Return
to Menu PageIntroduction
Physical Healing Methods
Biofield Therapeutics
Combined Physical and
Biofield Methods
Recommendations
The following methods are described by their practitioners as combining physical and biofield aspects. The list, which is not all-inclusive, tends to be descriptive; little research is available as a basis for judging the usefulness of these methods. Most of them would benefit from research on their efficacy and their scientific bases.
Applied kinesiology, or "touch for health," consists of both a diagnostic method of determining dysfunctional states of the body and related therapeutics. Based on principles of physiology and the meridian system mentioned earlier, it was developed in the 1960s by George Goodheart. It uses both the meridian qi and the biofield qi in its diagnostics and therapeutics.
Neurolymphatic holding points, neurovascular holding points, meridian holding points, and ~the biofield external qi are all said to be incorporated in the process. A session starts with various "muscle testings" that are used to determine the state of qi flow through the meridians. Muscle testings give an indication of the area to be worked on and are a necessary part of the treatment.
A number of applied kinesiology practitioners use the process in conjunction with more established practices, such as chiropractic.
Network chiropractic spinal analysis (NCSA) merges conventional chiropractic mechanical or structural approaches with biofield approaches to evaluate and correct anomalies of the spine and nervous system. At the clinical core of NCSA is the classification of spinal subluxations into two categories: (1) structural subluxation that involves mechanical dislocation of spinal sections and (2) soft-tissue subluxation that involves tension in the muscles and other soft tissue connected to the spinal sections. NCSA does not address ~structural subluxations until after a reduction of soft-tissue subluxations has occurred. (It has been noted that structural subluxations often self-correct shortly after soft-tissue subluxations have been adjusted.) Application of the biofield is included for the soft-tissue adjustments and is applied first. Conventional chiropractic adjustments follow, as required, for structural adjustments.
The clinician uses a phased system to introduce order to the subluxated segments. Since the body often creates movement from a tense, restricted state, a spontaneous discharge of tension often occurs as the spinal distortions are resolved; this is a common occurrence. A wide range of responses is then observed with certain common elements. Among the unique individual responses typically seen is a period of deep and full respirations; other responses include periods of muscular movements and naturally occurring postures as the body and mind seek to purge mechanical tension or stored memories of traumatic experiences.
~Polarity therapy is a natural health system based on the idea of a "human energy field." Drawing from oriental and Indian sources, it asserts that well-being and health are conditions determined by the nature of the flow of this human energy field and that the flow can be affected by various natural methods. Polarity therapy incorporates a variety of strategies to enhance the flow of the energy field, including touch, diet, movement, and self-awareness. (Polarity practitioners generally believe that the energy field that they are enhancing is electromagnetic, but this point has not been established.)
The central concepts of polarity therapy are as follows:
• All phenomena have a fundamental structure involving charged particles in a relationship of expansion-contraction or attraction-repulsion. In East Asia this relationship is called the tao, or relationship of opposites (yin and yang).
• An "energy anatomy" precedes and creates physical anatomy, and this energy anatomy exists in several layers that are affected, and possibly distorted, by life experience.~ • These distortions may be corrected by several methods, including touch, holding pressure points, and using the practitioner's hands to link various "polarities" in the client's body.
Commonly reported benefits of "polarity energy balancing" include relaxation, pain reduction, reduction of nervous conditions, heightened self-awareness, and improvement in range of motion.
Polarity therapy was developed in the 1950s by Randolph Stone, a chiropractor, osteopath, and naturopath. Today the American Polarity Therapy Association, which was founded in 1983, organizes and supports training and certification of practitioners; the association also is developing a research arm. At present there are more than 500 practitioners of polarity therapy, trained at several levels of proficiency.
~The qigong longevity or health exercises are a fairly recent addition to alternative health practices in the United States. Qigong exercises are similar in appearance to tijijuan (tai chi chuan), a rhythmical nonaerobic form of exercise; however, this appearance is only superficial. Qigong movement exercises do not flow from one position to another as in tai chi; they are done in shorter movement groups that are repeated many times. This, however, is not the essence of the practice, but only the visible form.
Qigong exercises combine repetitions of coordinated physical motions with mental concentration and directive efforts to move the qi in the body. During these exercises, which are based on slow, repetitive movements of the arms, legs, and torso, the exerciser's mind is focused on moving the qi (biofield flux) through the meridian pathways and nonmeridian pathways that were developed by the ancient Taoist (Daoist) sages.
