Dear Colleagues: A few months ago I briefly discussed an energetic (as opposed to a neurophysiological) model of interference fields. (See July 2011 e-newsletter. The energetic model is best understood as a focus of "anticoherence" in the body's energy field; the neurophysiological model can be described as a focus of electrophysiological instability, particularly of the cell membrane. Each model has its pros and cons; no doubt there is a place for combining both. This month I would like to report a case that demonstrates the value of the energetic model of interference fields. It is not a rare example; experienced neural therapists identify such things commonly. An otherwise healthy, energetic, unmarried 37-year old woman presented with 16 years of intractable diarrhea. She was having three or four bowel movements a day without blood or mucus. She had lived in Thailand, Nepal, Malaysia and Korea in her early twenties around the time her symptoms began. Intestinal parasites had been diagnosed and treated, but the symptoms continued. Eventually Crohn's disease was diagnosed; the diagnosis was made easier by Crohn's disease being common in her family. Medical treatment of the Crohn's disease and dietary modification had been ineffective and eventually (6 months before presenting at my office) she had a partial small and large bowel colectomy ‐ including the ileocecal valve. For one week, after the surgery, her bowel movements completely normalized! She was naturally delighted but this short-lived relief turned to dismay as the diarrhea returned, with even more watery stools. However, this short period of remission did have the benefit of sustaining her hope that a cure could yet be found. Her research on the internet finally directed her to my office. In addition to the history mentioned above, she had no trauma or medical procedures other than surgery at age 19 to correct a ureteral deformity near her right kidney. She experienced occipital headaches two or three times a week beginning in her twenties, as well as dysmennorhea from age 25. Her general examination was unremarkable except for anterior rotation of her right innominate combined with slight tension in her right hamstrings, relative to the left side. "Arcing" (a subtle pulsation emanating from a specific locus at about 60 cycles per minute) could be felt from the pelvis and the kapha pulses were weak bilaterally (See the February 2011 e-newsletter. Both these findings indicated an energetic disturbance in the pelvis or lower abdominal region. Autonomic response testing indicated an interference field in the ileocecal region (even though the ileocecal valve and surrounding large and small bowel had been removed). The interference field was treated using a Tenscam device. (Quaddles of dilute procaine into the skin overlying the interference field would likely have had the same effect.) One month later the patient returned to report that her stools had completely normalized (almost immediately) and that her headaches were less frequent. No further treatment was required and the patient was discharged, with advice to return only if she should have a relapse. Interference fields in organs or tissues that have been surgically removed are particularly good instances of disturbances of the body's energy field that are hard to explain with the neurophysiological model. Post-cholecystectomy syndrome symptoms occur in up to 40% of operated cases and although sometimes caused by an interference field in a surgical scar, the interference field is often found in the (removed) gall bladder. It is as if surgery removes the physical structure, but the energetic structure remains behind. Clinical evidence for the concept of the "energetic" vs the "physical" body rests on energetic diagnostic techniques such as autonomic response testing and the sensory skills of some manual therapists. Energetic therapeutic devices such as the Tenscam and lasers support this further by their effects, especially in neural therapy. Experimental work such as Becker's amputation and re-growth of salamanders' limbs provides further corroboration of this concept by demonstrating the existence of an energetic "map" determining the body's structure and shape (Becker RO, Selden G, 1985, The Body Electric, William Morrow & Co. New York). This energetic model of interference fields cannot replace the classical neurophysiological model, but like all new scientific models, it provides explanations for otherwise inexplicable phenomena and prepares our minds for the possibility of further advances in neural therapy and in medicine. Sincerely, Robert F. Kidd, MD, CM |