Dr. Beverly Rubik has had a life-long interest in frontier areas of science and medicine beyond the mainstream, and she is internationally renowned for her pioneering work. She earned her Ph.D. in biophysics at the University of California at Berkeley and has since published over 90 scientific papers and 2 books. From 1988-1995, Dr. Rubik was director of the Center for Frontier Sciences at Temple University where she explored the role of consciousness in the physical world and alternative and complementary medicine. From 1992-1997, she was one of 18 members of the Program Advisory Board appointed by US Congress to the Office of Alternative Medicine at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) that was the precursor organization to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Dr. Rubik is especially known for her research on the biofield and biofield therapies, and in 1992 she chaired a panel at NIH that introduced the term “biofield.” In 1994 “biofield” became a medical subject heading at the US National Library of Medicine. In 1996, Dr. Rubik founded the Institute for Frontier Science (IFS), a nonprofit research laboratory funded initially by Laurance S. Rockefeller, Sr., and later supported by NIH, which is presently in Emeryville, California near San Francisco. Dr. Rubik serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine Address: Institute for Frontier Science 6114 LaSalle Ave PMB 605 Oakland, CA 94611
Cosmos and history: the journal of natural and social philosophy, Dec 1, 2018
There is an organizing field of energy intimately connected with each person, the human biofield,... more There is an organizing field of energy intimately connected with each person, the human biofield, which holds information central to a higher order of being. It has been proposed as having mind-like properties as super-regulator of the biochemistry and physiology of the organism, coordinating all life functions, promoting homeodynamics, and key to understanding life's integral wholeness. Although brainwaves and heart waves are well characterized and clinically useful, the biofield has not yet been mapped. Artificial intelligence (AI) is essential to handle the data processing from biofield mapping of a large database of humans to elucidate the electromagnetic fields, acoustic fields, and subtle energy field components of human life. Moreover, AI could monitor health and well-being through the biofield via a variety of sensors and indicate on a daily basis which lifestyle choices would improve the biofield and enhance well-being. AI could also be programmed to manipulate the biofield to directly enhance well-being. Once the biofield is decoded, then direct communication between humans and AI through the biofield would be possible. Thus, a number of positive applications of AI to the biofield to enhance human well-being are possible. Nonetheless, the presence of a biofield around humans presents a dilemma for AI robots, which would not possess a biofield other than the electromagnetic properties of their electronic components. So, even though robots may well exceed humans in certain cognitive tasks, robots would not possess a biofield, emotions, or an interior experience. Although they may be able to emulate emotions with certain facial expressions and vocal patterns, they may always be distinguished from humans as lacking the complex dynamic biofield of human beings that reflects the living state. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN-US; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN-US; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
Acupuncture and other complementary medical modalities that involve holistic principles challenge... more Acupuncture and other complementary medical modalities that involve holistic principles challenge the dominant biomedical paradigm of mechanical reductionism and therefore are considered unconventional or alternative. This keynote presentation will review three different hypotheses of acupuncture, two of which lie within the dominant scientific paradigm, and a third that is built upon frontier ideas at the edge of the new science of bioelectromagnetics. The Zhang-Popp hypothesis, based on endogenous electromagnetic fields of the body, is capable of accommodating many puzzling features of acupuncture. In order to embody the latter, it appears that a new paradigm for the life sciences is needed to address the wholeness and integrity of the organism. Nonetheless, I believe that there are serious limitations in attempting to embrace the indigenous knowledge system of the East, one of the oldest systems of empirical knowledge, by a 300-year-old science of the West, because of their vast differences in biophilosophies and cultural orientations. All knowledge systems, East or West, are context-dependent; none can represent true objectivity. Despite this pluralistic view, working toward a unity of Eastern and Western thought may lead to a more universal understanding of acupuncture in the future.
