Chinese Taoist Traditional Medical Ba Gua QiGong School
Martha M. Grout, MD, MD(H)
October 30, 2002
I went to China in early October to learn something about the ancient healing art of QiGong. I came back with an understanding of how the QiGong masters use the energies of the world which surrounds them. China is a land of extraordinary contrasts – fierce mountains and exquisite gardens, huge palaces and tiny hovels, beautiful clear air and unbelievably bad air pollution.
We stayed at a School of QiGong in Beijing. The school is also an orphanage. When children are abandoned in China, they are taken to the Shao Ling Temple. There they receive education in Daoism and the martial arts. Master Wan Su Jie picks out children whom he thinks have potential to become QiGong doctors. He brings them back to the school, where he educates and cares for them for over 10 years.
Children also come from very poor villages in the North of China, often with severe congenital deformities caused by residuals of chemical warfare in the 1940s.The children are schooled by teachers who come to the school in the winter. Their deformities are healed, using a combination of QiGong, acupuncture, massage, and love. The school is supported largely by the money which is brought in by groups of visitors, who come twice a year to learn about QiGong and to see the sights of China.
We stayed mostly in Beijing, although we did take two side trips to sites in China which are especially beautiful and have especially good energy (or Qi). The food was astounding – lots of fresh vegetables and fruits, fish every day, a little meat every day, soup with every meal.
The children were clearly well cared for and well loved, and extraordinarily well disciplined. They spoke a little tiny bit of English, and all of the older ones served both as our hosts and our teachers. The oldest students came with us on trips, along with some of those who are already QiGong doctors.
We had QiGong treatments every day, and I personally witnessed the rapid healing of my roommate. She had sprained her ankle very badly on day 4 of the trip, the kind of sprain which, under ordinary circumstances, would have required walking with crutches for at least 2 weeks before thinking about putting weight on it. With the daily treatments, she was walking perfectly normally by the time we arrived back in the U.S. 10 days later.
QiGong is used in two ways. The first way, and the most important, is to help the individual practitioner clear his own body of tension or congestion, so that the body is relaxed, the energy flows freely, the organs lose their congestion, and the practitioner becomes healthy.
The second way is to use that energy to assist in the healing of others. The students practiced QiGong daily for at least an hour, in addition to the time they spend on the martial arts. We were instructed in the beginning exercises of QiGong, which are good for the health of anyone who chooses to do them.
I brought back a DVD of the Master and some of his students teaching the exercises. I also brought back new ways of healing for my own practice of medicine. I am grateful for Master Wan Su Jie for sharing his knowledge, and for helping me to feel like an honored guest in his establishment.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
A wide range of other therapies has been used to treat irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Treatment methods that help improve responses to stressful situations can be helpful.
No one treatment works best for everyone.
Psychological treatment
The following psychological treatment options may help relieve symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in some people. Psychological treatment methods are usually more effective if they are used along with other treatment methods, such as diet changes, stress reduction and sometimes medication.
* Therapy. Psychotherapy and behavioral therapy may be effective if you have pain caused by IBS. Some people who use these treatment methods may have long-term relief.
* Hypnosis. Hypnosis may be an effective way to treat IBS that does not respond to other treatment methods.6 Hypnosis can help some people relax, which may relieve abdominal pain. Hypnosis has been especially successful in people younger than age 50.
* Relaxation or meditation. Relaxation training and meditation involves concentrating on a word, image, or phrase for a given length of time to reach a state of deep relaxation. It may be helpful in reducing generalized muscle tension and abdominal pain. Used regularly, these techniques can be helpful in dealing with stressful situations. With practice, you can learn to relax easily in almost any setting.
* Biofeedback. Biofeedback training may help relieve pain from intestinal spasms. It also may help improve bowel movement control in people who have severe diarrhea.
Complementary treatment
Complementary or alternative treatments, such as Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), have been used in the treatment of IBS symptoms. CHM involves using certain plants and other natural substances.
One clinical trial showed that taking certain Chinese herbal formulations effectively reduced symptoms of IBS in some people who took them. The effects lasted for 14 weeks after treatment stopped.7 Talk with your doctor if you are thinking about trying CHM.
Some people use beneficial bacteria, known as probiotics, to try to improve IBS symptoms. A few studies have indicated some benefit, but they have not proven that probiotics prevent or reduce IBS symptoms.
Some people have been successful at handling stressful situations and controlling their symptoms after trying psychological therapies. These techniques are not harmful and have no side effects. Some of them can be used before a stressful event to prevent or reduce symptoms.
