A number of spa therapeutic modalities work on the body’s energy system, including acupuncture, Reiki, and the most prevalent, reflexology.

Otherwise known as “faith healing” and  “laying on of the hands,” energy healing was once the exclusive domain of prominent religious figures. In the United States, energy healing has historically been shown as much respect as fairground fortune-telling—especially by the medical profession. Today, however, energy healers are working alongside leading surgeons at prestigious medical centers such as Harvard, Columbia and Stanford. Energy healing is a recognized therapeutic modality, useful for both disease prevention and treatment.

Helen Caldecott, MD, an energy healer at Columbia University Medical Center, defines healing energy as “a universal force that can be thought of as a kind of collective energy, emanating from life, from nature itself.” This life force energy (“chi” in Chinese) is hypothesized by Western scientists as being directly related to the bodies’ electromagnetic field. Thus, energy healing can be defined as any technique that involves measuring and manipulating the various electromagnetic frequencies emitted by the body--in order to detect imbalances that may be causing present illness or contributing to future disease. .