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An Overview of Biofield Devices  

David Muehsam, PhD; Gaétan Chevalier, PhD; Tiffany Barsotti, MTh; Blake T. Gurfein, PhD

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Author Affiliations: Visual Institute of Developmental Arts and Sciences, National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems, Bologna, Italy (Dr Muehsam); Consciousness and Healing Initiative, San Diego, California (Dr Muehsam); Developmental and Cell Biology Department, University of California Irvine, Irvine (Dr Chevalier); California Institute for Human Science, Encinitas, California (Ms Barsotti); Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, (Dr Gurfein).

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https://www.chi.is/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/7-CHI-Research-An-Overview-of-Biofield-Devices.pdf

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Modalities using gas or Plasma Gas discharge visualization (GDV) is an important example of the use of plasma in biofield science. Based on the Kirlian effect, a high-frequency, high-voltage field is used to stimulate weak photon emission, followed by the application of modern optics, electronics, and computer processing to form images of the weak photon emission. Dating back to the 1930s,152 this technique has been called electrography,153 electrophotography,154 corona discharge photography,155 bioelectrography,152 GDV,156 electrophotonic imaging (EPI),157 and Kirlianography.152 GDV/EPI techniques are currently used diagnostically based upon the characteristics of images of the fingertips158 and often with proprietary means of correlating these data with acupuncture systems or other means of assessing the biological state.159 Nearly 1000 papers have been published (mostly in Russian) on GDV research and a few hundred more in the West. A recent review of GDV research applied to medicine and psychology can be found in the book Electrophotonic Applications in Medicine: GDV Bioelectrography.160 One study reported significant differences in cancer patient GDV scans when compared with healthy particpants, and after 6 weeks of treatment including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, a change trending toward healthy subject GDV profiles.161 These intriguing data suggest that informatics based upon biofield measurement devices such as the GDV may be useful for gaining deeper understanding of disease states and guiding practitioners and their patients towards states of greater wellness.

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Conclusions: The current existence of biofield devices is a demonstration of the clear, specific, and tangible knowledge that has been gained thus far in biofield science. Devices play prominent cultural and scientific roles in our society, and it is likely that device technologies will be one of the most influential access points for the furthering of biofield research and the dissemination of biofield concepts. Comprehensive study of biofield devices will require a concerted research effort, interdisciplinary collaborations, and sufficient funding. Systematic studies are needed to deepen our understanding of the nature of biofield interactions and to move biofield device development and experimentation forward. This developing field of study presents new areas of research that have many important implications for basic science, clinical medicine, and potentially, the forward progress and evolution of our species. The ever-growing understanding of biofield science holds promise to foster a more humane and personalized form of medicine and an expansion of our scientific viewpoint to include the importance of each individual’s interconnectedness with communities, the immediate environment, the earth, and the cosmos.

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152. Korotkov KG. Williams BO, Bugno TJ, Parsons PH, et al, editors. Human energy field: study with GDV bioelectrography. Fair Lawn, NJ: Backbone Publishing; 2002.

153. Konikiewicz LW. Introduction to electrography: A handbook for prospective researchers of the Kirlian effect in biomedicine. Harrisburg, PA: Leonard’s Associates; 1979.

154. Earle L. Electrophotography. San Francisco: And/Or Press; 1975.

155. Boyers DG, Tiller WA. Corona discharge photography. J Appl Physics. 1973;44(7):3102-12.

156. Bankovskii NG, Korotkov KG, Petrov NN. Physical processes of image formation during gas-discharge visualization (the Kirlian effect) (Review). Radiotekhnik Elektronik. 1986 Apr;31:625-43. Russian.

157. Wisneski LA, Anderson L. The Scientific Basis of Integrative Medicine, Second Edition. 2009, CRC Press. p. 205–229.

158. Cohly H, Kostyuk N, Isokpehi R, Rajnarayanan R. Bio-electrographic method for preventive health care. Paper presented at: IEEE 1st Annual Bioscience and Biotechnology Conference Proceedings; March 18-19, 2009; Oak Ridge, TN. http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/mostRecentIssue.jsp?punumber=5073918. Accessed August 20, 2015.

159. Korotkov KG, Matravers P, Orlov DV, Williams BO. Application of electrophoton capture (EPC) analysis based on gas discharge visualization (GDV) technique in medicine: a systematic review. J Altern Complement Med. 2010;16(1):13-25.

160. Jakovleva E, Korotkov K, eds. Electrophotonic applications in medicine: GDV bioelectrography research. e-book. 2013. ISBN 978-1481932981.

161. Gagua PO GE, Georgobiani LG, Kapanadze A, et al. The GDV technique application to oncology. In: Korotkov K, Tunik A, editors. Measuring energy fields: state of the science. Fair Lawn, NJ: Backbone Publishing; 2004:43-50.

162. Yurth DG. Torsion field mechanics: verification of non-local field effects in

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