Like conventional medicines, people who have chronic health problems should not use any herbs or natural supplements without first consulting their doctor.
Kids' Acupuncture Gaining Interest
WASHINGTON (AP) - Four-year-old Eliza Brady held very still as Dr. Yuan-Chi Lin slowly stuck hair-thin needles into her legs. After six months of these acupuncture treatments, the painful intestinal inflammation that plagued Eliza for two years was finally better.
Coincidence or the ancient Chinese therapy? No one knows for sure, because inflammatory diseases can wax and wane.
But scientists are just starting to study acupuncture in young children - unusual in U.S. kids despite its popularity among adults. And some say if tots could put aside the fear of needles, it might prove as helpful for them as it does for certain adult conditions.
``It's not easy to do for kids. You really need to spend time and effort to explain it to the patient and the family,'' says Lin, a Harvard Medical School anesthesiologist who often needles the parents first, saying children are less afraid if mom doesn't flinch from what some describe as the mosquito-bite sensation.
Lin's pain clinic at Children's Hospital in Boston just finished a study of yearlong acupuncture in 243 children, one of the largest pediatric studies yet. The children reported less pain and missed school due to headaches, abdominal pain and other common conditions than before they tried acupuncture, he told a recent meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiology.
He's preparing another, more scientifically stringent, study - giving half the children real acupuncture and half a sham version.
Adult acupuncture has gained in popularity in recent decades, particularly after the National Institutes of Health in 1997 declared it can help relieve certain conditions, such as surgical pain and the nausea and vomiting that accompanies chemotherapy.
Oriental medicine practitioners say needles placed at certain points, along with other practices such as the use of herbs, can heal by correcting flows from the body's energy channels.
While many Western scientists are skeptical that acupuncture has as many bodywide effects as Oriental medicine practitioners believe, they have found evidence that it may affect body chemicals related both to pain sensitivity and other functions. Now the NIH is funding half a dozen studies to see if acupuncture significantly helps certain non-pain disorders, such as high blood pressure.
You can't assume what works in adults will work in children - it must be tested, cautions Dr. Brian Berman, the University of Maryland's director of complementary medicine.
Yet pediatric acupuncture research is in its infancy, says Richard Nahin of the NIH's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. There have been a handful of pilot studies, on conditions including attention deficit disorder and cerebral palsy, but Nahin says the strongest evidence so far backs acupuncture to relieve chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. The NIH now is studying child cancer patients.
Parents' interest is rising, says Lin, who estimates a third of pediatric pain centers have begun offering child acupuncture.
``I had nothing to lose and everything to gain,'' says Eliza's mother, Susan Luchetti.
The Weston, Mass., mother balked when her daughter's gastroenterologist said Eliza's Crohn's disease-like intestinal inflammation was worsening despite mild medication and recommended stronger steroid treatment. Instead, Eliza tried acupuncture, which is common in Asia for certain gastrointestinal problems. After years of blood tests, the much smaller acupuncture needles didn't frighten her.
Remarkably, blood and stool tests showed inflammation receding as Eliza felt better. Nobody knows if it was just a routine remission and six months later, Eliza, now 5, still takes mild medication. But Luchetti would try acupuncture again if she worsens.
Where can parents find child acupuncture?
There are 15,000 licensed acupuncturists, non-physicians who learn acupuncture and Oriental medicine techniques at nationally accredited schools. Also, a small but growing number of mainstream physicians like Lin mix acupuncture with conventional treatments.
Few specialize in children, and state laws governing who is qualified to practice acupuncture in general vary widely. People can find information on acupuncturists at the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine - http://www.nccaom.org - or the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture - http://www.medicalacupuncture.org.
Scientific Evidence in Support of Acupuncture and Meridian Theory
Professor Julia J. Tsuei M.D., F.A.C.O.G.
National Yang-Ming University School of Medicine
Graduate Institute of Traditional Medicine
Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
Acupuncture is a therapeutic modality used in China as early as the late stone age. Throughout Chinese history both acupuncture theory and practice has steadily evolved into an increasingly rich and complex system, eventually offering treatments for virtually every form of medical condition. Much of the history of the development of acupuncture therapeutics can be seen in the evolution of the needles themselves, but the meridian system is of primary importance, and the conceptualization of the system has changed very little in the last 2000 years.
