The Use of Eden Energy Medicine in the Treatment of Allergies: Overview and Case Series

Allergies are the sixth leading cause of chronic illness in the United States, with more than 50 million Americans suffering from allergies each year and an annual cost exceeding $18 billion [1- 2]. Climate and environmental shifts-including increasing pollen counts and longer pollen seasons-have led to increased rates and severity of allergies in children and adults [3-4]. Globally, up to 40 percent of the population are sensitive to common allergens such as pollen, dust, or mold. The World Allergy Organization Journal summarizes a rising trajectory, stating that “the prevalence of allergic airway diseases such as asthma and rhinitis has increased dramatically to epidemic proportions worldwide” [5]. The burden of allergies on public health, quality of life, and social costs has been increasing proportionately [6,7]. This paper explores the use of Eden Energy Medicine (EEM) [8], a complementary healing approach, in treating allergies by examining three case studies. The case studies are based on records and reports of practitioners as well as treatment outcomes identified through client interviews, questionnaires, validated inventories, and medical records. Case studies (a) identify treatments that appear to be effective before systematic clinical trials have established their efficacy, (b) allow for an examination of the interaction of patient characteristics and treatment modalities, and (c) raise questions for future research.

While our focus is on new and novel developments, we’ll begin with a brief look at the ways allergy treatments are typically administered.

Conventional Allergy Treatments

Interventions commonly utilized for allergies include antihistamines, corticosteroids, nasal irrigation, decongestants, leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs), immunotherapy, sinus surgery, and allergen avoidance [9,10]. These methods can be highly effective in treating allergic responses, yet they are not always successful and are often associated with adverse side effects, including immune suppression, drowsiness, allergic reactions to the medications themselves, and over-reliance on medication. For all these reasons, many individuals seek complementary or alternative approaches for managing their allergies [11].

Energy Medicine in Treating Allergies

“Energy medicine” is a hands-on healthcare approach that has been gaining popularity due to its purported effectiveness, safety, and affordability [12]. Its assessments and interventions focus on the body’s energies and energy fields [13]. Human energy fields are recognized in the healing systems of at least 97 cultures, often extending back thousands of years [14]. They are being scientifically studied as “biofields” and clinically applied. Biofield therapies include Reiki, Qigong, Healing Touch, Therapeutic Touch, and Touch for Health, as well as EEM. An estimated 174,000 healthcare professionals in the U.S. provide services they describe as involving the body’s energies and energy fields, with an estimated 16 million people receiving these services [15]. Biofield therapies focus on the electromagnetic fields that surround the body and every organ as well as the electrical impulses that travel through the nervous system, controlling breathing, walking, speaking, swallowing, digesting, sleeping, and immunity. Two primary advantages of Energy Medicine include:
a) Addressing biological activities at their energetic foundations for promoting healing and preventing illness.
b) Regulating vital physiological processes for promoting healing and preventing illness with accelerated speed and precision using interventions that can be economically and often noninvasively applied [16]. Acupuncture is the oldest, most widely known, and most widely researched form of energy medicine.

Acupuncture

Approximately 38,000 practitioners in the U.S. utilize acupuncture [17]. A rigorous assessment of 136 meta-analyses and systematic reviews, examining data from more than a thousand peer-reviewed randomized controlled trials (RCTs), found moderate to strong evidence showing acupuncture to be beneficial for 46 health conditions. The analysis identified stringent evidence for the effectiveness of acupuncture with allergic rhinitis, both perennial and seasonal. It concluded that acupuncture is safe and cost effective in the treatment of various allergic conditions. The reviews that were assessed speculated that the mechanisms of action included:
a) The anti-inflammatory effects of acupuncture, which involve various mediators and signaling pathways.
b) The regulation of immunoglobulin E (IgE).
c) the release of substance P, a neurotransmitter that modulates pain perception by altering cellular signaling pathways.
d) the stimulation of vasoactive intestinal peptide, which causes smooth muscles in the digestive tract, the heart, and the blood vessels to relax [18].

A separate systematic review and meta-analysis of acupuncture specifically for allergic conditions examined 39 RCTs, which included 3,433 participants. Findings showed acupuncture to be superior to sham acupuncture (the stimulation of non-acupuncture points) in improving rhinoconjunctvitis, IgE content, and quality of life scores [19]. A review and meta-analysis of 13 studies investigating the effects of acupuncture on allergic rhinitis included 2,365 participants. In comparison with controls, acupuncture produced a significant reduction in nasal symptom scores and improved rhinitis-related quality of life scores [20]. Finally, a survey of 331 acupuncturists showed that ninety-nine percent reported treating patients with chronic sinus and nasal symptoms. On a fivepoint scale, the mean perceived efficacy by the practitioners for the overall treatment of chronic sinus and nasal symptoms was 4.2. The survey and the clinical studies assessed by the various empirical reviews indicate that acupuncture has a comparable effect to medication for patients with moderate to severe allergic rhinitis. Unlike many medications, acupuncture was shown to be safe, with no serious adverse effects [21].

