I met Dr JoAnne Whitaker at an American College for the Advancement of Medicine (ACAM) conference in 2002. At the end of her presentation she invited members of the audience to join her at the podium for a demonstration of the Bowen Technique. She had stated that if there was anyone in the audience experiencing pain, she could "fix it". So I raced up to the front because at that time I had been suffering from terrible pains in my neck and was having difficulty moving my neck. I had been told by my doctor that I would soon be unable to reverse my car. Dr Whitaker, in front of about 50 persons touched my neck in a few places and Voila! I was pain free! I could literally spin my head around, like that possessed girl from the exorcist movie. That was a defining moment for me - my introduction to energy medicine. Soon afterwards I headed out to Dr Whittaker's facility where I began my training in the Bowen Technique.

The Bowen Technique was developed in Australia in the 1950s by Thomas Bowen, a gifted healer. The gentle yet powerful Bowen moves send neurological impulses to the brain resulting in immediate responses of muscle relaxation and pain reduction. I have used the Bowen Technique to successfully treat persons afflicted with a variety of ailments including anxiety, headaches, sinus congestion, menstrual cramps, lower back pain and frozen shoulders.

In 2006, a beautiful spirit named Donna Brown joined the practice as an energy practitioner. Donna not only uses Reiki, Quantum Touch and Emotional Freedom Technique to balance the energies of her clients (I'm one!), but she also uses incense and essential oils to clear and clean the office air and auras of her co-workers so that our office atmosphere is one of peace and tranquility.

All our major emotions - anger, grief, joy - affect our energies. Trauma or stress interrupt or block our energies. Individuals whose energies are balanced have more stamina and fewer injuries which, if they occur, will heal faster. They report that their thought processes are clearer, that they are better able to focus and control their response to stress. Medications are more effectively utilised by the body when the energies are balanced.

Alternative therapists view the body as a unique and dynamic energy system. All cells and organs in our body have a specific frequency and are affected by many forms of energy from external and internal sources. A delicate balance of all forms of energy supports and sustains life and includes chemical, electrical, ultraviolet light and subtle energy. The subtle energy field surrounds, flows through and extends from the body. It can be sensed with higher sense perceptions and perceived by mystics and clairvoyants as a visible phenomenon. (That is the reason why as we say in Jamaica "my spirit takes or does not take to that person".) Our subtle energies have numerous functions including nutritive, defence against illness, emotional energy processing, intellectual functioning and creativity. Imbalances and depletions within our energy fields lead to disease and dysfunction.

Everything needs balance. We are at our best when there is balance and total interconnection of the different forms of energy. Factors affecting this balance and interconnection are our emotions, perceptions, thoughts, attitudes, relationships with others, ability to give and receive love and our relationship with God, however we define God. Energy medicine is based on the principle that the health of body, mind and spirit are anchored in the body's energy systems. Health problems can be diminished, and often overcome, by intelligently shifting the energies that maintain them. By keeping our energies balanced and vital, we increase our vitality, effectiveness and joy in life.

There are many alternative therapies that promote total well-being by balancing body, mind and spirit. There is evidence that these therapies balance the autonomic nervous system.
These therapies can be categorised as biomechanical, pressure point, biofield, combined physical and biofield and mind/ body. Examples of biomechanical therapies include osteopathy, chiropractic and massage. They are based on the concept that dysfunction of any discrete body part frequently affects the function of other discrete, but not necessarily directly connected, body parts. Pressure point therapies such as acupressure, Feldenkrais, Trager, reflexology and Rolfing use finger pressure on specific points, usually related to the meridians and other neurological release points, to release pain and treat various disease states. Bowen Therapy, Healing Touch Qigong, Reiki and Therapeutic Touch are examples of Biofield therapies also known as energy healing or laying on of hands, one of the oldest forms of healing. In these therapies the practitioners draw on universal or spiritual energy to restore the patient's energy field. Combined physical and biofield therapies combine physical and energy work and include kinesiology and craniosacral therapy. Mind/body therapies utilise the power of the mind and body to affect one another. Meditation, imagery, hypnosis, biofeedback, yoga and prayer are examples.

Wellness is about more than proper nutrition and exercise. It involves our total energy environment - our emotions, attitudes, spirit and consciousness.

Dr Jacqueline E Campbell is a family physician.

e-mail drjcampbell14@yahoo.com

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