Examining the effects of biofield therapy through simultaneous assessment of electrophysiological and cellular outcomes

Abstract

Complementary and alternative medicine interventions, once viewed as fringe science, have in some cases provided novel, efficacious therapeutic interventions that are now part of conventional medicine[1](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-79617-3#ref-CR1). However, some modalities are met with skepticism due to the lack of any accepted mechanistic bases for such interventions on pathophysiological processes. One such treatment modality is biofield therapy (BT), which the National Cancer Institute classifies as “energy therapy”[2](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-79617-3#ref-CR2). The practice of providing BT posits that it is possible to influence biological processes and health outcomes across spatial or temporal distances through non-contact interventions such as Reiki, Healing Touch, Therapeutic Touch, Qigong, and other forms of treatment[3](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-79617-3?error=cookies_not_supported&code=a4562805-4421-4f50-af47-0af6f716592a#ref-CR3), [4](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-79617-3?error=cookies_not_supported&code=a4562805-4421-4f50-af47-0af6f716592a#ref-CR4), [5](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-79617-3?error=cookies_not_supported&code=a4562805-4421-4f50-af47-0af6f716592a#ref-CR5), [6](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-79617-3#ref-CR6).