Acupuncture has long been considered more important then herbal pharmacology. The earliest classical books on traditional Chinese medicine discuss Acupuncture and do not discuss herbal pharmacology. These include Huangdi's Internal Classic (ca. 100 B.C.E.) and two other works that pre-date it, the Moxibustion Classic with Eleven Foot-Hand Channels and the Moxibustion Classic with Eleven Ying-yang Channels, both of which were discovered during the Mawangdui tomb excavations in 1973. There is even a traditional saying: "first you use the needle (acupuncture), then fire (moxibustion), and then herbs."
Acupuncture did not enter modern Western consciousness until the 1970's when China ended a period of isolation and resumed foreign political and cultural contacts. In 1972 the respected New York Times columnist James Reston underwent an emergency appendectomy while in China. He latter wrote about acupuncture treatment for post-operative pain that was very successful. This report attracted attention and many American physicians and researchers went to China to observe and learn acupuncture techniques.
It appeared as though Acupuncture was used to treat everything in China, but the number of accepted acupuncture applications has grown very slowly in the West. The first area of partial acceptance was in analgesia, which is still the area where its effectiveness is best documented. Acupuncture research has since become a very broad, active area both in Asia and the West. Research at the Shanghai Institute has demonstrated acupuncture's effect on various biological systems, including the digestive tract, cardiovascular system (helpful in hypotensive states), immune system (phagocytosis), and the endocrine system (the secretion of ACTH, oxytocin, vasopressin, norepinephrine, follicle stimulating hormone, prolactin, and 17-hydroxycorticosteroids). A recent issue of the bilingual, Chinese journal Acupuncture Research includes successful studies of acupuncture treatment for hemiparalysis, facial paralysis, cervical spondylosis, humeral epicondylitis, herpes zoster, and lumbago.Current research in North American and Europe includes uterine contractions, pulmonary disease, addiction, mental disorders, and as an adjunct to AIDS treatment. Research continues, but widespread acceptance and integration are still far from realized.
The primary reason for the slow acceptance of acupuncture is the lingering suspicion that there is no substantial, scientific reality behind it because a demonstrable mechanism of action has yet to be found. For the most part, early attempts to "explain" acupuncture have been either thinly disguised denials or have embraced and verified acupuncture only partially, disproving traditional acupuncture as much as validating it. The most prevalent example of the former is the argument that any effect acupuncture may have is psychogenetic, a placebo effect. This has been disproven by successful studies of acupuncture in animals, many examples of which can be found in Kuo and Kuo. [2] Two important forms of partial validation of acupuncture are the neuralphysiological and neurohormonal schools. The neuralphysiological school defines acupuncture points on "roughly dermatome basis; partially involv[ing] 'long' reflexes to distant parts of the body, which implicates a distribution by specific spinal segments or nerves; and are partially via unknown connections." [8] This could explain remote stimulation, but as the quote suggests, it is a very incomplete explanation. Neurohormonal theories center on the release of neurohormones triggered by the pain and microphysical damage caused by needle insertion. This has been used primarily to explain acupuncture-induced general analgesics, but it can explain little else.
Both of the above explanations are attempts to use structures and concepts acceptable to the mainstream medical community to explain acupuncture. But in grafting acupuncture to Western medical theory, aspects foreign to orthodox medicine are simply jettisoned. Because of the emphasis on genetics, anatomy, physiology, and bio-chemistry in modern medicine, and a near complete denial of energetic processes in the body, chi (body energy) and meridians (paths of body energy flow) are either ignored or considered fallacies with some metaphorical or pneumonic value. Emphasis is placed by most researchers on the needle and the physical effect of its insertion into the skin, but this side of acupuncture is not essential. According to our research, acupuncture is essentially manipulation of bodily energy as it flows through the meridian system. The acupuncture needle is only one of many possible tools used to accomplish this. In the remainder of this article, "meridian theory" will be understood to include acupuncture theory and practice. "Meridian" is used to stand for both the meridian itself and the acupuncture points along the meridian.
A bio-physical or bio-chemical approach to acupuncture robs it of its actual foundation, and because of this acupuncture research to date has been only partially successful. Fortunately, advances in physics, electro-magnetism, quantum-mechanics, and bio-energetic research have enabled researchers to develop a paradigm that for the first time successfully explains the majority of acupuncture related phenomena. [9] We have embraced this bio-energetic paradigm not simply because it can explain more of acupuncture phenomena, but because it is a true description of acupuncture's mechanism of action and is an important facet of all life processes. The only way to address acupuncture successfully and scientifically is through the meridian system.
