HOLISTIC HEALTH - A WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING?
Let's observe some of the undertrappings of the New Age Movement. When someone allows a spirit guide to speak to or through them, it is called channeling. The messages of these spirit guides is usually remarkably similar in nature. Channelers are told by their spirit guides to develop their mind powers. They are told that we as humans already have all knowledge within us. When we learn something, we are just remembering and applying what we already know. They are told that we only use about 10% of the human brain; that we must learn to develop the other 90%. This is the first step for the spirit guide to draw the unsuspecting and trusting victim into parapsychology. You see (the reasoning goes) if Christ Consciousness and all knowledge is within us, it follows that it is locked up in this 90% of the brain, and all we need to do is to "tap into its power"! The name coined for this process is "human potential". This movement includes the area of Holistic Health and the pursuit of the "Mind Sciences" (sometimes called the "soft sciences"). Now here is where things begin to get sticky, because some of the New Age approaches we will cover are seen by many as being acceptable today. If I should step on any toes, please know that my intent is to tread lightly! Please understand that it is essential that we become aware of these potential areas of concern in order to withdraw from any practice which might be detrimental to our Christian growth.
Taoism as described by Eerdman's Handbook to the World's Religions is: "Chinese philosophy outlined in the Tao Te Ching. Its aim is to achieve harmony with all that is by pursuing inaction and effortlessness. Taoism gradually evolved an elaborate mythological system and incorporated notions of spirit possession, alchemy and divination."
This "harmony with all that is" is a harmony of the "God forces" or pranic energy. One example of a "God force" is the Kundalini force which activates Shakti, a force that is said to be coiled like serpent at the base of the spine. When awakened, it leaps up the spine to the brain giving an experience of union and liberation. This is considered to be a re-enactment of the sexual union of Shiva (said to be present in the mind) and Shakti. Shiva is said to preside over creation and destruction good and evil. Shakti is a female counterpart to Shiva that exists in latent form in man and is awakened by Kundalini. Yoga utilizes this god force. Various Yoga stances and chants summon Kundalini to begin the chain effect that creates this "liberating" experience.
These and various other "forces" are focused upon in the Holistic Health methods employed by many doctors today. They attempt to harmonize or restore balances of these "forces" in order to alleviate symptoms and to diagnose and cure diseases. Due to discontent over traditional medical care and extensive use of medications to the point of their ineffectiveness, many are demanding more NATURAL treatments. This desperation prompts a lack of discernment towards the methods or treatment being applied under the broad title of Holistic Health. Tens of millions of people (including many Christians) have participated in these treatment techniques, not realizing their link to the occult or the dangers they pose.
Let's look first at the Chiropractic industry. Now don't panic, most chiropractors will NOT involve you in the occult, and a good Christian chiropractor is worth his weight in gold! However, because not everyone is fortunate enough to have a good Christian chiropractor, and because the potential for occult practice IS real in this field, let's look closely at it. Spinal Manipulative Therapy (SMT) is used by most chiropractors, and is a safe, effective, and useful treatment for various musculoskeletal problems. Some chiropractors have, however, questionable or profoundly occult practices in addition to the use of SMT. Reflexology, iridology, homeopathy, polarity therapy, acupuncture, herbal medicine, chrystalogy and biofeedback are some examples. We'll examine these one by one.
Reflexology is a novel form of acupressure (a cousin to acupuncture) employing foot or hand massage, which supposedly manipulates life energies by breaking up crystalline deposits that obstruct the pranic energy flow. As the flow is restored, health is to be restored in all bodily organs and systems. Am I saying there is a problem with foot and hand massage? No, not generally, but if the technique employed is designed to restore the pranic energy flow, and the massage is given with that intent, it could result in energy channeling, a very dangerous door to the occult, and medically, it is considered to be useless.
Iridology is the study of the iris of the human eye to allegedly diagnose any current and a future illness or disease. The eye is said to mirror the health condition of the body as the nervous system sends detailed information from the rest of the body to the iris. Each iris is supposed to reveal what is happening on ITS OWN SIDE of the body, but this would be inconceivable because incoming nerve impulses from one side of the body almost always cross to the opposite side on their way to the brain! Not only can this process delay treatment for serious illness due to misdiagnosis, but spiritual problems from occultic influences can occur.
Homeopathy is a system of diagnosis and treatment based on the theory that the same substance that caused symptoms in a healthy person will cure those symptoms in a sick person. It is supposed to correct imbalances or problems in the body's "vital force" or life energy that is currently (or will later be) manifested as disease. By an almost ritualistic process of diluting and shaking, homeopathic substances supposedly become powerful energy medicines which correct the imbalance or cure the illness. Thousands of plant, mineral, and animal homeopathic substances are being widely tested, marketed, and consumed; (everything from deadly nightshade, snake venom, arsenic, gunpowder, sand, lobster, and cockroach). Some homeopathic treatments may include psychic diagnosis and healing, spiritism, astrology, and other occult philosophies as well as the use of pendulums or other occult devices.
