Complimentary Therapies

Sonopuncture

Sonopuncture is a modern technique said to be based in part on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and in part on New Age style speculation concerning the harmonic properties of outer space. It uses the application of sound signals on acupuncture points. It is a relatively new and relatively rare system, and isn't used by TCM practitioners in or from China proper.

Here is sonopuncture performed on acupoint Kidney 6, using a hand-held tuning fork.Sonopuncture does not involve "puncture." It is also known by the name "phonophorese" which is technically more accurate, but not widely used. "Acutonics" is a trademarked name for the same procedure. Technically speaking, any sound-emitting device can be used in sonopuncture. The most commonly used device is the tuning fork. Tuning forks are traditionally used to tune musical instruments. Though these tuning forks can be used, they are tuned to an arbitrary scale such as "A = 440." The tuning forks used in sonopuncture are more typically ones that are made specifically for this purpose. Tuning forks made for sonopuncture are said to be tuned according to the physics and harmonics of our solar system, with the goal of harmonizing a person thereby to supposed subtle energies of the universe, rather than to an arbitrary scale. Sonopuncturists claim that it can be used the same way as acupuncture if it is applied by a trained professional who understands the principles of TCM.

Skeptical View of Sonopuncture

Skeptics and the mainstream medical community largely (when even aware of its existence) reject sonopuncture as a legitimate treatment for disease much on the same basis that they reject its progentior's (accupuncture) claims of efficacy. They point out that such claims as tunig forks being "tuned to the subtle energies of the universe" mean essentially nothing from a scientific viewpoint and would say that the whole theory is merely emptyheaded pseudoscience.