduced depression and fatigue levels as well as improvements to quality of life, health locus of control and pain levels; however it must be noted that many of the analyzed studies did not have rigorous methodologies sufficient for supporting claims made by energy healers.
Energy healing techniques lack scientific backing; yet many people still utilize them as complementary treatments alongside more conventional approaches. If taking any medications or suffering from certain health conditions – for instance undergoing cancer treatments – energy healing sessions may not be wise until after chemotherapy treatment has concluded.
What is the Difference Between Energy Medicine and Acupuncture?
Energy medicine can be misinterpreted, as its definition goes far beyond just acupuncture. Energy medicine encompasses an array of healing modalities that involve manipulating our vital energy or “qi,” which runs throughout our bodies, to balance it and remove blockages that interfere with its flow.
Acupuncture is one of the most effective energy therapies used to treat pain and nausea. Acupuncture involves placing fine needles into specific points on the body in order to stimulate nerve pathways and release endorphins – natural painkillers and mood boosters – into your nervous system and brain, stimulating release.
Studies have proven the efficacy of acupuncture. According to the National Institutes of Health, it can help with chronic pain and fibromyalgia symptoms. When selecting an acupuncturist in your state, make sure they are licensed and certified as well as check whether health insurance covers treatment.
TCM, an ancient practice dating back millennia, describes vital energy that flows along pathways or meridians containing acupuncture points and is blocked at certain places by obstacles called meridians; when these obstacles are removed, flow is restored and healing begins.
Blakeway is a board-certified acupuncturist and licensed herbalist, serving both New York City’s Yinova Center as the founder and as professor at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego as an instructor. Additionally, she was the first acupuncturist ever to give a TED Talk and author three books.
She joined me this week to talk about her work as a healer and research surrounding energy medicine. We discussed what energy healing involves, different therapies she employs, as well as its mysterious yet scientific foundations. Listen below or download here – don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play and Stitcher too if you enjoy this interview and have any feedback or questions for us – you can leave comments or leave them below!
How does Energy Medicine Help?
Energy healers believe in an invisible electrical network called “life force” which flows throughout and around your body, and a disruption in this energy flow could cause illness; they believe energy healing can restore this balance.
An energy medicine treatment typically involves using hands-on touch or light manipulation from a practitioner in order to correct the flow of your life force. These treatments tend to be noninvasive and low risk; examples include acupuncture, Reiki and herbal remedies.
Energy medicine operates under the assumption that health problems are due to an imbalance of energy within your body or aura, with energy medicine treatments designed to restore that flow so your body can heal itself.
A 2015 review demonstrated the many positive results of biofield therapies, including improved mood and quality of life as well as decreased pain, anxiety and fatigue. Patients reported increased coping abilities, health locus of control and vitality as a result of biofield therapies.
Energy healing treatments use universal life force to balance and clear any blockages from your aura, then distribute this fresh energy all over your body to recharge and clear any unhealthy energies. At the conclusion of their work, practitioners may provide tools that help maintain energy balance such as daily routines or meditation techniques that you can implement at home.
Energy healing shouldn’t be seen as a replacement for conventional medical care; rather it should serve as an adjunct. But before trying any alternative therapies or practices it’s essential that you speak to your healthcare provider first.
In case of Adrenal Fatigue, for instance, your practitioner might recommend that you avoid light energy healing techniques like Reiki and similar methods, which may increase stress levels and worsen symptoms. If an energy healing treatment is recommended by your practitioner, be sure to follow their advice about its length of time and frequency of repetition.
Energy modalities don’t often address the cause of your health problems; for instance, they don’t focus on pinpointing and treating their source; an abdominal ache might have its source in an imbalance in either your heart meridian or liver meridian.
