Multisite surface electromyography and complementary healing intervention: a comparative analysis

A comparative analysis was conducted on a series of three experimental studies that examined the effect of various local and nonlocal (distant) complementary healing methods on multisite surface electromyographic (sEMG) and autonomic measures. The series concentrated sEMG electrode placement on specific neuromuscular paraspinal centers (cervical [C4], thoracic [T6], and lumbar [L3]), along with the frontalis region, due to the fact that these sites corresponded to the location of individual chakra centers as delineated in ancient Eastern medical and philosophical texts. It was hypothesized that the sEMG assessment procedure had the potential to provide objective, quantifiable correlates for complementary healing treatment effects, as well as assess the energy flow through the chakras during a healing treatment. The studies were the first of their kind to incorporate randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled protocols in order to evaluate correlative neuromuscular multisite sEMG paraspinal measures with different complementary healing treatment interventions. Although the measurement protocols were similar between experiments, the results, demonstrated by the individual studies, varied. Whereas the overall findings of the series are encouraging because they indicate a potential objective scientific correlate to complementary healing treatment intervention, the results are considered preliminary in nature and appear to be linked to either the meditational experience of the subjects or dependent on the particular healer(s) used. Additional research is needed in order to establish the multisite sEMG assessment procedure as a reliable correlative measure for complementary healing treatment effects and to determine whether a consistent replicative treatment effect can be demonstrated independent of the specific subject population or practitioner(s) used.