Acupoints and Magnet Therapy

The electromagnetic spectrum is a very significant component of the human energy system. It acts as the interface between the physical dimension and more subtle energy fields operating in the body.

Electromagnetic signals regulate most biologic functions. Every one of the body's trillions of cells has an energy state or electrical charge (polarity) at the surface membrane. Healthy cells function by depolarizing -- that is, raising their electrical potential - and repolarizing. It's known that cancerous cells are in a state of constant depolarization and are unable to switch back to their resting electrical charge. The body's bones and connective tissue are piezoelectric and have the ability to transform mechanical motion into electrical energy.

Sixty percent of the body's weight is water, which carries ions (electrically charged mineral salts) that, when in motion, generate tiny electromagnetic fields. The human nervous system is the great regulator of biological systems and operates via electrical impulses that fire at the axon and bridge across the synaptic gap, which are then transformed to chemical signals. It has been suggested that the mechanism of action of magnet therapy occurs through the iron-containing hemoglobin molecule and its ferromagnetic property. In this author's opinion, ions, hemoglobin, protein molecules, erythrocytes, and even tissues and cells, are the biological mediators of electromagnetic signals that link the chemical level of organization with more subtle and higher organizing forces (acoustics; quanta of light/photons; nadis; chakra systems). Bionergetic testing methods have shown that tissues and cells oscillate at characteristic frequencies and are in vibratory resonance to certain energies. This should not be foreign to practitioners of Chinese medicine, and should remind us of the spectral variety of yin/yang, the various forms in which qi can be manifested (da qi; xie qi; gu qi; wei qi), and the five phase energetics, with their spheres of correspondence.

The nature of the acupuncture channels is electromagnetic and is intimately connected to the mechanism of breathing, in particular the energy operating via the primary channels. The first breath taken at birth sets in motion the circulation of qi in the 12 regular channels. This is why we traditionally begin the study of acupuncture channels with the lung. In the embryo, there is another circuitry in operation known as the eight extraordinary vessels. These vessels harbor and carry the deeper inherited or congenital energy called jing (vital essence). It can be said that the human body behaves as a huge electromagnet for energy interchange among the various meridian fields.

The acupuncture channels are fields of function and defense in the human energy system. They make up various densities of qi within our energetic structure. This is one reason acupuncture stimulation can regulate so many biologic processes while simultaneously influencing more subtle levels of being such as feelings, emotions and psychological states.

The primary cause of dysfunction in the acupuncture channel system is qi stagnancy or electromagnetic static. Bones and connective tissue are particularly sensitive to energy blockage. This can be easily induced by television and computer monitors; various man-made materials (including synthetic clothing); walking on carpet flooring; use of plastic furniture; synthetic building materials; driving your car; traveling in an airplane; and many indoor environments.

One of the main uses of magnets is to break static and re-establish the qi dynamics or flow of the electromagnetic field. Monopole magnets are a unique form of therapy that perfectly epitomizes the energetic qualities of yin/yang and constitutes a comfortable given in the complex world of energetic healing. They lend themselves beautifully to five-phase interchange treatment via the antique shu-transporting points; Korean two-, four- and six-point five-phase types of treatment; and particularly for balancing the deeper energy of the paired extraordinary vessels.

An important area in the application of magnets is the treatment of acute pain. When traumatized, a tissue generates a positive current of injury, which initiates inflammation. The use of the north (negative) polarity will draw out the excess of positive charges; reduce inflammation; restore tissue polarity; and accelerate the healing process, sometimes in a matter of minutes. In the management of chronic pain syndrome, the judicious use of monopole magnetics is a powerful treatment not only in addressing the symptom, but reorganizing the overall energy flow.

Obviously, there are certain factors to consider when using magnets. First and foremost is the choice of the right polarity. Some authors advocate the exclusive of the negative (or north) pole based on its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activity, and many authors discourage use of the positive polarity. Magnetic poles have distinct and opposite biological effects. Their application must be based on the specific electrical state of the tissue treated; the functional state of the organs and glands; and the particular condition to be addressed.

Most commercial products use bipolar magnets with alternating positive and negative poles of different patterns on the same surface of the magnet. I work exclusively with monopole magnets and use positive and negative poles with almost the same frequency. With most cases, I combine positive and negative poles at various locations based upon meridian energetics and individual needs. Next comes the strength or magnetic magnitude, most commonly measured in gausses, or the density of magnetic lines of force per square centimeter. Next comes the location of magnet placement, duration of treatment, and frequency of magnetic application.

With the right training and understanding of biomagnetic principles, monopole magnetics constitutes a very powerful tool to restore the natural qi dynamics of the human energy field.