This particular article deals with a treatment called energy therapy. As with anything not proven parents are advised to exercise caution and keep their medical doctor informed as to what they are doing

There are two types of energy therapies. Biofield therapies are used to affect energy fields in and around the human body. Bioelectromagnetic-based therapies use electromagnetic fields to affect the body, such as those from magnets or electrical current.

Energy therapies can be divided into the following are the most widely used:

• Acupuncture
• Healing touch
• Reiki
• Magnetic field therapy
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)

Acupuncture is a Chinese therapy that has been used for centuries. It is based on the theory that there is energy, called chi or qi, flowing through your body. Chi is thought to flow along energy pathways called meridians.

Acupuncturists believe a blocking or imbalance of the flow of chi at any point on a pathway may result in illness. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners believe acupuncture unblocks and rebalances the flow of chi to restore health.

People often use acupuncture to relieve pain. Western medical researchers who have studied acupuncture believe that it may reduce pain through body chemicals that have calming effects (opioid peptides), or by affecting glands (such as the hypothalamus) that produce substances the body uses.

Traditional Chinese acupuncture usually is done by putting very thin needles into the skin at certain points on the body to produce energy flow along the body's meridians. Other types of acupuncture may use heat, pressure, or mild electrical current to stimulate energy flow along these meridians.

While some cancers can be cured by surgery alone (e.g., some thyroid cancers), most others are treated with chemotherapy or radiation (or both) - sometimes in conjunction with surgical intervention.

Those patients treated with chemotherapy and radiation can suffer from a multitude of side effects, including:

• Nausea and Vomiting
• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Muscular Aches and Pains
• Gastrointestinal Problems including Diarrhea, Constipation and Hiccups
• Hot Flashes
• Peripheral Neuropathy
• Weakened Immune System
• Anxiety and Depression

Acupuncture may be helpful in ameliorating most of these symptoms. The World Health Organization acknowledged this in 1979, and later, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Conference, convened in 1997, issued a statement supporting acupuncture as an effective treatment for nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy.

Healing Touch is a gentle, non-invasive form of energy work that is used to manage side effects of chemotherapy and radiation treatment, such as fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, pain, muscle stiffness and lymphedema.

It can be used to relax and balance the body before surgery and to speed post-operative recovery. By promoting deep relaxation, it can increase overall energy levels and the ability to cope with challenging life events.

Healing Touch is:

Energy-based healing

Individual sessions lasting 45 minutes

Treatments are tailored to the needs of the individual and given while you are lying, fully clothed on a massage table or sitting in a chair

Reiki is one of the more widely known forms of energy healing. Energy Healing involves direct application of Chi for the purpose of strengthening the clients energy system (aura).

Chi is the term used by the Chinese mystics and martial artists for the underlying force the Universe is made of. Mystics in all cultures have talked about the physical universe being made of an underlying form of something, much as modern physics research is now coming to understand the Universe is made of energy which is subject to (or affected by) thought. Just as modern physics says this energy is affected by thought the mystics also say this underlying form is affected by thought, going so far as to claim we create our own reality from our thinking and the thoughts we share between each of us every day.

In a Reiki session, the practitioner asks the recipient to lie down and relax. The practitioner then purports to act as a channel for Reiki energy, theoretically allowing "Reiki energy" to be channelled through the practitioner to wherever the patient is believed by them to require it. Usually the practitioner moves their hands close to or on various parts of the recipient's body. Some patients report feeling various subjective sensations: heat, tingling, cold, pressure, etc.

Practitioners of Reiki attribute these sensations to Reiki energy filling energetic deficiencies in the body and aura of the recipient, repairing and opening their energy channels (meridians or nadis), pulling out "negativity," and dissolving the blockages of "stale" energy.

Some claim that practitioners can also channel Reiki energy through other parts of their bodies (for example, their eyes or their breathing) if they wish.

According to practitioners, intention is the primary method for directing the flow of the energy. Reiki healers say that their energy can be used for healing either in physical proximity or from a distance. Furthermore, many Reiki healers claim that the ability to share Reiki comes only after a "Reiki Master" performs an initiation or "attunement.

Magnetic therapy is applied by wearing a magnetic device for extended periods of time in close proximity to that part of the part of the body under treatment. Usually the magnet is in a flat shape so as to fit well against the surface of the body.

Many claims about magnetic therapy come from the fact that some cells and tissues in the human body give off electromagnetic impulses. Some practitioners think the presence of illness or injury disrupts these fields.

Magnets produce energy fields of different strengths, which are supposed to penetrate the human body, correcting disturbances and restoring health to the afflicted systems, organs, and cells. Most magnets marketed to consumers are static magnets, also called constant magnets, because the magnetic field doesnÂ't change. They are usually made of magnetized metal or lodestone. Static magnets are different from electromagnets, which only have an energy field while electricity is passing through them.

Proponents claim magnetic therapy can relieve pain caused by arthritis, headaches, migraines, and stress, and can also heal broken bones, improve circulation, reverse degenerative diseases, and cure cancer. They also claim that placing magnets over areas of pain or disease strengthens the body's healing ability. Some believe that magnetic fields increase blood flow, alter nerve impulses, increase oxygen being sent to cells, decrease fatty deposits on artery walls, and realign thought patterns to improve emotional well being.

Proponents of magnetic therapy assert that magnetic fields produced from the negative pole of the magnet have healing powers. Negative magnetic fields are thought to stimulate metabolism, increase the amount of oxygen available to cells, and create a less acid environment within the body.

Because people who use magnets believe cancer cells cannot thrive when acid is low, they claim that the effects of negative magnetic fields can halt or reverse the spread of tumors. For the same reasons, they believe that negative magnetic fields speed the healing of cuts, broken bones and infections and counter the effects of toxic chemicals, addictive drugs, and other harmful substances.

There is no scientific evidence to support these claims.

Magnetic therapy involves the use of thin metal magnets attached to the body alone or in groups. They are sometimes mounted on bracelets and necklaces, or attached to adhesive patches that hold them in place. Some magnets are placed in bands or belts that can be wrapped around the wrist, elbow, knee, ankle, foot waist, or lower back. There are even magnetic insoles, blankets, and slumber pads. These magnets may be worn for just a few minutes or for weeks, depending on the condition being treated and the practitioner.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation more commonly referred to as a TENS and pronounced tens, is an electronic device that produces electrical signals used to stimulate nerves through unbroken skin. It is usually applied to the skin using two or more electrodes. A typical battery-operated TENS unit consists of a pulse generator, small transformer, frequency and intensity controls, and a set of electrode wires.

TENS is considered a method of pain relief, and has a wide following for use in obstetric care particularly labour. Nevertheless, there is little data on its actual efficacy, and many obstetricians maintain that it is ineffective.

In palliative care and pain medicine, TENS is occasionally attempted for neuropathic pain (pain due to nerve damage). Although results are modest, some patients benefit from this approach. To generate more conductivity from the electrode to the skin a cream should be used. The position of the electrodes on your skin can alter which muscle is stimulated.

TENS should also be used with caution in people suffering from epilepsy or pregnant women. TENS should not be used by people with Cardiac pacemaker due to risk of interference and failure of their implanted device. Possible failure of these warnings can result in Ventricular fibrillation

Edited by: Kevin Hart MA

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