Lung cancer

The imbalance of the “life force” or “energy”, as it is more often called, either because of external or internal factors, is the main cause of disease. This idea is prevalent among traditional medical systems all around the world. Many such well-known today therapeutic methods have Asian origin, like Acupuncture, Qigong or Reiki, but we have to note that the idea of a “life force” was also instrumental in the main schools of Ancient Greek Medicine, as for example in the case of “physis” (nature), the “animal force” of the Hippocratic School. Beyond that, traditional medical systems insist on preserving the balance in the body, the soul and the spirit, by following the changes in the environment and harmonizing with them, since these are the sources of the external pathogenic factors.

According to the basic theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which traces its roots in the Huangdi Neijing (The Yellow Emperor’s Classic, written between 200 BCE – 200 CE), Qi or “life force” is circulating in the body through a vast network of subtle channels. The main of them, called meridians, offers a possibility of restoring the balance in the body by manipulating certain “points” with hand pressure or the insertion of a needle. But this balancing can also be achieved with other means, either subtler, like Qigong breathing exercises or coarser, like the administration of traditional formulas. Another extremely interesting idea is the appearance of many “imaging” systems, where the whole body can be pictured in a small area of itself, like the palm, the ear or the scull.

Many of these systems are well documented and officially accepted all over the world, reaching far away from their country of origin. In 1979, the World Health Organization held its first symposium on acupuncture and today recommends this method for over 100 medical conditions. The European Parliament Resolution on non-conventional medicine stated in 1997 that the European Commission had to launch a process of recognizing non-conventional medicine, specifically to benefit European citizens in terms of healthcare, although this has yet to be achieved. A large percentage of Europeans are using non-conventional medical treatments, with a strong tendency of increase. This tendency is expected to cause a new wave of interest on energy therapies in Europe. Besides, during the last decades several new methods of treatment have been devised, though still following the same principles. These methods use electricity (electro-acupuncture), light or laser light, magnets, sounds, pressure discs etc. Most of these methods present difficulties in research, but they are expected to boost a new dynamic in the energy therapies.

SOURCE: Konstantinos Grivas