Energy Medicine: The Science and Mystery of Healing

A rigorous and fascinating look at the role of energy in our lives–and how we can harness its power to heal ourselves

The field of energy medicine has undergone explosive growth in recent years. Studies out of top academic and medical institutions are validating its curative powers, consumers are increasingly curious about alternative healing modalities, and medical doctors are regularly prescribing energy treatments, such as acupuncture, to their patients. But despite this rise in both popularity and acceptance, the field remains shrouded in mystery. What exactly is energy medicine, and how does it work?

Acupuncturist and traditional Chinese medicine scholar Jill Blakeway has been treating patients with energy medicine—often in conjunction with conventional Western medicine—for more than twenty-five years. By her definition, energy medicine refers to the wide range of healing methods used to diagnose and treat illness by manipulating the energy that pulses through every cell of the body. But even Jill admits that there is an element to her practice that lies just beyond comprehension. As such, while she is a sought-after and gifted healer, she has always remained just a tiny bit skeptical of her own abilities, not to mention those of others in her field.

In Energy Medicine, Blakeway invites readers along on her journey to better understand her craft. With access to scientists at leading universities as well as proponents of energy medicine from across the discipline, Jill offers an exclusive, one-of-a-kind exploration and analysis of this powerful practice. In her travels from the halls of academia to healing centers around the world, Blakeway introduces readers to a variety of practitioners—including the Princeton professors researching the physics of energy medicine, a team of skeptical scientists who use “hands-on” healing to cure mammary cancer in mice, and a Japanese mystic whose explorations at the boundaries of self and consciousness have rendered him impervious to pain—all of whom are attempting to better understand how we can harness energy to heal what ails us.

Lively, entertaining, and informative, Energy Medicine bridges the gap between science and spirituality and offers readers an evidence-based case for the efficacy of this ancient healing practice.