This mental effort is coordinated with specific movements; for example, qi may be directed up the back as the arms are raised and down the front as the arms are lowered. Large amounts of internal qi are said to be developed in the process. It is estimated that there are ~more than 100 different forms of qigong health exercises. There are considerable differences in the styles, but all consider the mental effort to be crucial. Qigong exercises are used daily for health improvement by several million Chinese, both in the People's Republic and in Chinese communities throughout Southeast Asia.
Qigong exercises are also used by qigong masters (see the "Biofield Therapeutics" section) to increase the quantity of qi available for healing; some use it in various forms of martial arts such as gongfu (kung fu).
In China, qigong exercises have been under study for their long-term effects on a number of medical conditions, such as cancer and arthritis, and for their effects on general health. More than 32 studies were recently presented at just one major conference on the effects on general and specific states of health of exercises enhancing qigong qi (Proceedings, 1988).
Several schools and organizations in this country focus entirely on these practices. The principal ones are China Advocates, the Chinese National Chi Kung Institute, the Qigong ~Academy, and the Qigong Institute. The practice of qigong is gaining in popularity in the United States, both with Asians and non-Asians.
Craniosacral therapy is a gentle, hands-on treatment method that focuses on alleviating restrictions to physiological motion of all the bones of the skull, including the face and mouth, as well as the vertebral column, sacrum, coccyx, and pelvis. Concurrently, the craniosacral therapist focuses as well on normalizing abnormal tensions and stresses in the meningeal membrane, with special attention to the outermost membrane, the dura mater, and its fascial connections. Attention is also paid to alleviating any obstacles to free movement by the cerebrospinal fluid within its membrane compartment and to normalizing and balancing perceived related energy fields. This approach is derived from experiments of John Upledger, an osteopathic physician and researcher (for example, see Upledger, 1977a and 1977b, which are discussed below).
~As usually practiced, this therapy is a noninvasive treatment process that requires an uninterrupted treatment session of at least 30 minutes; often the session is extended beyond an hour. Practitioners indicate that successful treatment relies largely on the therapist's ability to facilitate the patient's own self-corrective processes within the craniosacral system. Postgraduate training in craniosacral therapy has been undertaken by a wide variety of physicians, dentists, and therapists. In the United States during 1993, 2,738 health care professionals completed the Upledger Institute's introductory-level workshop and seminar; 1,827 received training at the intermediate level, and 80 completed the advanced level. Training outside this country is available through the Upledger Institute Europe in the Netherlands and on a smaller scale in Japan, New Zealand, France, and Norway by American Upledger Institute teachers.
The most powerful effects of craniosacral therapy are considered to be on the function of the central nervous system, the immune system, the endocrine system, and the visceral organs via the autonomic nervous system. This therapy has been used with reported success in many cases of brain and spinal cord dysfunction. Although these successes have not been ~documented in formal studies, they have been observed subjectively or anecdotally by both patients and therapists. Most prominent among these success reports are cases of brain injury resulting in symptoms of spastic paralysis and seizure. Other areas of claimed success include cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, seizure disorders, depressive reactions, menstrual dysfunction, motor dysfunction, strabismus (a vision disorder), temporomandibular joint problems, various headaches, chronic pain problems, and chronic fatigue syndrome.
Research on tissues has documented the potential for movement between skull bones in adult humans, and pilot work with live primates has shown rhythmical movement of their skull bones. Interrater reliability studies, which look for correlations in the observations of two or more independent raters (see the "Osteopathic Medicine" section), have shown agreement between "blinded" therapists evaluating preschool-aged children ("blinding" means that the therapists making the observations did not know which children had received craniosacral therapy, nor did they know the history or problems of the children) (Upledger, 1977a). Controlled studies have shown high correlation between schoolchildren with various brain dysfunctions and specific dysfunctions of the craniosacral system; that is, the ~craniosacral exam scores correlated with recorded school teacher and psychologist opinions of "not normal," behavioral problems, motor coordination problems, learning disabilities, and obstetrical complications (Upledger, 1977b). Moreover, Upledger reports that a few pilot studies by dentists have demonstrated significant changes in the transverse dimension of the hard palate as well as in occlusion in response to craniosacral therapy.