Acupressure

A disadvantage of acupuncture is that it requires specialized equipment, such as needles, heat, or electrical stimulation. This substantially increases costs and reduces access. Significantly, acupuncture cannot be self-applied at home. Acupressure, on the other hand, does not have this limitation. Acupressure still treats health conditions by stimulating acupuncture points, but instead of needles, heat, or electrical stimulation, acupressure simply uses a firm touch, tapping, or a massaging motion. A review of eight randomized and two quasi-randomized controlled trials showed positive effects from self-applied acupressure for allergies and respiratory disease, including significant improvements in symptom scores [22].

Eden Energy Medicine

Eden Energy Medicine (EEM)-the modality that is the focus of this review-is similar to acupressure in that it uses the manual stimulation of acupuncture points. However, it also utilizes a wider spectrum of interventions that are not associated with acupuncture or acupressure, such as procedures that impact the biofield or chakras. EEM can be administered in a range of clinical settings, and it can be self-applied, often in conjunction with professional treatment. Three core concepts within EEM include:
a) A body’s physiological states and activities are in part reflections of the state of the intelligent, self-organizing energies that animate that body.
b) Recognition of energies, including: (a) electrochemical and electromagnetic energies, which travel throughout the body on established pathways such as the nervous and endocrine systems, (b) electrical fields, which are contained within and surround each organ, and (c) more subtle energies, as described in ancient healing traditions.
c) Interventions that interact with these energies can bring a person’s energetic state into better balance, flow, and harmony, promoting health and having a curative effect on illness.

In order to become certified as an EEM practitioner, a two-year program must be completed which includes more than 200 hours of in-class didactic education and hands-on supervised practice. This training is provided in eight four-day classes. Between each of the eight classes, students recruit colleagues, friends, and family members as “practice clients” to master the techniques covered in the previous class. They must provide case notes on these sessions, take a written test, and demonstrate the techniques before going on to the next class. At the end of the two-year training, they must pass a comprehensive written test on techniques, another on ethics, a demonstration test on techniques, and an oral test on ethics. Following certification, they must complete ongoing professional education to keep their certification active.

The cases described in this report were drawn from a request to EEM students about their experiences in the use of EEM with allergies. Each individual selected for the case series had severe and prolonged allergy symptoms that resisted conventional treatments but responded to EEM. The assessments investigated not just the validity of the claims but also the procedures that led to the reported outcomes. Each of the women in the three cases worked with a different EEM practitioner. These practitioners were trained by the two authors of this paper and their organization. The practitioners were conversant in specific techniques for alleviating allergies and other autoimmune disorders as well as in the use of procedures for “tracking” the body’s energies. Because a person’s energies shift from day-to-day, and they often shift immediately following an intervention, energy tracking keeps the session attuned to the client’s health condition and unfolding needs.

Each of the 24 techniques listed in Table 1 for supporting the client’s overall health and the 18 techniques that are specific for addressing allergies and immune function is taught in the two-year EEM Practitioner Certification Program. Energy tracking informs the practitioner about which techniques to utilize and when to utilize them. This report falls within the HIPAA definition of Health Care Operations (45 CFR 164.501). The information about each client was completed in accord with the ethical standards of the Declaration of Helsinki of 1964 and its later amendments. Each participant signed an informed consent form and read and approved the way they were represented in this paper before its submission for publication. The investigation is retrospective in that all three participants had completed their EEM treatment prior to selection. Each of the 42 EEM techniques used with the case studies is listed in Table 1 and described in the Appendix so the reader will have an idea of how EEM is experienced by the client and so practitioners will be able to examine these three cases that were judged by both the client and the practitioner as having been successful. This paper is not, however, intended as training in how to apply the procedures (Table 1).

Table 1:EEM Interventions Used in the Three Case Reports.

NOTE: These techniques are described in the Appendix.

Symptom Self-Reports

A summary of pre-treatment and post-treatment symptoms along with ratings of symptom severity for all three participants was constructed from interviews and e-mail exchanges and is presented in Table 2. The presentation of each case was also reviewed by the treating practitioner and pertinent additions or adjustments have been entered without changing the content of the client reports.

Table 2:Self-Reported Severity of Symptoms.

NOTE:Numbers indicate symptom severity. They are on a 0-10 Likert Scale where 0 = no symptoms; 1 = least possible severity; 10 = greatest possible symptoms severity. Hyphens indicate that no inquiry or discussion about this symptom occurred. The “Before EM” assessments were made retrospectively.