Polarity therapy is the practice of channeling energy to allegedly restore or balance the body's supply of mystical energy which is believed to flow between positive and negative poles in the body. By channeling psychic energy through the therapist's hands (or the now widely used technique of magnets), the flow of energy is restored to corresponding body organs. Magnetism is particularly dangerous. The magnetic force seems to have a subtle occult link to the spirit world which makes one more susceptible to deception. Prior to speaking engagements, New Agers have even been known to magnetize the drinking water of the region in order to make people more receptive to occult ideology. The use of magnets on the body likewise magnetize the blood which is mostly water! Most people have wrongly concluded that this is not an occultic method because of its innocent appearance. Yet polarity therapy is a form of psychic healing involving energy channeling and potentially spiritism.
As previously mentioned acupuncture is a cousin to acupressure as used in reflexology. This procedure is based on the occultic religion of Taoism, and is supposed to stimulate the flow of cosmic life energy through invisible channels or meridians in the body, thus restoring health. In addition to it Taoism ties, other psychic healing techniques may be used without the knowledge of the patient. Complication from infection, nerve damage, punctured lungs, and convulsion have been reported following acupuncture, as well as spiritual repercussions.
Herbal medicine is sometimes appropriate and healthy. However, separating the wheat from the chaff is tricky. The use of some herbal medicines may incorporate practices such as developing altered states of consciousness and spirit contact through use of hallucinogenic plants (as in many forms of shamanism) or practicing psychic healing through regulating a supposed occult power that is latent within plants and herbs. Some supposed remedies contain carcinogenics, while others are mislabeled or contaminated with insect parts. Caution is needed before choosing any herbal medication! As a Christian, I am very very cautious regarding the use of herbs at all today.
Crystalogy is extremely popular in our age. Crystals supposedly contain the ability to focus and direct psychic energies for healing and other occult pursuits. Crystalogy is a form of animism in which inanimate objects are held to possess spiritual powers that may be contacted, utilized, or directed. But in animism any supernatural power contacted originates from the spirit world. Thus, crystals "per se" have no magical powers and only become an implement behind which spirits may work. When pressed, most crystal healers concede that the power behind crystals is spiritistic. John Ankerberg John Weldon's The Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs states: "Ulma Silbey's the Complete Crystal Guidebook reveals that through crystal work, "You can meet (spirit) guides and beings from different dimensions and uncover ESP abilities. ... A curious thing starts to happen as you work with crystals. You start becoming aware of an energy or force or a "potential" higher than yourself. You start becoming aware of and can begin to interact with something very powerful and wonderful. She observes that those who work with crystals become "channels" for this energy, and she specifically links this with the dangerous occult kundalini energy whose manifestations usually signify spiritistic influence or possession."
This valuable source also intimates that one must be in a total state of surrender to become a channel through which the creative force or spirit can work, and that by doing so you may experience astral separation of physical and psychic selves (astral travel), clairvoyance (seeing via the third eye into the past or future), or claraudience (hearing spiritual sounds and/or voices). They also indicated that those who open doors to the occult through the use of crystals usually find that they soon no longer need them in order to produce the same results and experiences.
Biofeedback is the use of special electronic equipment and mental exercises to influence physiological responses. The goal is to gain some degree of control over particular physical functions that people do not normally, consciously regulate, such as skin temperature, muscle tension, brain waves, pulse rate, etc., which can in turn control tension headaches, high blood pressure, etc. This type of mental control is sometimes associated with yoga, and CAN be dangerous.
One of the most recent forms of treatment that seems to fall into the realm of holistic health is myofascial release. The power of healing "energy" is often associated with this therapeutic massage technique. It is credited with curing chronic pain, neck pain, headaches, sports injuries, scoliosis, jaw pain, back pain, fibromyalgia, menstrual pain, pelvic pain, chronic fatigue syndrome, and even post surgical and traumatic scarring. An internationally renowned practitioner of this technique and author and authority on it's use claims to be a "visionary". There is little room for doubt that this form of therapeutic massage deals with the manipulation of "energy" within the body, and is thus linked to the metaphysical realm of the occult.
John Ankerberg and John Weldon write a series of small, easy to read booklets that deal with a variety of subjects. It is called the Facts On series. One of the series is on Holistic Health; a valuable resource. The series in its entirety is a worthwhile investment, and highly recommended.
When pursuing any "NATURAL healthcare treatment or remedy, the key word is CAUTION. Danger lurks throughout this field of medical practice!!! If there is the slightest possibility that you are already in the grips of the occult through the use of one or more of these holistic health treatments, repentance is urgently advised. However, true repentance necessitates the abandonment of the practice which is causing the breech between you and the One you were created to serve and honor. May God Almighty convict the heart of each one who reads this article, bind any deceptive spirits, and open eyes to the seductive power of the evil one so we can maintain full discernment and grow properly in Christ.