At present, work is under way that appears to demonstrate fluctuations in what are called energy measurements in circuits between craniosacral therapists and patients. The circuits are established by attaching electrodes to the patient and the therapist with an ohmmeter and a voltmeter interposed in the circuits. In observations with 22 patients, measurements have ranged from more than 30 million ohms at the start of a treatment session to 448 ohms with a brain-injured child; voltages have fluctuated between 10 and 254 millivolts. Upledger's interpretation is that the elevation in resistances read with the ohmmeter correlate with the palpable resistances that craniosacral therapists feel with their hands and that the energy put into overcoming these resistances is reflected by elevations in the millivolt readings. On the basis of these preliminary studies, plans are under way to explore further whether the ~energetic changes measured in the circuits accompany specific landmarks in treatment processes.
Physical therapists are health care professionals who diagnose and treat problems related to physical function. While physical therapy is considered to be a part of mainstream medicine in this country, its practitioners frequently use manual healing methods that are categorized as alternative. Many of the methods identified in other sections of this chapter are part of the standard repertoire of physical therapy. The development of the profession and its transition into mainstream health care are discussed in this section. Some of the alternative procedures and the difficulties encountered in training for them are noted.
Physical therapy is a relatively young profession in comparison with medicine and nursing, ~although its roots lie in ancient Rome and Greece. Its modern embodiment appeared at about the time of World War I, through the creation of the Women's Auxiliary Medical Aides, renamed Medical Aides and then again Reconstruction Aides, in the Office of the Surgeon General of the Army. Physical therapy training programs existed in France and England at this time under the name physiotherapy, a term that is still used in most Western nations outside the United States. It quickly became apparent that the United States also needed to train its own people in new ways to assist the war wounded. Few, if any, professionals who were trained in medicine or nursing at that time could deal with physical, vocational, and psychological problems associated with injuries sustained in war (Ramsden, 1978).
Educational preparation in 1917 consisted of 4-month sessions after graduation from high school but quickly moved to 12-month sessions that followed preparation in nursing or physical education. Since the 1920s, preparation for practice has shifted from an apprentice model to an academic model and from clinic-based education to universities. Currently, 50 percent of entry-level degrees are awarded at the master's degree level. Not included are ~master's degrees in physical therapy awarded to people already trained in the field. The professional doctorate--the D.P.T.--is available at three universities.
Adversity stimulated the growth of the profession, with major spurts during both world wars and during the polio epidemics in 1914, 1916, and the 1940s. Then a new creativity in prosthetics and orthotics in conjunction with physical therapy treatment evolved in response to the problems of thalidomide-affected babies after the belated recognition in 1961 that thalidomide was a teratogen (a substance affecting embryonic development). Thalidomide was given to pregnant women, primarily in Great Britain, to treat nausea, or "morning sickness."
The startling growth of physical therapy as a profession in the 1980s and 1990s may be explained by many factors, including documented effectiveness of treatment of patients of all ages. The targets of treatment include virtually all problems affecting normal function resulting from trauma and illness as well as those resulting from genetically transmitted disease, trauma sustained in childbirth, developmental delay, and normal and abnormal consequences of ~aging.
The number of schools in the United States preparing men and women for the profession of physical therapy is now 140, with approximately 5,000 graduates each year (American Physical Therapy Association, 1993). There are additional schools at various stages in the accreditation process. Previously made up entirely of women from physical education and nursing, the professional ranks today include approximately 30 percent men. The curriculums draw applicants from a wide variety of academic backgrounds, including fine arts, basic science, humanities, behavioral sciences, engineering, and business. Membership in the American Physical Therapy Association is approximately 60,000, which is half the total number of practicing physical therapists in the United States.
The number of graduates from academic programs does not begin to meet society's need for physical therapy services. Because professional practice is relatively autonomous, physical therapists frequently work in private practice. Growing sophistication and autonomy have led to a nationwide effort by members of the profession to seek legislative changes in State ~practice acts to permit practice without referral. Twenty-eight States have enacted such legislation. Real shortages of physical therapists exist in many health care institutions; it is one of the professions having the greatest number of vacant positions in the Nation.
