Microcurrent Facial Rejuvenation is a natural alternative to harsh and often dangerous cosmetic procedures such as facial surgery, Botox™, chemical peels and dermabrasion. The popularity of non- surgical rejuvenation procedures is rapidly growing. There has been a 471% increase in the numbers of such procedures performed since 1997.

I have worked with a research team throughout the United States to develop a superior facial system called Energy Light Rejuvenation™ (ELR). ELR uses gentle microcurrent electro- combined with color light therapy. The microcurrents are applied at specific frequencies and polarities that match the body's own bio-electric activity.1 This technology is an aspect of Energy Medicine, which is certainly a major future direction of health care.

Clients like ELR facial rejuvenation for the following benefits:

• Wrinkle reduction

• Adjustment of facial muscle tone to more youthful firmness to reduce or eliminate sagging areas

• Normalization of skin coloration to more healthy hues

• Reduction or elimination of acne, blemishes and age spots

• Increase in collagen and elastin production to fill out and contour the face

• Facilitating a healthy, vibrant glow to the face

At least 85 - 90% of clients are satisfied with these results from a series of ELR sessions.2 The remarkable thing has been all the additional benefits that have been reported. Here is a partial list of healing "side effects" that my students and associates practicing ELR have told me about over the last year:

1) Menstrual cramps relieved

2) Menopausal discomfort alleviated

3) Weight loss (averaging 5 - 15 lbs over a series of 3 - 10 facial sessions)

4) Back and neck pain relieved

5) Depression or emotional malaise lifted, mental clarity increases, increased feelings of inner calm and emotional centeredness

6) Digestive discomfort and constipation relieved

7) "Writer's block" to composing music removed, so that a musician patient moved out of a period of disconnection from her music

8) Fatigue lifted, energy levels increase

9) Insomnia relieved

10) Hormonally-based acne permanently cleared up

One esthetician I interviewed stated: "I am 47 and peri-menopausal. I was rubbing progesterone cream on my body because I was waking up at night with hot flashes with heavy sweating and red face and irregular periods. I started giving myself just one ELR session a week (only one because I am so busy with clients). After 3 - 4 sessions I have discontinued using the progesterone cream and I have been completely symptom free now for months."

How can these remarkable effects be explained? In most cases the patients/clients were only treated on their face and neck, with little or no adjunctive healing arts or body acupuncture points stimulated.

Acupuncturists have known about an energy circulation system throughout the body called the meridian, or channel, system. Knowledge of the meridians allows an acupuncturist to needle a point near the big toe to help relieve a migraine, or a point on the hand to clear the sinuses. There are energy meridians that connect all the internal organs of the body to acupuncture points on the face. This helps explain some of the remarkable, whole-body healing benefits of Energy Light Rejuvenation.

Many modern writers and researchers have written about the body's information communication systems. According to accepted medical thinking, there are two primary communication pathways in the body - the nervous system (electrical communication) and the endocrine system (chemical communication). The nervous system's pathways connect peripheral sensory receptors with the brain or lower reflex centers, which then respond by sending signals back to peripheral effectors such as skin and muscle. The chemical pathways include endocrine glands and other tissues that secrete hormones directly into the blood stream, causing rapid effects at precisely targeted sites all over the body.

Deepak Chopra and other writers have also described a third informational pathway that is even more subtle and instantaneous. This is based on minute substances called neuro-peptides that are apparently produced by many tissues all over the body, including the brain, heart, immune system, digestive system, and blood cells. These peptides appear to flash into existence, instantaneously trigger a target tissue and then disappear.3 Peptides are strongly affected by mood and emotion. It has been shown that negative thoughts can increase cortisol levels, which are associated with increased stress. They also decrease immune system output, which makes people more subject to disease. On the other hand, positive thoughts can increase production of "happy" bio-chemicals such as dopamine, endorphins and sex hormones.4 Peptides appear to be a major link between thought, emotion, organs and the immune system - the mind-body link that acupuncture has been working with since ancient times.

Other researchers have proven that the meridian system acts like a fiber-optic system, and that light travels through the meridian pathways. One team of researchers at the Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine in Novosibirsk, Russia applied various wavelengths of light to regions of the body's surface, and then observed that light emanated from the body at other, distal areas. Upon further experimentation, they saw that this phenomenon mainly happened along the traditionally charted pathways of the acupuncture meridian system.

Can this subtle, but immensely powerful neuro-peptide system explain the whole-body healing effects of ELR facial rejuvenation listed above? Our research team has certainly seen a significant increase in these healing effects since we added the color light component to our microcurrent facial rejuvenation protocol in 2001. Efficacy seems to be boosted by selecting colors (wavelengths) of light specifically matched to each individual client. This suggests a resonance effect with specific endocrine glands, which are closely associated with the chakra system described by Ayurvedic medicine. Each chakra has traditionally been associated with a specific endocrine gland and a specific color of light.

It is my view that light is the basis of all communication, information and the innate intelligence of the body. Microcurrent appears to act as a carrier for externally applied light, helping it penetrate more deeply into the body more easily. Our faces constantly mirror our emotions and thoughts, and Oriental facial diagnosis has long been known to be able to diagnose the condition of the internal organs by reading the face. The face is therefore a two-way holographic gateway to the entire body, mind and Spirit. This means that we can diagnose by observing the face, and also that the entire body can be effectively treated through the face. I am excited about continuing this line of research, and I am grateful for the many enthusiastic practitioners who continue to share their clinical experiences with me.

It continues to be a great pleasure to hear about these positive "side effects" to ELR treatments. I now facilitate a free online forum in which members can post their interesting microcurrent and color light cases and ask for feedback and assistance, so we can learn from each other's experiences.

For more information about microcurrent and color light facial rejuvenation visit http://www.eastwestseminars.com or call the East-West Seminars office at 1-888-803-7397.