Recently energy medicine has come under increasing study by the scientific community. While energy medicine has existed in various forms for centuries, the current field of energy medicine does not have one absolute definition. The answer to the question “What is energy medicine?” varies according to the energy medicine practitioner. There is no standard scientific understanding or precise meaning of these ideas in the Western scientific paradigm, although various explanations are offered for energy medicine in terms of a vital force or life energy. A new paradigm for researching biology and medicine based on energy information is required to define energy medicine. (Rubik, 1995).

The phenomenon of energy and healing was first observed thousands of years ago by Chinese healers who identified twelve major meridians, or pathways of energy, in the body. These meridians link various limbs and organs together in an intricate network. When this energy field is strong and vibrant, the entire organism remains healthy and balanced. When it is weakened or disturbed by any number of factors, the body becomes increasingly subject to weakness, sickness, and eventually death.

Over the centuries, healers using energy medicine discovered that they were able to positively influence the body's health by working with its energy field. They taught their patients various techniques such as slow, measured movements, breathing, meditation, and relaxation. Thus, they helped their patients recover from serious illnesses and maintain health (Camfferman, 1999).