Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basis, 1e: Amazon.ca: James L. Oschman: Books

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Book Description

This book, written by a well-known scientist with a background in biophysics and biology brings together evidence from a range of disciplines to provide an acceptable explanation for the energetic exchanges that take place in all therapies. It addresses a growing interest in the field of mind-body medicine and the role of natural "energy forces" within the body in maintaining normal health and wellbeing. This in turn has lead to interest in how these energies or forces may be channelled to assist in healing and the restoration of normal health.

From the Publisher

Energy Medicine provides an exciting and challenging read for anyone who may be interested in or curious about the therapeutic aspects of energy. It provides a stimulus to discussion among both the sceptics and those who are already convinced of the healing potential of body energy.

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Customer Reviews

13 Reviews

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4.8 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)

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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars expansive, objective, thorough, Mar 24 2003

By

J. Hill (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basis, 1e (Paperback)

The problem with many books on all types of energy healing are the moments when well-meaning but hopelessly uninformed authors try to explain the "why" of their practice. Why does energy healing work? What is the physiological mechanism for this phenomenon? While authors whose practice is informed by their psychic knowledge (Barbara Brennan, Rosalyn Bruyere, etc.) are certainly valuable, James Oschman is successful in this book because he is first and only a scientist. He has no agenda to defend the validity of energy healing at all costs. In fact, you get the sense that he would be just as happy DISproving the phenomenon. And his objectivity in showing that in fact there IS a scientific basis for the practice is what makes this book absolutely priceless.

The topics covered are surprisingly far-ranging. I was even skeptical of some of the chapter headings, but the author is so reasonable, and his claims so well-documented that even the most open-minded might find themselves taking a new look at topics they never considered. The chapters on crystal healing and the emotional impact of posture, respectively, were for me particularly fascinating. Some of the most fascinating scientific reading I've done in years.

His description of the physical body as a liquid crystalline system, the mechanics of how movement strengthens this system, and how the physical liquid crystal interacts with and is the basis for the energetic system is remarkably beautiful. There are many moments where the scientific meets the spiritual in this book and it's so beautiful.

What this book is not: This book is not an instruction manual. I noticed at least one other review seemed to say it was an instruction manual. There are no instructions as to how to practice any of the many techniques covered. The book is for people who already know how to do these things or people who don't want to know HOW but rather WHY IT WORKS. A fabulous reference for those who would like to give clients a more lucid explanation for why various forms of energy healing might work, or at least more current theories on the topic.

Worth the price of the book for the bibliography alone.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars A flawed attempt, Oct 28 2000

By

Paul Budnik "Mountain Math Software" (Los Gatos, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basis, 1e (Paperback)

The book attempts to bridge the gap between intuitive approaches to healing based on various concepts of energy and scientific understanding. It paints a marvelous picture of the intricate structure of the human body starting from the internal structure of the cell. There are many things happening in that structure that we have little or no understanding of. Electromagnetic fields play a role in healing bones and have many other effects yet to be discovered. However showing that various explanations are possible or consistent with our current understanding is a long way from providing evidence to support them. I applaud the effort to connect these intuitive healing methods to our scientific understanding. It is difficult to give appropriate weight to each approach. The book fails to give adequate weight to our scientific understanding of what is required to provide evidence that an approach is medically effective.

There is no mention in the book of the placebo effect and this is a great illustration of this problem. If patients believe a treatment is effective than a significant percentage of them will improve compared to a similar group not treated no matter what the treatment actually does. This is the clearest example we have of the extraordinary power of the mind and body to heal itself. For that reason alone it deserves mention. Because of the Placebo effect, anecdotal evidence means little or nothing in establishing the objective efficacy of a treatment. Failure to mention this difficulty and describe the problem it presents in evaluating many of the claims is a serious flaw that will mislead unsophisticated readers.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional compilation of research, Dec 26 2003

By

MechEngineer (Austin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basis, 1e (Paperback)

I received this book from Amazon a few days ago and am halfway through it. I'm so impressed by Oschman's compilation of research - it's provided me with countless answers I've been seeking all my life. I am a degreed mechanical engineer, and am currently getting an advanced degree in Oriental Medicine. I've also been practicing Reiki and other energy healing modalities for several years, having been drawn into these alternative healing fields because of my natural ability for sensing subtle energies ever since I was little. Until I started reading Oschman's book I never had a scientific explanation for this energy or why it was so helpful in healing others. I've always known that these energies are real but I definitely appreciate a scientific explanation for any type of energy phenomenon - it makes it much easier to explain to others who haven't had similar experiences why and how they happen. I meet a lot of people who are interested in energy healing and some who are quite skeptical of its validity. Thanks to this book, I now have a clear way of explaining what I and countless others have known all along - that energy medicine really does work. If you're simply curious about why energy medicine works, or you're a practitioner yourself and have wanted a scientific way of explaining its validity to your friends and clients, you'll definitely appreciate this book (even with the $40 price tag). Keep in mind, however, that this book will not teach you how to practice any of these energy medicine techniques - it will simply give you a very clear and easy way to explain why they work.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The communicating whole
Oschman did something quite exceptional in this book; he expressed my understanding of the way living things work, but went beyond my dark intuitive sense of the significance of... Read more

Published on Jan 16 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading in energy medicine
While most people have had a cardiogram, few know that Einthoven won a Nobel prize in 1924 for discovering how to record the electromagnetic field of the heart. Read more

Published on Feb 23 2003 by Jeff Sutherland