This four-article series will attempt to give a fairly complete representation of meridian theory research based on the bio-energetic paradigm. This, the first article, covers traditional acupuncture, early research into the electrical properties of acupuncture points, and basic EDS Test (EDST) methodologies. The theoretical foundation for the bio-energetic paradigm is discussed in two articles by Physicist Kuo Gen CHEN. The fourth article is a review of research into an application of bio-energetic properties called the electrodermal screening system (EDSS). In that article Dr. F.M.K. Lam, Prof. Pesus Chou, and I hope to demonstrate the effectiveness of the EDSS as a screening/diagnostic method and offer evidence of the causal connection between acupuncture points, meridians, and internal organs.
Traditional Meridian Theory
According to traditional Chinese medicine, a form of bodily energy called chi is generated in internal organs and systems. This energy combines with breath and circulates throughout the body, forming paths called meridians. The meridians form a complex, multilevel network which connects the various areas of the body, including the surfaces with the internal. All of the various meridian systems work together to assure the flow and distributon of chi thoughout the body, thus controlling all bodily functions. The interwoven meridian systems and the possibilities for diagnosis and treatment they offer, are called meridian theory. When an organ or system is not balanced, related acupuncture points may become tender or red, allowing for diagnosis. For treatment, a point on the skin is stimulated through pressure, suction, heat, or needle insertion, affecting the circulation of chi, which in turn affects related internal organs and systems.
"Meridian" is the most common translation of the Chinese ching-lo (jingluo), but it is a very imperfect translation. Ching means to pass through, and lo means a net or to connect. "Meridian" was originally used by French researchers to describe all meridians, and is used in this article in that sence. The term "channel" is used increasingly for all meridians, while some prefer to maintain the original distinction between ching and lo and use the terms channels and collaterals respectively. For them, meridian theory would be reffered to as the theory of channels and collaterals. There is another sub-classification of meridians called vessels. Although it is a valid distinction, it is not important to the immediate discussion.
Meridians are classified into 6 groups according to their location and function. The best known of the meridians are the 12 regular meridians, also called the major trunks. They connect with the organ they are named for by way of collateral meridians (see bellow) and run along the surface of the body either on the chest or back and along either both of the arms or both of the legs. These are the primary conduits for the passage of chi through the body, which flows through this network in a regular, 24-hour pattern. The 12 regular meridians therefore control or take part in every facet of the daily metabolic and physiological functioning of the body.
There are three meridian groupings directly associated with the regular meridians, each with 12 meridians. 1) Each of the divergent meridians arises from one of the 12 regular meridians, passes through the thorax or abdomen to join with the named organ, and then surface at the neck or head. 2) The muscle network meridians distribute chi from the 12 regular meridians among muscles, tendons, and joints, ensuring normal body motion and flexibility. This circulation of chi is referred to as superficial because there is no direct connection with an internal organ. 3) The cutaneous network meridians run parallel to the regular meridians in the cutaneous skin layer and are therefore considered even more superficial. We believe that they are a part of the function of the sensory nervous system.
The 8 extra meridians (also referred to as vessels) are the paths by which the 12 regular meridians connect, share chi, and support each other. None of the individual extra meridians are associated with a specific organ or regular meridian, though all of them connect with a number of other meridians. Their paths are considered superficial but deep. It is through the extra meridians that imbalances in chi are regulated through storage and drainage. The most important of the extra meridians are the govorner meridian, which runs along the middle of the back, and the conception meridian, which runs along the middle of the chest and stomach.
The system of 15 collateral meridians is responsible for the thorough and complete circulation of chi. One collateral meridian arises from each of the 12 regular meridians, the governor and conception meridians, and from the spleen (which does not have a regular meridian). Each of the collateral meridians branch out, forming minute or "grandson" collateral meridians, creating both horizontal and vertical connections within the complete meridian system.
Energy Medicine
This energetic view of the body is not entirely new to Western medicine. The basic concepts were present in the work of "vitalist" scientists such as Galvani, Hahnemann, and Mesmer, who were active in the 17th through 19th centuries. Vitalism was gradually pushed out of the relm of accpeted medical science in the 19th and 20th centuries due to apparent inefficacy, but the real problem was inadequate instrumentation and a medical paradigm that made no room for energetic processes. Technology has advanced to a point where devices can successfully and consistently measure biological energy. The body's energetic processes have always been there and were always important, as the history of acupuncture suggests. It is now time to standardize and integrate energetic practices into modern health care and make energy medicine an essential part of medical science.
