Kinds of energy in the methods of natural medicine
TADEUSZ KASPERCZYK, ANDRZEJ MARKOWSKI, DARIUSZ MUCHA
In terms of physics, energy has a strict definition and is a measurable quantity. In the field of natural medicine, the term energy is understood in a philosophical sense. It is presented as a life force or vital force. The exception is bioenergotherapy, in which there is a possibility to indirectly measure the biofield in the form of aura. In the methods based on the assumptions of Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is qi (chi) energy or in the Japanese type of acupressure or shiatsu – ki, in the Hindu Ayurveda it is called prana, and in Thai medicine – lom. In bioenergotherapy, which is also included in the area of natural medicine, the term biofield is used. The aim of the article was to present the kinds of energy and their characteristics in selected methods of natural medicine. This philosophical definition of energy, most often referred to as a vital force, raises a lot of controversy in the medical world and often causes an unfavourable attitude of the medical community to these methods, which is probably harmful to the proper functioning of the body and the health of patients. For these reasons, in the description of the kinds of energy on the basis of the methods of medicine, one should divide them into those that are philosophically defined and those that are measurable in physical terms. The therapeutic and prophylactic value of these methods should not be judged on the basis of their theoretical assumptions, but on the basis of empirically obtained effects.
Keywords: qi energy, ki, prana, lom, biofield, aura
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