Physical therapists are licensed health care professionals. The therapist's normal scope of work for any given client involves evaluating the patient, identifying potential problems, and determining the diagnoses that are related to physical function; then the therapist establishes objectives or goals, provides treatment services, evaluates the effectiveness of treatment, and makes any modifications necessary to achieve the desired outcome.
Therapeutic interventions focus on posture, movement, strength, endurance, cardiopulmonary function, balance, coordination, joint mobility, flexibility, pain, healing and repair, and functional ability in daily living skills, including work.
~Among the therapeutic activities included are therapeutic exercise; application of assistive devices; physical agents, such as heat and cold; ultrasound; electricity, such as electromyography and electrical muscle stimulation; manual procedures, such as joint and soft-tissue mobilization; neuromuscular reeducation; bronchopulmonary hygiene; and ambulation training with and without assistive devices.
This professional activity may take place in a wide variety of settings, including neonatal nurseries, intensive care units, bedside acute care, rehabilitation units, outpatient clinics, private offices, private homes, physical fitness or sports facilities, and schools. In addition to providing direct service, physical therapists are also involved in health maintenance programs and illness prevention programs, health policy development, administration, education, research, consultation, and other advisory services.
Physical therapists also apply many of the therapeutic interventions identified and discussed elsewhere in this chapter. Therapists using these procedures consider them fundamental tools in their repertoire. Among these procedures are acupressure, myofascial release, ~craniosacral therapy, massage techniques, Alexander technique, Feldenkrais method, and therapeutic touch.
Such procedures are rarely included in the academic preparation of physical therapy students. Rather, they may be learned through special programs with a select group of practitioners who conduct continuing education experiences throughout the country. Perhaps the inclusion of these procedures in the clinical practice of physical therapy is evidence of the belief by a growing segment in the profession that mind and body are connected, but we do not know or understand all the connections.
Several of these systems seem to share common threads. The therapy is aimed at restoring the homeostasis of a person's body-mind-spirit, using a comprehensive and holistic approach. The emphasis is on promotion of health, prevention of illness, and education approaches.
Philosophy~The philosophy of physical therapy is based on an educational model; the objective is to help individual patients help themselves to attain the maximum level of function they are capable of. The decisions about treatment--what to do, when to do it, and how much--are not made only on the basis of experience with what "works." A general understanding of the effects of an approach for a given condition is not adequate justification for applying that method.
The professional literature of physical therapy that appears in several refereed journals documents evidence of the efficacy, or lack thereof, of particular treatment interventions. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods are used with increasing sophistication. A major effort by physical therapists in academic and clinical leadership positions and by the professional association has contributed to the prominence of this kind of documentation for a wide variety of physical therapy interventions.
Responding to a research mandate may be difficult for some physical therapists who are ~using procedures that are less well-known and not generally included in the traditional academic preparation (Hariharan, 1993). Research may be even more difficult for therapists whose work is entirely clinical and whose academic preparation did not include training in research methodology appropriate for clinical practice (Soderberg, 1991). Nevertheless, the research mandate for the profession today is clear: do it if it works, document carefully what has been done, develop careful research studies to determine the mechanisms involved, publish the results, and continue the research until everyone understands what is being done and why. As a corollary, a corresponding need has arisen for physical therapists to obtain training in research methodology.
Physical therapist researchers currently publish in major medical journals as well as the journal Physical Therapy. The research covers a wide range of subjects related to clinical practice and the underlying mechanisms of function (Bohannon, 1986). Recently published work on the following subjects illustrates the range: physical therapy treatment of peripheral vestibular dysfunction based on clinical case reports; impact of three posting methods on controlling abnormal subtalar pronation; a comparison of three different respiratory exercises ~in prevention of postoperative pulmonary complications after upper abdominal surgery; motor unit behavior in Parkinson's disease; a study of age and training on skeletal muscle physiology and on performance; a study of the factors associated with burnout of physical therapists working in a specific work environment; and a study of the discrete behaviors that differentiate the expert from the novice physical therapist.
Physical therapy began with a few women who trained briefly and learned on
the job how to help care for seriously injured soldiers. The group grew
dramatically, and the length of training increased as the scope of work became
apparent and the amount of knowledge to impart expanded. With the knowledge and
technology explosions, physical therapy became more sophisticated and moved into
the mainstream of health care, contributing in significant ways to patient care
and to the literature of research and practice.
Return
to Menu Page