Introduction

Chi kung (where chi=energy, kung = skilful management) is an ancient form of healing, which is thought to be at least 3000 years old. Originating in China, it is the the "grandparent" of acupuncture and herbal medicine, both of which rely on the manipulation of energy flow within the body to promote healing.

Even today, there are Qigong hospitals in China that specialise in the use of these methods to treat many serious diseases with considerable success.

As far as I am aware, there have not been any similar studies of the effectiveness of chi kung healing in the treatment of animals.

After spending 12 months studying a modern form of these ancient practices, called Energy Field Therapy (EFT), at the Terton Institute in Stroud, I decided to implement this form of therapy in our clinic to see how it might help with a wide range of chronic diseases.

This article examines the results of a two-year clinical trial involving 80 animals and 182 courses of EFT. This group consisted of 58 dogs, 18 cats, 2 horses and 2 rabbits.

Principles and Practice

The philosophy underpinning the whole system of traditional (pre-Cultural revolution) Chinese medicine is the concept of "chi" (energy) and its movement through the body. Good health was observed to be a natural consequence of energy flowing freely through the body without restriction.

As soon as an obstruction or an impediment to normal energy flow develops, ill health results. From this it can be seen that any healing modality that encourages energy flow to be strengthened, particularly through diseased areas of the body, will stimulate self-regeneration and repair.

This concept is directly analogous to the effect on the body of a deficient blood flow to a particular organ or tissue. Impaired chi flow causes disease in the same way that a compromised flow of blood within the cardiovascular system typically results in some degree of cellular dysfunction or death.

The severity of the signs produced by such an occurrence relate directly to the degree of resultant ischaemia and the size and site of the area of the body involved. The re-establishment of normal blood flow is a prerequisite for healing of the damaged tissues to occur.

The ancient Chinese went on to map out the "anatomy" of energy flow in and around the body, describing the sophisticated architecture of the invisible channels that conduct chi, the "meridians", in extraordinary detail.

This allowed them to alter the flow of energy through this network in a predictable and controlled manner. In acupuncture, this is done by the placement of needles or similar devices at strategic locations along these pathways, to divert the flow of energy away from areas of congestion and towards areas of depletion, creating balance.

What we are not generally aware of in the West is that more sophisticated ways of manipulating chi flow, away from the surface of the body, were also developed. It is these "off the body" chi kung practices that form the basis of Energy Field Therapy.

The training to become an EFT therapist involves the regular repetition of focused exercises to become increasingly aware of, and connected to, the energies (chi) of nature. This increases the practitioner's sensitivity to the more subtle electromagnetic energy fields that surround people and animals, so that abnormalities within these fields can be detected.

Once specific areas of disruption are found, the therapist, working with his or her hands several feet away from the body, can begin to disperse stagnant energy and augment depleted energy flow within the field. This results in a stonger, more vibrant healthier flow of energy in and around the patient, stimulating self-healing.

How this can be achieved, and the scientific support for these observations will be explored in a future article.

For animals, the treatment protocol consists of working with their electromagnetic field in this way for 30-40 minutes daily, for four consecutive days. Most animals find the whole procedure relaxing, if somewhat puzzling!

As there is not need for physical contact, even nervous or aggressive animals are candidates for this form of therapy.

Treatment

The 80 cases treated with EFT involved animals affected with such conditions as cancer, miliary eczema, chronic allergic dermatitis, recurrent colitis and pruritus, behavioural problems, eosinophilic granuloma complex, chronic anal ulceration, osteoarthritis and many others; each case had from one to six treatments.

Summary

The clinical responses to the therapy have been graded according to the following subjective definitions:

Excellent has been used where there has been either a complete or almost complete disappearance of the original symptoms, so that the animal requires no further treatment of any kind.

Very good indicates a marked improvement in the symptoms, to the point that neither more EFT, nor any other treatment, is necessary. Repeating the EFT may be beneficial in stabilising the improvement.

Good has been used where there has been an obvious significant improvement, which would probably benefit from further EFT. The original symptoms are present, but to a much lesser degree. The animal can either manage without supportive treatment, or can be kept comfortable by occasional intervention with complementary or conventional medication. Where conventional drugs are used, they are prescribed at a significantly lower dose, or much less frequently compared to pre-treatment levels.

Fair is where there has been some improvement, but not enough to have a significant impact on the animal's quality of life.

Poor is used where there was some initial response to the treatment, which was not maintained.

No response is where there has been no perceptible improvement.

N/A is where there are no results available.

A total of 80 animals were treated, with 182 courses of treatment. Each full course of EFT consisted of four 30-40 minute sessions carried out over four consecutive days.

The results are listed in Table 1, which shows that 79% of the animals receiving EFT in this trial showed a significant improvement to a complete cure.

The results also suggest that by carrying out two to three course of therapy, the likelihood of an animal experiencing a positive change in its health is increased.

It can be seen from this Table that a wide range of conditions commonly encountered in practice and difficult to treat, can benefit from this type of therapy.

Case history summaries for all the cases in this trial are available on request.

Conclusions

Many factors affect the potential for healing in chronic disease, the most important being the degree and severity of pathology present, the length of duration of the condition, the age of the animal and the impact of previous treatments, particularly that of immunosuppressive medications.

The animals in this trial have covered the full range of possibilities in each of these categories, from mild to severe, months to many years, young and aged, no previous medication to heavily medicated, and yet the response to therapy has been consistently rewarding. In most cases, particularly where an excellent or very good response has been achieved, the improvement has been maintained long-term.

This is particularly remarkable considering that most of these diseases were chronic and had been refractory to other forms of therapy, both conventional and complementary.

Particularly notable is the success rate in colitis and musculoskeletal pain, both of which tend to respond quickly and permanently to treatment in a high percentage of cases. Allergic skin disease also responded well, many animals able to cope with significantly reduced dosages of their medications or without any drugs at all.

The results of this trial, which correlate well with similar studies of chi kung healing in people, confirm Energy Field Therapy to be an extremely valuable form of treatment for a wide range of diseases in animals.

This article, while reporting with necessary brevity the results of this two-year trial, leaves many questions unanswered. In future articles I will explore in more detail the scientific support for both the philosophy behind this form of therapy and the effectiveness of its protocol.

In February 2002 the author will spend three weeks in total darkness at a retreat centre in Northern Thailand to help raise £30,000 funding towards the treatment with EFT of 100 people suffering from IBS. The results of the study will be submitted for publication in a reputable scientific journal.

Donations, made payable to "EFT Sponsorship Fund" can be sent to him c/o Albany Veterinary Clinic, 192 Buxton Road, Heaviley, Stockport, Cheshire, SK2 7AE; telephone 07949 304898, email vcgmacnally@care4free.net.

The author informs Veterinary Times that all donations will be gratefully acknowledged (please include name and address).

For more information about EFT, or for possible inclusion in the trial if you suffer from IBS, please send an SAE.

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note: Thanks to Veterinary Times for permission to use the magazine title.