RAND 36-Item Health Survey

The Rand 36-Item Survey (Rand-36) is a self-report questionnaire that contains 8 health concepts: Physical Functioning, Pain, Role Limitations due to Physical Health, Role Limitations due to Emotional Problems, Emotional Well-Being, Social Functioning, Energy/Fatigue, and General Health Perception [23]. It also includes a single item that provides an indication of perceived change in health. Scores on each of the 8 concepts (and perceived change in health) can range from 0–100 with higher scores indicating better health and functioning, with a collective total possible score of 3,600. Each woman completed the Rand- 36 twice; once retrospectively, based on recollections of when her allergy symptoms were the worst, and once at the time of the posttreatment interviews. Scores for each of the three cases are shown in Table 3.

Table 3:Results of RAND Survey in Each of the Three Cases.

NOTE:Higher scores correspond with better health and functioning.

The progress of the three women whose allergic conditions were treated with EEM is presented in this section Names and other identifying information have been disguised.

Case 1 – “Angela”

“Angela” is, at the time of this writing in 2023, aged 40, but her encounter with severe allergies started in September 2008 while visiting a friend who had a cat. Angela had been allergic to cats since she was a child, but this time, when she returned home, her symptoms continued and persisted for at least ten weeks without relief. That fall, as her symptoms worsened, she was diagnosed with a sinus infection by her family physician, who prescribed antibiotics. When the first course of antibiotics failed to relieve her symptoms, she was prescribed a stronger dose of antibiotics, still to no avail. Her nasal congestion was severe. She couldn’t breathe through her nose and struggled with a chronic runny nose, sinus headaches, sneezing, and an itchy face and mouth. Her primary care provider then advised antihistamines, both oral and nasal, and she followed these recommendations. This produced some relief, but her symptoms did not completely resolve. She was referred to an allergy specialist who conducted a skin prick test to determine which allergens were most problematic. The standard skin prick test indicated she was reacting to multiple allergens, including dust mites and dogs.

These results didn’t align, however, with Angela’s experience. For instance, the skin prick test indicated that pollen was not a problem for her, but she felt significantly worse during pollen season. The results also indicated an allergic reaction to dogs, but she’d been a dog owner for years with no new issues or allergy flare-ups when around dogs. The allergist said that in addition to the allergies, Angela was showing signs of asthma. The allergist recommended (a) a thorough, deep cleaning of her home to address allergens such as dust mites and dander; (b) an air purifier; (c) a prescription allergy medication; and (d) an inhaler. Angela followed all of these recommendations, but without much relief. Her allergies continued to flare for the next two years, particularly around late summer and early autumn. She had constant nasal congestion and pain during these periods. Her symptoms were so uncomfortable and disruptive that she had trouble sleeping. This caused her to take occasional days off work as a geologist for the government. She explained: I was always sneezing and blowing my nose and always felt like I had to explain that it wasn’t contagious. My home life was also affected, feeling low energy and unwell and not as social as usual. I remember being in a running club with my mom, and I had to drop it because I could barely breathe through my nose. Any cardio exercise was very difficult.

In 2010, Angela consulted a homeopathic physician to see if he could help relieve her symptoms. His diagnostic testing identified that pollen was indeed a problem for Angela (though the earlier prick test hadn’t identified pollen). The tests also indicated sensitivities to gluten and dairy, and they confirmed her thoughts that she was not allergic to dogs. Angela eliminated gluten and dairy from her diet, took the prescribed remedies and used a sinus rinse twice a day. She didn’t, however, experience any significant improvement in symptoms during this treatment. Looking back, Angela realized that the year her allergies became severe-2008-was also the year her father died. She had been very close with him, and his death from health-related issues came unexpectedly. He passed away that April, and Angela reflected that she wasn’t able to begin grieving, or even to cry until about five to six months after his death, which happens to correspond with the time her allergies worsened. Her father’s health issues and death also led to severe anxiety about her own health.

After considerable inner work, Angela eventually came to recognize a possible connection between this loss and the start of her struggle with severe allergies. In 2010 Angela came across the book Energy Medicine for Women by Donna Eden, which describes EEM methods and routines for health and wellbeing. Angela started doing, on a daily basis, an energy routine recommended in the book with the hope that it would help reduce her health-related concerns. She started feeling better within two weeks, and this success prompted her to try addressing her allergies more directly with EEM. When allergy season arrived in 2011, Angela added EEM practices that target allergies into her daily energy routine. She also began bi-weekly hour-long appointments with a local EEM practitioner. She spent a total of about 30 to 40 minutes per day doing EEM procedures at home. This included the standard daily energy routine with the added component for addressing allergies. She also focused on calming the energy system that instigates an overactive immune response.

