The American chiropractor Dr. Ruth Drown
took up Abrams’s work after his death, but she
was prosecuted for fraud and medical quackery.
The British engineer George De La Warr also did
research based on Abrams’s theory; in 1924 a
study of what Abrams dubbed radionics was
funded and subsequently endorsed by the Royal
Society of Medicine. Radionics remains controver-
sial. The general concept is that a person can be
diagnosed through his or her body’s energy-field
vibrations, evident in all parts of the body, with
the aid of technological devices. The basic princi-
ples of radionics include that (1) every disease may
be characterized by unique energy or frequencies;
(2) humans react to the frequency, specifically
detectable by a certain abdominal reflex, when
they are facing geomagnetic west; (3) disease fre-
quencies may be conducted along metallic wires;
(4) radionic instruments known as variable-resis-
tance devices serve as “tunable” electronic filters
to detect one disease frequency at a time, and (5)
a psychic link, even at a distance, develops
between the radionics operator and the patient
through the blood spot or “witness.”
The radionics practitioner requests a medical and
lifestyle history and a “witness,” and after analyzing
its vibrations with the help of a new automatic com-
puterized treatment system (ACTS), the practitioner
offers findings and recommendations for treatment.
See also VIBRATIONAL MEDICINE.
rajasic In Ayurvedic medicine, anything that
produces energy. Rajas, the Sanskrit word for
movement, is one of the three gunas, the three
attributes of primordial physical energy in the cos-
mos. In Ayurvedic medicine, rajas is an active,
kinetic force in the body.
See also AYURVEDA.
rakta moksha The Ayurvedic term for bloodletting
as a treatment for toxic conditions of the body, such
as urticaria, acne, scabies, hives, certain blood and
bone disorders, enlarged liver or spleen, and gout.
rasa A concept in Ayurvedic medicine referring
to the initial stage of taste. Rasais experienced as
sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, or astringent.
See also AYURVEDA.
rasayana The Ayurvedic term for rejuvenation.rebirthing Various techniques performed on
adult clients to simulate birth in order to help an
individual overcome anxiety and other emotional
problems.reconstructive therapy A treatment modality
geared toward healing torn, injured, or weak
joints, ligaments, tendons, and cartilage by injec-
tions of natural irritants into the joints. Used to
treat degenerative arthritis, epicondylitis (tennis or
golfer’s elbow), carpal tunnel syndrome, bursitis,
and low back pain, reconstructive therapy injec-
tions combine lidocaine or other local anesthetic
with an irritant that boosts the healing process at
the site of the injury or damage. Irritants are nat-
ural substances, which include sodium morrhuate
(made from cod liver oil), dextrose, phenol, and
various minerals. The irritant solution helps blood
vessels dilate and summons fibroblasts, or healing
cells, to the injured area. The fibroblasts then pro-
duce the protein known as collagen, which forms
new connective tissues, facilitating the reconstruc-
tion of the impaired structure. Studies and clinical
trials have shown reconstructive therapy to be
effective in some cases and an alternative to
surgery for some orthopedic problems.
More information is available by contacting the
American Association of Orthopedic Medicine, 90
South Cascade Avenue, Suite 1230, Colorado
Springs, CO 80903, or (719) 475-0032; or the
American Osteopathic Academy of Sclerotherapy,
107 Maple Avenue, Wilmington, DE 19809, or
(302) 792-9280.
See also Appendix I.reflexology Originally called “zone therapy” in
the early 1900s by the American physician William
Fitzgerald, an energy healing method with similar
attributes to Reiki, acupressure, and acupuncture,
and massage that uses the soles of the feet as a map
of the entire body’s zones. The nerve endings in
these zones are reported to correspond to body sys-
tems, structures, and organs and therefore to
impairments in any of them. The reflexologist stim-
ulates the nerve endings in specific areas of the feet
to reduce blockages of energy that may be the136 rajasic