Week 11: Energy Medicine and Energy Fields

Acupuncture as effective energy medicine

The question raised in class "is acupuncture energy medicine?" was an interesting one. I would tend to say yes and consider it to be a simple question. It seemed that the answer was not so clear in the group and I found that to be fascinating.

My current understanding of acupuncture is to think of needles as lightning rods that help to realign the energetic currents that run throughout our bodies. I often feel that the question of whether we have energy channels to be as strange as those who question human responsibility for global climate change: you can find science that tells you otherwise, but such studies don't come from reliable or peer reviewed sources. Western science from my perspective seems to easily support the idea that we have energetic bodies. If such is the case, then it makes sense that a system of medicine like acupuncture whose goal (at least partly) is to restore our energetic flows to a healthy pattern, makes a lot of sense. From personal experience as well as observation of others, I have found acupuncture to be a tremendously effective form of energy medicine. That's why I'm here! =)

What conclusions can you draw from Kirlian photography?

For me, Kirlian photography brings up more questions than it does conclusions. For example the cut-leaf phenomenon. If a leaf can be cut in half but still show the energetic whole, what does this mean? What if you just picked the leaf then took the picture, would you be able to see the rest of the plant that it was just attached to? How long would such an effect last? A few moments until the connection is severed? Is the connection between and leaf and it's mother plant ever severed completely? It reminds me of the stories about people who get organ transplants and end up with pieces of the donors personality. Does that wear off eventually? Or are the two always connected? What does it mean to be connected to a being that is dead? And on and on. It's very fun and interesting to think about!

Human intent as it effects health

I feel like intent plays an important role in human health. It is not so heavy handed as to be the prime factor, but I believe it is not negligible. If you eat very well and get a moderate amount of exercise but have a bad attitude, you could still have health problems. My opinion on intent is the same for all attributes of a healthy existence. There seems to be a holistic dance of all aspects from diet and exercise to interpersonal relationships and self reflection, etc. Every aspect is key and none stand alone. Sure some may show effects more quickly than others, but nothing occurs in a vacuum. I feel that this applies on a micro level within ourselves, and also a macro level in terms of our whole selves being one piece in the symbiotic ecosystem that we reside in and are a part of.

Week 10: Life and Living Systems

I know I'm a "living system" because...

Well, scientifically speaking I fit the criteria for what is considered to be living as in I breathe, eat, move, can reproduce, etc. But if the question is asking for a better reason why I know I'm alive and not the dream of something else, I would say I don't know. Maybe I'm not here. Maybe you're not here either. But I have to trust that I think and am able to interact with others I observe to be living and therefore I am alive.

Biophysics and Oriental Medicine

The articles we read in class were very interesting and exciting but they also reminded me of a Gandhi quote I enjoy: " Speed is irrelevant if you are going in wrong direction." I'm not necessarily saying that these new technologies are bad, but they are #1 not preventative and #2 not holistic. Oriental medicine seems to primarily focus on those two things. My understanding of Biophysics is that it is the study of matter and energy as it applies to living systems. My hope would be that Biophysics is used to help us understand and honor our own living systems and those we find around us, and not as a way to conquer or subdue that which makes us alive and vulnerable and mortal.

Week 9: Toward a new synthesis

My E-Prime day

Today I spent the morning in a seminar on concentrated granular extracts. I found my level of understanding of herbs to be insufficient for me to understand completely the ideas the lecturer was attempting to convey. Because of this, I decided to leave early and allow myself to have extra study time. When I arrived home, I ate my lunch in the company of my husband. I enjoyed soup and rice that had been left over from a previous meal. After eating, I began my studies which will continue for the rest of the evening until I feel comfortable enough with the subject to take the exam tomorrow or until I feel that I have exhausted my energy to study for the day.

Can I synthesize East and West?

I am not sure what this question is asking exactly. I take synthesis to mean a logical deduction. Perhaps it means can I deduce east from west or vice versa. Not really reductionism but more along the lines of whether the two have a general relation or correlation. Maybe it is possible to eventually find that the two world perspectives will one day come together. Its possible that we are already seeing that the two curve toward each other.

Week 8: Classical Physics

Newton's Three Laws and Me =)

When I think of Newton's 3 laws I am reminded of how motion of bodies is similar to emotions of people. Take for example if you are in a certain mood, generally that mood will stay unless something changes. Of course things are constantly changing around us just as a body in motion usually interacts with some other force like friction that changes its course or slows it down. Another example would be with the 3rd law, when another person feels a certain emotion, we can often be sponges and feel that emotion and even soak it up and take it within ourselves just as the force of the two colliding objects are exchanged. If someone says something or does something, there will inevitably be some sort of reaction.

Our "energy efficient" culture

I think efficiency should be a hallmark of our culture and economy. I have heard that we could cut our energy consumption in half just through efficiency measures. There is a strange idea these days that to be efficient would mean giving up a comfortable life. I think of efficiency as cutting out waste. Waste meaning the excess that we didn't need in the first place and that we really would not miss or even notice was gone. I feel an important part of energy efficiency is knowing where your energy expenditures are going. This is difficult, because every item of clothing, food, stuff we consume has an energy price tag that is not readily accessible. Our culture is beginning to want more energy efficiency but I think it is having a hard time figuring out how to do it. Also our culture is obsessed with a "cure all". The solutions touted are never thousands of small actions, but instead we wait around for one sweeping solution to all of our problems and in the mean time we sit on our hands. I mean this as a culture generally. There are many individuals that put in and effort to make their impact and that is a wonderful start.