One day after a session with her EEM practitioner that focused on a “subtle energy” system called the “electrics” (this is a fundamental system that connects all the other energy systems), she got into her car and felt her nasal congestion dissolve and physically disappear. Her symptoms continued improving, and Angela described the effects of EEM as “remarkable and empowering.” All of her allergies have cleared, including her lifelong allergy to cats. In 2021, Angela retrospectively rated her 2008 allergies as a 10 out of 10 in overall severity. By 2011, after working with EEM, she estimated that they were a 2. Today she reports that they’re a 0, “non-existent.” Her symptoms before and after her EEM treatments are listed in Table 2, which shows that the overall total of her self-rated severity of symptoms decreased from 143 to 2. Meanwhile, her Rand scores showed improved health and functioning, from 1,145 prior to EEM (rated retrospectively) to 3,425 after her EEM treatments.

Case 2 - “Denise”

As a girl, “Denise” had seasonal allergies as well as allergies to dust, animals, and food. She would react with a range of symptoms, including hives, wheezing, sneezing, congestion, runny nose, and itchy swollen eyes. In addition to the allergies, Denise was diagnosed with asthma. The asthma attacks were severe enough in childhood that she was repeatedly sent to the emergency room for nebulizer treatments. One specialist commented, “You know how some people say they are allergic to everything? You really are!” Around age 7, Denise received a series of allergy shots and began other treatments. Within a few years, her allergies and asthma had improved significantly. At age 22, however, the asthma and allergies returned. She experienced a range of allergy symptoms, including severe sinus headaches, loss of voice, hives, wheezing, swollen eyes, congestion, and runny nose. The severity continued to escalate. Denise was hospitalized for a few days each fall due to asthma and would also be hospitalized for breathing complications due to colds or flu.

Denise’s doctors prescribed various medications and treatments, including new and experimental options, but she reported the treatments didn’t provide much relief. Then, during summer 2011, at age 45, Denise became severely sick with a virus that led to significant breathing problems. She was wheezing and felt out of breath and lightheaded just walking across a room. She was unable to sleep well or go to work, and she used all of her sick leave and all her short-term disability days. She started working on long-term disability paperwork. See Table 1 for her self-reported symptoms and symptom severity. At this time, Denise was taking multiple medications, as advised by her doctor, including using a nebulizer, Advair, prednisone, and a prescription cough drop. Even after these remedies, she was still sick. She then went to a pulmonologist who added additional medications, including different types of inhalers and a new medication given through the nebulizer.

She was taking six different medications multiple times per day. She experienced side effects from the medications and continued to feel unwell. After a few weeks of no progress, she returned to the pulmonologist who then told her the health issues “might be all in your head”. Denise was exhausted and feeling defeated. She had been to many doctors, including specialists, and tried multiple treatments without relief. Around this time, she also tried a few other methods to address allergies, including vitamins, supplements, local honey, and bee pollen, though she didn’t experience notable changes from these efforts. She was unable to work because I just could not get enough oxygen. I was so sick and breathless that walking across my living room made me dizzy and short of breath. I was certainly unable to drive an hour and twenty minutes and walk across the parking lot to my job. I was out of work for about two months between using all my vacation time and short-term disability. I was despondent trying to understand how I was going to live without being able to breathe well. Several years earlier, Denise had tried acupuncture to treat her allergies and asthma, it improved her symptoms to a point, but they ultimately plateaued.

She decided to try acupuncture again. Her acupuncturist had recently trained in EEM. After her first EEM session, Denise could breathe fully for the first time in over two months. The practitioner suggested that Denise start using a daily energy medicine routine at home. Denise was so deeply exhausted that it took her around an hour to complete a routine that in good health would have taken six to eight minutes. By doing the energy routine every day, she started to feel better. After two weeks, she reported having more energy than she’d had in years. Next Denise added EEM practices specifically for allergies and asthma. She quickly and continually progressed and gained strength. Her symptoms diminished and she experienced other health benefits, including improved mood and memory. At this point, it took Denise a total of 20 to 30 minutes to do the Daily Energy Routine and the allergy exercises. Now, in 2023, Denise still has some seasonal allergies, but she described them as being “mild.” When Denise was exposed to mold in the past, it caused wheezing and difficulty breathing.

