Conventional or Western medicine is based on Isaac Newton’s model of reality grounded in the science of biochemistry. The body is seen as a complex biochemical machine which is explainable in terms of the behaviour of molecules and atoms. When problems arise within the body (dis-ease), the modern approach is to intervene at the physical level with drugs or surgery. This approach therefore pays little attention to the role of mind, emotion and spirit in the causation, healing, and prevention of disease.

Energy Medicine is based on Einstein’s quantum theory which sees human beings as networks of complex energy fields. Einstein recognised that all matter is made up of energy fields, some energy fields vibrate slowly enough to manifest as physical matter (such as atoms and molecules) and some exist in wave form (such as sound or light). According to the quantum world, human beings can be considered dynamic energy systems.

If we move away from the perspective of the ‘body as machine’ to a perspective of ‘body as energy system’ able to receive and transmit information from the numerous energetic forces surrounding us, much like a radio can be programmed to pick up different frequencies, it means that all atomic waves and particles and chemical and electromagnetic energies affect us in some way. This has significant implications for the way we view our health and healing.

The idea that the body possesses an unseen energy stream has been a fundamental principle of Traditional Chinese Medicine for centuries. This unseen energy is known as ‘chi’ and is the life force or vital energy that brings life to the body. From an energy medicine perspective, all dis-ease or ill-health is seen primarily as a state of energy imbalance which results from a blockage in energy flow in the body.

Energy Medicine therefore views health problems as the tangible physical, mental or emotional manifestation of an energy blockage. This blockage can result from any energetic disturbance – from the foods we eat, the air we breathe, the thoughts we think, the emotions we feel or fail to express, even the people we interact with – since the quantum world considers all of these things as a form of energy. Symptoms are mostly seen as a clue or sign as to where the energy blockage is or what has caused it. The approach to healing is to address the energy blockage at the root cause and restore the body’s energy flow. Once energy flow is restored the body is able to heal itself, function optimally and has no further need to manifest symptoms.