The basic premise of energy medicine (also called bio-energetic medicine) is that energetic processes, including electrical and magnetic processes, vibrational resonance, and bio-photon emission, are essential to life processes. Bio-energy functions as a carrier of "bio-information" and is crucial to biological self-regulation. With this in mind, there are at least three areas where medical practitioners could find useful applications: 1) gearing all treatment to preserve the well-being of the electro-magnetic energy network of the body, 2) use of beneficial, external energies in amounts similar to that already present in body in order to balance or reinforce natural energetic functions, 3) use of greater amounts of external energy to actively influence body function by way of the energy network, correcting functional imbalances. Traditional acupuncture belongs to category 2, and many modern meridian-based techniques belong to category 3.
According to what we have observed in our research, a complete, bio-energetic definition of meridians includes four facets, or "units": structure of the organ of origin, function of the organ, the electro-magnetic pathway, and emotional/vibrational interaction. All four are crucial to the creation and existence of the meridians. An organ, by its physical existence and functioning, relases energy (chi) and creates an electro-magnetic field. This energy contains information about the organ and its activity, so both the physical structure and the functioning of the organ affect the quality and strength of the energy and information that are created. This is the source of the meridians. An imbalance in one meridian often brings about imbalances in others, and other factors, including emotions, can effect individual meridians and the meridian network as a whole. Each meridian can be viewed as existing individually or as a part of the intricate meridian system and can be treated as such, though the synergistic totality of the meridian system is always of primary importance. It is precisely for this reason that diagnostic and therapeutic procedures based on meridian theory are successful at approaching the body holistically.
In electroacupuncture treatment, direct electric current is administered through the acupuncture points. This energy follows the electromagnetic tracks to the system, effecting treatment. (Electroacupuncture therapeutics is a separate area of research and will not be discussed in detail here.) On the other hand, anything that alters or interferes with a system's function or structure also changes the performance of the related meridian and acupuncture points. The electrodermal screening device (EDSD) measures the balance of systems by measuring resistance and polarization at these points. In other words, acupuncture and standard electroacupuncture are therapeutic and the EDST is used in a screening process and can be integrated into diagnostic procedures.
In the 1950's and 60's two distinct electrodermal screening methodologies were developed, one by Nakatani in Japan (Ryodoraku) and one by Voll in Germany (EAV, electroacupuncture according to Voll). The most obvious difference between the two systems were the types of points they measured. In Ryodoraku, meridian passage points on the wrists and ankles are measured. The points used in EAV are located all over the body, though the distal points on the hands and feet are used most often. EAV is the more versatile and precise of the two methods, and for this reason we were attracted to it. EAV is the basis of the EDST, and the standard device used in EAV, the Dermatron (Pitterling Electronics, Munich), is the prototype of modern EDSDs.
There are some variations in the construction and performance of EDSDs, but all share the same basic design. The core of the EDSD is an ohm meter designed to deliver approximately 10-12 microamperes of direct electrical current at 1-1.25 volts, a perfectly safe amount. (The ionization potential of hydrogen atoms is 1.36 volts; only at this level and above could any physical damage occur.) On the majority of the devices the meter is calibrated to read from 0 to 100 such that the standard skin resistance of 100 kilo-ohms reads 50. The minimum value of zero represents infinite resistance (no electrical conductivity), and the maximum value of 100 indicates zero resistance at the given voltage and amperage. Some of the devices use a range of 0 to 200, with 100 being normal skin resistance.
The EDSD testing probe consists of an insulated body with a tip of brass or silver connected to the positive side of the circuit. The examiner holds the probe by the insulated body and presses the tip against the measurement point of the patient (fig. 4). The negative side of the circuit is connected to a hand electrode made of brass tubing, which is held by the patient in one hand. If medicine testing (described below) is to be done, a metal plate or holding device, usually made of aluminum, is placed in the circuit between the device and the hand electrode. The pressure of the tip of the probe on the skin might create a temporary dimple and be slightly uncomfortable, but it should not be painful. To assure adequate electrical contact, it is usually necessary to slightly dampen the probe tip and the hand electrode with water.
A reading taken with the EDSD is usually described using two values, the initial reading (generally the highest value) and the indicator drop (ID). Many practitioners also note the length of time of the ID. An initial reading of approximately 50 followed by little or no indicator drop is considered to be balanced. Initial readings above 60 may indicate inflammation in the system being measured, and initial readings below 45 may indicate changes caused by degenerative processes. An ID indicates a probable imbalance. When an ID is present it is considered the most important part of the reading, and through a process called medicine testing the ID can be used to determine the nature and cause of an imbalance.