Today, mold only causes watery eyes and slight sniffling. Previously, ragweed caused immediate sneezing and swollen eyes. Now she can pull ragweed out of her garden with only a slight sniffle. In the past, she was severely allergic to many animals. She now has a cat who sleeps on her without triggering a reaction. She is also able to eat a wider variety of foods, including items that bothered her in the past. Since she began EEM in 2011, she has not been hospitalized. Denise’s allergies and asthma were so severe at times that she had felt her life was in danger. She believed she would not live beyond her forties. Today she reports being in “great health.” She described her experiences with EEM as having been “life-changing.” This prompted her to train and become an EEM practitioner herself. She’s been practicing EEM professionally for the past decade. On a scale of 0 to10, Denise retrospectively rated her previous symptoms as between an 8 and a 10. Today the symptoms are a 1 at most times of the year and can go up to a 3 during allergy season, when they are managed by combining EEM techniques and an inhaler. Denise’s symptoms before and after her EEM treatments are listed in Table 2, which shows that the overall total of her self-rated severity of symptoms decreased from 143 to 2. Meanwhile, her Rand scores showed improved health and functioning, from 180 prior to EEM (rated retrospectively) to 3,350 after her EEM treatments.

Case 3 – “Erma”

“Erma” is 47 with a history of multiple severe allergies, including sensitivities to chemicals, dander, dust, food, and medications. Her reactions began in 1995, when she was 19 and working at a department store. One day she was asked to help in the fragrance area where perfumes and colognes are sold. Within five minutes she felt ill, dizzy, and nauseated. Her reactions to scented products accelerated over time. She felt sick when exposed to cleaning products, air fresheners, laundry detergents, and people who were wearing fragrance. She had an allergy to dust and cat dander, which led to itchy eyes, a runny nose, difficulty breathing, and burning sensations in her face. She had become highly sensitive to bright lights as well. In 2012, Erma was bitten by a tick and contracted Lyme Disease. Six months after the bite, her allergic reactions exacerbated to the point that when Erma was exposed to certain chemicals (as well as some foods), she would experience vertigo, migraines, rapid heartbeat, throat constriction, and/or vomiting. Initially, she tried to avoid the triggers, but as her sensitivity increased, she started seeing doctor after doctor seeking help.

They prescribed various medications, including an EpiPen, but she had serious side effects to many of the medications. One primary care provider told her she couldn’t possibly be allergic to chemicals and suggested she try psychiatric medications. By 2014, at age 38, Erma’s allergies were so severe she had to wear a face mask and air filter any time she left her home. When her family members returned after being outside the house, they had to change their clothes so Erma would not react to them. Her migraines, nausea, and vertigo made it increasingly difficult to concentrate at work. In 2016, an allergy specialist confirmed her allergies to chemicals and other substances and diagnosed her with multiple chemical sensitivity. He also said she had a gluten allergy, which was inflaming her throat and exacerbating her reactions when she was exposed to other allergens. The allergist sent a letter to Erma’s employer stating her diagnosis and medical need to work from home. He said she would likely have this condition for the rest of her life. Trying to control her symptoms via diet, Erma restricted her food intake to primarily bone broth, bananas, and rice, but with no improvement.

She was feeling depressed and depressed as nothing seemed to be helping with her debilitating condition. Erma’s symptoms began to alleviate later in 2016 after she had an appointment with a primary care provider who was familiar with EEM. The physician taught her an energy medicine routine to do at home and another for testing how specific foods would be tolerated by her body. She did the recommended energy medicine practices for around 15 minutes daily. Within six months, she was able to go into the grocery store or a doctor’s office without her face mask and air filter. Before leaving the house to head out for an errand, appointment, or social event, she’d repeat some of the techniques. She continued these practices, and in 2017 started seeing an EEM practitioner for monthly appointments and evening classes, focusing particularly on grounding and stress. Erma applied the recommended routines daily, sometimes devoting up to an hour to them. Erma grew stronger and her reactivity progressively diminished. Her migraines became fewer and less intense. She was also able to eat a wider variety of foods.

About six months into her work with the practitioner, she was stable enough for one of the most advanced EEM procedures, which involves repairing what is called the “Basic Grid,” the body’s deepest energy structure. While not a method that is routinely used for working with allergies, she found that it promoted her overall health and well-being. Erma commented in 2021, “EEM saved my life.” She reported being able to function like a “normal” person and was so impressed with the approach that she started training to become a practitioner herself. She projected that on scale of 0 to10, she’d rate her former allergic reactions “as off the charts at a 25,” but today the reactions are at a 0 or 1. Erma no longer needs a face mask and filter to go into the world. Her family members don’t have to change clothes when they enter the house. She has two cats who cuddle and snuggle her. Her sensitivities to food, chemicals, and light have become easily manageable. Although she still keeps a fragrance-free home and reacts to some chemicals, the reactions aren’t severe or debilitating. If they do occur, she’s able to use EEM methods to restabilize.

In addition, a variety of emotional challenges have gone from severe to none or negligible, including anxiety, panic attacks, depression, hopelessness, and fear of dying. Erma’s symptoms before and after her EEM treatments are listed in Table 2, which shows that the overall total of her self-rated severity of symptoms decreased from 173 to 29. Meanwhile, her Rand scores showed improved health and functioning, from 165 prior to EEM (rated retrospectively) to 3,580 after her EEM treatments (Tables 1&2).

