Biomagnetic and Herbal Therapy

Magnetic energy is the structural force of the universe. In this book the respected herbalist and healer, Dr. Michael Tierra enlightens us on the healing influence of commercially available magnets for many conditions and describes the sometimes miraculous relief from such problems as joint pain, skin diseases, acidity, blood pressure, tumors, kidney, liver and thyroid problems, and more. Magnetizing herbs, teas, water and their usage in conjunction with direct placement of magnets for synergistic effectiveness is presented in a systematic, succinct and practical manner for the benefit of the professional and lay person alike. Replete with diagrams and appendices, this is a "how to do" practical hand-book for augmenting health and providing relief from pain.

"In this book, Dr. Tierra shows how it is possible for each of us to dramatically affect our bio-magnetic energy. This is done by polarising, directing and moving our life energy to promote healing and health for each one of us.

"The paradigm of health in the future is based on energy flow. This paradigm reaches back to the ancient healing arts of the traditional Chinese, the Ayurvedic and the Native American cultures. It is connected to the work of Hippocrates in ancient Greek culture, and found its way through the herbal and homeopathic science that has flourished in Europe over the last few hundred years.

"If we recognize the truths that underlie all these systems, we see that there is a bio-magnetic energy that fills and informs our lives and our bodies, that creates health when it is flowing normally or disease when it is blocked or hindered in its motion."

Dr. Michael Tierra, OMD, C.A., N.D. is the author of the all-time bestselling The Way of Herbs as well as Planetary Herbology. He is one of this country's most respected herbalists, a practitioner and teacher who has taught and lectured widely. His eclectic background of studies in American Indian herbalism, the herbal system of Dr. John Christopher and the traditional oriental systems of India and China, contribute a special richness and embracing completeness to his writing.

I am very pleased to have the opportunity to write a few words about the most recent work of Dr. Michael Tierra in the field of alternative healing. Dr. Tierra has been a pioneer in the field for nearly thirty years, and is always willing to look at the methods used by others and learn from them. His life work, his mission, has been to bring natural healing modalities to people everywhere. As his publisher, it has been my pleasure to read and learn from his research.

I am especially intrigued by his Bio magnetic and Herbal Therapy because of a unique personal insight I gained during a visit to a teaching hospital in South India. That experience gave me the foundation to appreciate what Dr. Tierra has accomplished here.

I met a research scientist at the Jipmer Hospital, Pondicherry, India about 10 years ago. He was doing research on Kirlian photography. Kirlian photography is also known as "aura photography". In essence, it is able to show the bio-magnetic/electric field around any tieing. He showed me hundreds of such photographs of subjects that had varying levels of radiating energy, depending on their state of mind and their state of health. He took photographs of my hand and then had me undertake some prayers and focused concentration and showed me how these efforts dramatically enhanced,the energy field.

Of quite remarkable interest was the series of experiments he had conducted on mice. While I personally am not a supporter of animal testing, I nevertheless was willing to see the results of the work he had been doing for a number of years. He indicated that he had implanted cancerous tumours into a number of mice and over the period of a month had done a series of Kirlian photographs beginning with the healthy (pre-implantation) mice, and monitored the progression of the mice as the tumours developed and affected their health. The difference in the energy field was dramatic.

Of even more consequence, however, was the second stage of his experiments. He had a radionic energy generator that he tuned to the frequency of the healthy mice. He then projected the healthy frequency back onto the tumour-infected mice. The Kirlian photographs showed a remarkable progression of the mice returning to absolute, 100% health, their tumours growing successively smaller and eventually disappearing under this bio-energetic treatment using only the electro-magnetic spectrum as a modality.

I was reminded of this scientist when I read Dr. Tierra's book for the first time, and I realized that here was a practical application of the principles of subtle energetic that were demonstrated by the researcher in India. In this book, Dr. Tierra shows how it is possible for each of us to dramatically affect our bio-magnetic energy. This is done by polarising, directing, and moving our life energy to promote healing and health for each one of us.

The paradigm of health in the future is based on energy flow. This paradigm reaches back to the ancient healing arts of the traditional Chinese, the Ayurvedic anal the Native American cultures. It is connected to the work of Hippocrates in ancient Greek culture, and found its way through the herbal and homeopathic science that has flourished in Europe over the last few hundred years.

If we recognize the truths that underlie all these systems, we see that there is a bio-magnetic energy that fills and informs our lives and our bodies, that creates health when it is flowing normally, or disease when it is blocked or hindered in its motion.

Dr. Tierra has advanced this paradigm another step by giving us a practical, insightful and experience-based look at the use of magnets as healing agents.

Magnetic energy is the structural force of the universe. As such, it is the order that allows the stars and planets throughout the galaxies to revolve and spin at incredible velocities while remaining in their respective orbits. As one of the four fundamental forces of nature, along with gravity, nuclear energy and radio-activity, electromagnetism is related to the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) concept of `Qi,' the East Indian Ayurvedic definition of Trana,' as well as the Hawaiian concept of `Manas'. These concepts are what many in the West regard as the 'life force'.

Personally, I have had many occasions to experiment with and use magnets, beginning with myself and then extending to family, friends, students and patients. Two particular occasions on myself were most convincing. Both were soft tissue injuries - one to my elbow and the other a ligament injury of my knee which I will describe later.

The elbow pain originated from an unknown cause, perhaps an injury or strain. It had persisted for at least two weeks; during that time I tried acupuncture and herbal treatments which offered only minor temporary relief. As is well known, soft tissue injuries can take some time for repair. It would be most helpful, however, if there was a simple, non-invasive method to hasten the healing and relieve the pain during that time.