Voll expanded upon traditional acupuncture point classification in three directions: by discovering unknown meridians (which he referred to as "systems"), unknown points on traditional meridians, and unknown functions of existing points. Voll's understanding of the traditional meridians is in agreement with the Chinese tradition in that each meridian relates to a specific internal organ (lung, stomach, heart, etc.). Voll's new meridians go beyond this to cover tissue and structure types and categories of biological function. These meridians cover joints, skin, fibrous tissue, fatty tissue, serous membranes, the nervous system (including autonomic innervation), lymphatic drainage, capillary circulation and allergic reactions. Many of the branch points are examples of newly discovered points and point functions. Branch points help tremendously in pinpointing the exact location of abnormal function. For example, the branch points on the two heart meridians (one on each of the hands) include the aortic valve, mitral valve, pulmonary valve, tricuspid valve, conduction system, and coronary arterioles. By combining the information read from all of the different types of measurement points, it is possible to determine the exact location of a given disturbance, including the layer of tissue effected.
A typical examination with the EDSD begins with the four quadrant measurements (hand to hand, foot to foot, right hand to foot, and left hand to foot) which are measurements of whole-body energy levels. These are taken using a pair of brass tube hand electrodes and a pair of brass plate foot electrodes. Using the probe, the control measurement points (CMP, some of which are also referred to as summation measurement points) are then measured to ascert281281ain the general condition of an entire meridian. The branch points along the same meridian are checked if there is a positive reading at the CMP or if symptoms suggest that a complete check of a meridian is warranted regardless of the CMP reading.
When a point exhibiting an ID is located, various reagents can be tested against the point in a process referred to as medicine testing. It is the goal of the physician to find one or a combination of reagents that will balance the point, i.e. cause the point tested to have a reading near 50 and not have an ID. Reagent samples in sealed glass containers are placed within the circuit of the measurement by placing them on the metal plate designed for this purpose. The physician tests various reagents, basing his selection on medical knowledge and experience, until an appropriate reagent or combination of reagents is found. A reagent that balances the reading may have a positive effect on the system being measured and therefore be an appropriate medication or dietary supplement. No response implies that the reagent would have no effect on the system, and a worsening response implies a negative effect. For example, pancreas CMP readings of a person with diabetes will become balanced when the proper dose of insulin is placed within the circuit and will show a larger ID if refined sugar is put there.
Medicine testing is perhaps the most controversial aspect of the EDSS, though many also consider it the most promising. It was discovered and used by Voll in connection with homeopathy, and the effectiveness of the EDSD in testing homeopathic remedies has been demonstrated in clinical studies. Homeopathic remedies serve as particularly useful reagents for medicine testing because they are prepared at various dilutions, which increases the likelihood of finding an appropriate "resonance," a phenomenon which Kuo-Gen Chen describes in the third article of this series as "bio-informational quantum interference." Medicine testing has also been shown effective in the testing of herbal and allopathic medicines and has been used very successfully to test for allergies and for the presence of environmental pathogens such as insecticides. Virtually any sort of biological reagent can be tested in this fashion.
Conclusion
Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years and is effective in a wide range of situations. It has not been integrated into modern health care primarily because of lingering suspicions that it is not scientific. A bio-energetic model has been developed to explain nearly all aspects of acupuncture and meridian theory, but there remains a definite prejudice against human energetic theories in the medical-scientific community, which must be overcome before integration can take place.
The EDST and EDSD are outgrowths of the scientific, electro-magnetic understanding of meridian theory. The EDST may appear similar to other ultra-modern techniques such as MRI, but there are important differences. Both are relatively new techniques based on modern technology, but the EDST is also based on ancient practices and is safer and more holistic, versatile, and cost effective. The device is elegantly simple and not extremely expensive. Hopefully, it will help free medical progress from its dependence on ever more expensive and specialized medical instrumentation. This alone would have a profound effect on health care cost and accessibility. The quality of health care will also improve with integration of the EDST into modern medical practice. Because the EDST makes use of the body's meridian system, it can map out and help analyze the body's own signals, making it particularly useful in early diagnosis. With its solid theoretical foundation in modern physics and quantum mechanics, it is perhaps the most "modern" medical methodologies available today.
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