The findings in this case series are based on client selfreports corroborated by the EEM practitioners who provided the treatments. The outcomes described indicate that EEM was effective for eliminating most of the three women’s allergy symptoms and substantially reducing the severity of those that remained. Durable improvements in their overall health and functioning were also recounted. These findings corroborate previous studies of allergy treatments that utilize other forms of energy medicine, particularly acupuncture [18, 19, 20, 21] and, most pertinently, the ten studies of self-applied acupressure. These outcomes also have implications for the use of rescue medications. Rescue medications in allergy treatment are drugs used to provide immediate relief from severe allergy symptoms, such as antihistamines, decongestants, corticosteroids, and for the most severe reactions, epinephrine. Compared to rescue medication alone, rescue medication along with self-applied acupressure showed greater improvements in overall seasonal allergic rhinitis symptoms, with the acupressure group needing less rescue medicine than the control group [24].

For the purposes of Institutional Review Boards (IRBs), a retrospective analysis of one, two, or three cases is considered a “case study”. Only if more than three cases are involved is the activity considered “Human Subjects Research”, requiring an IRB review. A primary limitation of this study included its reliance on subjective self-reports and use of retrospective data. Selfreports can be subject to errors of memory or judgment. Although medical test results were sometimes available, they weren’t always accessible and weren’t systematically collected. Case studies are also inherently limited in terms of generalization. In addition, factors beyond the EEM treatment might have accounted for the improved symptoms during the months of the EEM treatment, although in all three cases, symptoms had persisted for years and were non-responsive to other treatments before EEM was introduced. Each of the cases involved severe, longstanding, often disabling allergies, and the amount of time required to completely, or almost completely, overcome them using the natural methods of EEM was often substantial, although some improvement was usually experienced early in the treatment.

This paper describes the long-term experiences of three women who suffered with multiple allergies that ranged from serious to life-threatening. In each case, the allergies disrupted work, sleep, or daily functioning, and they severely diminished overall health and quality of life-in one case necessitating regular hospital stays. All three women had sought help from multiple health care providers, including allergy specialists, and adhered for substantial periods to the recommended conventional treatments. In each case, however, the treatments didn’t reduce their symptoms to a tolerable level, and some treatments caused debilitating side effects. This led each woman to seek alternative treatments, ultimately finding her way to EEM. After commencing EEM sessions and at-home techniques designed to bring each woman’s overall energy system into a better balance, marked improvements in their chronic allergy symptoms followed. In each case, some improvement was almost immediate, and the symptoms decreased or disappeared completely as the treatment progressed. All three women reported using EEM to help manage the few symptoms that remained, empowering them in relation to their health and helping them to maintain a good quality of life. These preliminary findings suggest that more rigorous research on EEM with allergies is warranted to validate efficacy, elucidate mechanisms of action, and provide guidance for practice.

Sarah Moran did important groundwork as we were conceiving this project. Seven Eden Energy Medicine practitioners were vital to its conceiving. Margie Mulcahy, Susan Stone, and Dianne Faure provided the treatments that are recounted. Alexie Bennett shepherded the project and conducted many of the post-treatment interviews that are the basis of the case material. Vladimira Dragnea, Valerie Rice, and Gaia Sciaranghella helped the paper move forward from one draft to the next. We extend our deep gratitude to each of them for their talents, time, and dedication.

The authors have written books and conduct workshops on the topic of this report.

The authors received no outside funding.

Brief Energy Balancing

A 6- to 8-minute practice that is taught to virtually every EEM client is called the “Daily Energy Routine” (DER). Given how busy people are, the intention in creating this routine was to provide a simple set of procedures that if done daily on an at-home basis would establish “energy habits” that promote systemic health. The routine balances the body’s energies, increases vitality, stimulates self-healing, strengthens the immune system, supports mental capacity, and enhances overall well-being. It consists of the following eight techniques, with four brief sub-routines for the first one:.

The Crossover Shoulder Pull. This exercise has a “whole-system” generic effect on balancing and harmonizing the body’s energies, particularly supporting vital cross-over patterns. It involves placing a hand on its opposite shoulder and, with some pressure, pulling the hand down across the chest and off the opposite hip. This is repeated several times on each side of the body.