I decided to experiment with magnets to treat the problem. While I had previously heard of magnet therapy, I had no personal experience or further knowledge of their use. When I taped a small 1000 Gauss acuband magnet directly on the skin over the 'trigger' point or center of the pain in my arm, I was amazed to find that the pain almost completely disappeared within 5 minutes. I decided to experiment further, first by removing and reapplying the magnet a few times. Each time, the pain returned when the magnet was removed and all but completely disappeared again when reapplied. I then experimented by turning the magnet over to change its polarity from North, which is cooling and dispersing, to South, which is heating and building. I discovered that when the South side of the magnet was against the skin the pain intensified, and by reversing the magnet to Mirth it was alleviated.

Since that time, I have been intrigued with the therapeutic possibilities of bio-magnetic therapy. However, I still had no idea whether the magnet treatment to my arm was only symptomatic or could eventually promote complete healing. Further, I found that there were discrepancies both in print and from various distributors concerning the importance and definition of the North and South sides of a magnet. Despite my confusion, I tentatively began to use magnets on my patients. Because, however, I had such an unsure grasp of any basic theoretical or practical methodology, my results were inconclusive.

I say all this because there may be others who feel unsure about the value and results of an experience with bio magnetic therapy. Through my example, they may appreciate confirmation by someone who has become fully convinced that bio magnetic therapy may well be one of the safest and most powerful natural healing methods ever discovered by humankind, especially for the relief of pain and inflammation.

My interest in magnets was rekindled a few years later when I had a crippling soft tissue injury to the medial aspect of my right knee. It was particularly debilitating because there were few positions either standing, sitting or reclining that could provide relief. Having nearly all but forgotten about my previous experience with the magnets on my elbow, I began by using acupuncture, Moxibustion (heat applied to specific acupuncture points) and herbal poultices, fomentations and liniments. Everything helped, but. I, still could barely walk or find a comfortable position to either sit or recline.

I certainly was not looking forward to having to stand all day at a forthcoming natural products trade show that included a promised diversion to my excited young son to a nearby entertainment park. In desperation I remembered the all-but-forgotten magnets that I stored in a cupboard near my bed. I systematically applied the North magnets to the trigger points located near the site of pain around my knee. Estimating what meridians were involved, I positioned the South magnets further up the femur and hip on the Gall Bladder and Bladder Meridians. I found, however, that it was the local application of the North magnets around the knee that was most effective. Within two hours after their application, the pain was 95% gone.

Again, I decided to conduct the same experiments on my knee that I had done a few years previous on my elbow pain. By removing and reapplying them, changing the magnets to irrelevant locations and reversing their polarity to South seeking, the pain intensified and my previous findings were absolutely corroborated. I eventually discovered that I needed to wear the magnets on the trigger points around my knee nearly continuously for about two months before the problem became sufficiently stabilized and resolved.

After this second powerful experience with bio-magnetic therapy, I decided to apply magnets on all my patients along with the acupuncture, dietary and herbal therapy that was part of my normal practice. I wanted to discover for myself the range of their effectiveness for a wide variety of complaints. Since that time, I have found bio magnetic therapy to be approximately 90% effective for the relief of pains and conditions caused by inflammation. For example, a woman diagnosed with colitis had tried itiany forms of conventional and non-conventional treatment over the previous year, but was relieved with the application of magnets to her lower abdomen within a week. Another man with arthritis in his hands and fingers with only minimal response from acupuncture and herbal therapy used magnetic balls to relieve and eventually remedy his condition completely. Similarly, another man had encroaching stiffness in his fingers that was threatening to impair his main preoccupation, the guitar. He also found the results he was seeking with the use of magnetic balls. As a pianist, I can only imagine the benefit these simple magnetic balls could be to the many Alio have suffered repetitive injury.

Everyone who had acute or chronic lower back, elbow or knee problems found relief, and in many cases complete recovery was achieved from the local application of magnets. Patients with asthma found that the application of magnets to their upper back or chest would provide them the relief they desperately needed without any further external medication. The list goes on to in-clude patients with upper respiratory' allergies, gastro-intestinal and digestive complaints, migraine headaches - all were relieved with the use of magnets - and the list of conditions continues to expand. Now with the expanded methods of application using magnetized water, magnetized oils, magnetic mattresses and mat-tress pads, jewelry and so forth, I am convinced that there is no condition for which bio-magnetic therapy would not be at least helpful.

Because of my experience with traditional Eastern systems of medicine, including Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and East Indian Ayurvedic medicine, I was able to tangibly experience the fundamental energetic basis of healing with magnets described in various traditional healing systems around the world.

I could tangibly understand that the North seeking side of a magnet was equivalent in energy to the definition in TCM of Yin, or in Ayurveda, of Shakti energy. The South facing side was equivalent to TCM Yang, or Ayurvedic Shiva energy. I also understood that the relative strength of a magnet determined whether it was to be used as an important energetic nutrient when in low strength (under 1000 gauss), or a high powered therapeutic tool in high strength (over 3000 gauss). Like other forms of natural healing energy, if reasonably used, magnets are very forgiving. Except for the obvious contraindications noted in the text, it is rare that any-one would experience anything more than a minor discomfort or aggravation, usually caused by using magnets that are too strong, applying the wrong North-South polarity for a given area or generally an overexposure to a strong magnetic field. If, for instance, one misapplies them over a wrong area, uses the wrong polarity or uses magnets that are too strong, there may be a period of minor aggravation and discomfort that is easily remedied as soon as their polarity is reversed or removed. As with herbs, acupuncture and all other systems of natural healing, trial and error is a valid approach to bio magnetic therapy. Here it is important to recognize the difference between the harmful, deranging effects of electro-magnetic energy which is alternating or AC current, as opposed to the more organizing direct current (DC), energy of permanent magnets.

**Contents and Sample Pages**