The Four Thumps. These energy points can be tapped on for a few seconds each to initiate their benefits. They include:
a) The Stomach Points. Located under the eyes, tapping on these Stomach acupuncture points helps ground the body’s energies and has the additional benefit of improving digestion.
b) The K-27 Points. The 27th acupuncture points on the Kidney Meridian are located under the collarbone. A “meridian” is one of the body’s 14 major energy pathways, and each acupuncture point is associated with a specific meridian. Stimulating the K-27 points also has a whole-system generic effect, supporting the proper flow of the energies throughout the body and correcting meridians that are flowing in the wrong direction.
c) The Thymus Thump. The energy point that stimulates the thymus is located in the center of the chest. Tapping or thumping on it stimulates the immune system.
d) The Spleen Points. Tapping on these energy points, associated with the Spleen Meridian, balances the blood chemistry and helps assimilate the energies that are continually coming in from the environment. The points are located on the sides of the body about four inches below the armpits.

The Cross Crawl. Designed to promote mental clarity by integrating the energies in the left and right brain hemispheres, this cross-body movement also supports coordination and physical balance. It involves a marching in place motion, touching the opposite hand to the opposite knee with each step.

The Wayne Cook Posture. Named in honor of Wayne Cook, a pioneering researcher in the field of bioenergetics, this exercise is actually a sequence of two postures designed to help “unscramble” energies, improve clarity of thought, and increase comprehension. The postures involve crossing the legs and arms in instructed ways and breathing in specific patterns.

The Crown Pull. Designed to relieve mental congestion and improve focus by stimulating blood flow to the brain and skull, this exercise involves using the fingers to “pull” energy across different parts of the head, starting from the forehead and moving towards the back of the skull. It also improves the flow of energy to the small intestine, which is critical in food allergies.

Connecting Heaven and Earth. This exercise stretches and opens the body’s energy systems, allowing for a better flow of energy between the upper and lower parts of the body, so the body becomes a conduit between Heaven and Earth. The stretch clears stuck energies, releases “energy toxins,” improves circulation, and promotes physical balance.

The Zip Up. This 5-second procedure strengthens the body’s Central Meridian and is accomplished by tracing either hand along an energy pathway that runs up the front of the body. The technique helps boost confidence, clarity, and protection from negative energies.

The Hook Up. This final technique of the DER stabilizes the benefits of the other seven techniques by creating a connection between the body’s two major energy meridians. It also brings balance to all the energy systems, steadies the mood, and calms the mind. The exercise is performed by placing the middle finger of one hand on the “third eye” (the space between the eyebrows) and the middle finger of the other hand in the navel. Each finger is pressed slightly into the skin and pulled upwards.

Correcting Disturbed Energy Patterns

Four of the techniques in the DER: The cross-over shoulder pull, the cross crawl, the Wayne Cook posture, and thumping on the K-27 points-are specifically oriented for optimizing the overall flow of the body’s energies. A fifth technique, the “homolateral crossover,” is more time-consuming but also more powerful than the others. It is designed to correct an energetic state, often associated with illness, in which the energies are running parallel, on the same side of the body, instead of crisscrossing in an optimal manner. The homolateral crossover involves prescribed movements that help restore the energies into their natural crossover pattern.

Tracing the Meridians: Each of the 14 meridians has a specific pathway and direction. By tracing in this direction along the skin that sits above the meridian’s pathway, the electromagnetic energy of the hand refreshes the flow of the meridian. Tracing the meridians has system-wide benefits, from improving the flow of the body’s energies and clearing blockages in the energy pathways to reducing stress. The procedure can be done by the practitioner or by the client on an at-home basis.

Balancing the Biofield: In addition to the meridians, EEM recognizes eight other energy systems that are involved with health and healing. One of these is an energy that surrounds the entire body, known in ancient healing and spiritual traditions as the “aura” and studied by modern science as the “biofield.” Two important functions of this energy system are to protect the body from toxic energies in the environment while also being a bridge that brings healing and other vitalizing energies into the body. A strong aura or biofield is associated with psychological and physical health, and a technique called the “Celtic Weave” uses a variety of physical motions to weave together and strengthen this protective energy field.

Food and Substance Testing: Techniques for testing the body’s energies are central in all applications of EEM and are the basis of the energy tracking mentioned above. Being able to test the body’s reactions to foods and other substances is particularly critical when allergies are involved. It is possible to identify substances or environmental influences (e.g., cell phone towers) that disrupt the body’s energies or weaken the immune response so they can be avoided. Called “energy testing,” the practitioner may test a substance by determining variations in the client’s resistance to pressure on muscles associated with specific meridians. The sequence would be to test an “indicator muscle” without the substance and then test it again after bringing the substance (which emits an “energy field”) into the client’s “energy field.” If a previously strong indicator muscle loses its strength, the substance is impacting the client’s energies negatively. A self-applied form of energy testing may be used by the client on an at-home basis.

Stimulating Sinus Acupuncture Points: Among the most direct EEM methods for alleviating allergy symptoms parallels techniques used in acupressure. In addition to the immediate relief that can be gained by energy-based techniques, restoring a balance to the body’s energies helps overcome the allergy that is at the root of the symptoms. Of the various points that might impact allergies (the body contains hundreds of acupuncture points), nine that are commonly used in EEM were mentioned in the interviews with the three women. These points, or any combination of them, may be held, massaged, or tapped and include the following (the name identifies the meridian, and the number indicates the acupuncture point on that meridian):
a) Bladder 2: This point is often used to treat conditions related to the head and face and helps alleviate symptoms such as itchy eyes, sneezing, and nasal congestion. It is located at the inner end of the eyebrow.
b) Gall Bladder 14: Stimulating this point helps with frontal headaches, eye pain, and redness and is also used to help overcome nasal obstruction, inflammation, and rhinitis. It is located on the forehead, directly above the pupil when the eyes are looking straight ahead.
c) Gall Bladder 20: Stimulating this point can help regulate the body’s immune response, reduce inflammation, relieve headaches, nasal congestion, and eye irritation. It is located at the base of the skull, in the hollow between the two large, vertical neck muscles.
d) Large Intestine 4: Stimulating this point helps regulate the body’s immune response, reducing the severity of allergic reactions, and it also helps relieve pain originating from sinus pressure or allergy-related headaches. It is located on the highest spot of the muscle when the thumb and index fingers are brought close together.
e) Large Intestine 20: Stimulating this point helps clear nasal congestion, reduce inflammation, and improve the immune response. It is located on the face, in the nasolabial groove.
f) Liver 3: Stimulating this point can help to alleviate symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, and itchy eyes. It is located on the foot, between the first and second toes.
g) Lung 7: Stimulating this point helps with respiratory conditions, sneezing, runny nose, and itchy eyes as well as the body’s immune response. It is located on the wrist.
h) Small Intestine 18: Stimulating this point can help with sinus issues, facial swelling, and skin eruptions. It is located on the lower edge of the cheekbone, directly below the outer corner of the eye.
i) E.9 Stomach 3: Stimulating this point can help reduce inflammation and mucus production in the nasal passages. It is located at the bottom of the cheekbone, directly below the pupil.

Correcting Meridian Imbalances: In addition to routinely tracing the 14 major meridians as described above, some meridians may be chronically overcharged, undercharged, or otherwise out of balance. The practitioner can use energy testing and other methods to identify meridian imbalances that are involved with a client’s allergies and use any of a variety of EEM techniques to correct them.

Flushing Lung Meridian: Because respiratory problems are often involved with allergies, a simple technique that the client can do on an as-needed basis is to “flush” the Lung Meridian. This involves tracing the meridian backwards to clear any blockages or stale energies, and then tracing forward on the meridian pathway to restore an optimal flow. The plumbing metaphor of “backwashing pipes” is sometimes used to explain this technique, which can be used with any of the 14 meridians.

Triple Warmer Smoothie: Another meridian that is almost always involved in allergies is called “Triple Warmer.” This meridian has more functions than most, including governing both the immune and the fight-or-flight responses. With allergies, Triple Warmer is typically in an overcharged state, treating innocuous substances as threats, and initiating the response that produces allergic symptoms. A variety of techniques are used to calm an overactive Triple Warmer. One of the simplest is to use the open hands to trace the meridian backwards, called the “Triple Warmer Smoothie”.

Take Down the Flames: This technique helps calm overactive energies in the body. It helps reduce inflammation, calms the nervous system, and promotes a sense of peace and relaxation. The hands are used to smooth or “comb” the energy field around the body, starting from the head and moving down towards the feet.

Engage the Electrics: The “electrics” are another of the nine energy systems. The energies of this system are relatively dense in relation to the more subtle energies that move through the meridians. The energy of the electrics runs through the entire body, connecting and integrating all the other energy systems. By facilitating better communication among all the body’s energy systems, the electrics can help reduce the overreactions in the immune system that cause allergic reactions. The entry to the electrics system for a practitioner is at the two points where the back of the head meets the neck, each about an inch to the left or right of center. Firmly holding these points for several minutes stimulates the action of the electrics system.

Free the Diaphragm: Because of the crucial role the diaphragm plays in breathing, blockages can amplify allergic reactions. This exercise, which combines isometric and breathing techniques, removes the energetic basis of blockages in the diaphragm and has alleviated some of the respiratory symptoms of allergies.

Activate the Belt Flow: An energy that encircles the midriff like a belt connects the flow of energy between the upper and lower parts of the body. If the allergy is related to a lack of grounding, digestive problems, or an imbalance between the upper and lower body, this technique involves raking the area of the belt flow with firm pressure, and then using the hands to guide stale or chaotic energies down the leg and off the foot. While any of these methods may help with allergies and allergic reactions, a trained practitioner can determine which are most likely to have the greatest benefits, which order to best apply them, and what other EEM methods should supplement them.