Alternative medicine remains alternative because it poses serious challenges to the mainstream bi... more Alternative medicine remains alternative because it poses serious challenges to the mainstream biomedical paradigm of mechanical reductionism and because it requires a new framework. This paper explores some of the hypotheses and challenges of energy medicine including healer interventions, electromagnetic therapies, and homeopathy. Together with new findings from the bioelectromagnetic field, they spell out the rudiments of a new paradigm for biology and medicine based on information. Information embraces the complex network of relations in the matter and energy transactions of living systems. It offers a unified view of energy medicine modalities as well as a fresh perspective for biology and medicine and new questions for further research.
Alternative medicine is made up of a large number of diverse approaches, diagnostics, therapies, ... more Alternative medicine is made up of a large number of diverse approaches, diagnostics, therapies, and several comprehensive systems of medicine that appear to have no overlap with one another. However, they have one thing in common: For the most part, they have been considered alternative because they challenge the dominant biomedical paradigm and defy explanation in terms of conventional science. Moreover, the history of science and medicine shows that these approaches etc. are likely to remain outside of the mainstream until we have an explanation of how they work as well as a world view that accommodates them. Therefore, basic research toward understanding alternative medicine is crucial. Such work is also revolutionary: old paradigm-breaking and new paradigm-making. This is a difficult task. Challenges to the mainstream paradigm are not taken lightly. Those who work in areas that appear to thwart the dominant paradigm face extraordinary obstacles, including funding difficulties, loss of camaraderie, inability to publish in mainstream, peer-reviewed journals, and career problems in promotion and even job retention.
Cosmos and history: the journal of natural and social philosophy, Dec 1, 2018
There is an organizing field of energy intimately connected with each person, the human biofield,... more There is an organizing field of energy intimately connected with each person, the human biofield, which holds information central to a higher order of being. It has been proposed as having mind-like properties as super-regulator of the biochemistry and physiology of the organism, coordinating all life functions, promoting homeodynamics, and key to understanding life's integral wholeness. Although brainwaves and heart waves are well characterized and clinically useful, the biofield has not yet been mapped. Artificial intelligence (AI) is essential to handle the data processing from biofield mapping of a large database of humans to elucidate the electromagnetic fields, acoustic fields, and subtle energy field components of human life. Moreover, AI could monitor health and well-being through the biofield via a variety of sensors and indicate on a daily basis which lifestyle choices would improve the biofield and enhance well-being. AI could also be programmed to manipulate the biofield to directly enhance well-being. Once the biofield is decoded, then direct communication between humans and AI through the biofield would be possible. Thus, a number of positive applications of AI to the biofield to enhance human well-being are possible. Nonetheless, the presence of a biofield around humans presents a dilemma for AI robots, which would not possess a biofield other than the electromagnetic properties of their electronic components. So, even though robots may well exceed humans in certain cognitive tasks, robots would not possess a biofield, emotions, or an interior experience. Although they may be able to emulate emotions with certain facial expressions and vocal patterns, they may always be distinguished from humans as lacking the complex dynamic biofield of human beings that reflects the living state. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN-US; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN-US; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
Acupuncture and other complementary medical modalities that involve holistic principles challenge... more Acupuncture and other complementary medical modalities that involve holistic principles challenge the dominant biomedical paradigm of mechanical reductionism and therefore are considered unconventional or alternative. This keynote presentation will review three different hypotheses of acupuncture, two of which lie within the dominant scientific paradigm, and a third that is built upon frontier ideas at the edge of the new science of bioelectromagnetics. The Zhang-Popp hypothesis, based on endogenous electromagnetic fields of the body, is capable of accommodating many puzzling features of acupuncture. In order to embody the latter, it appears that a new paradigm for the life sciences is needed to address the wholeness and integrity of the organism. Nonetheless, I believe that there are serious limitations in attempting to embrace the indigenous knowledge system of the East, one of the oldest systems of empirical knowledge, by a 300-year-old science of the West, because of their vast differences in biophilosophies and cultural orientations. All knowledge systems, East or West, are context-dependent; none can represent true objectivity. Despite this pluralistic view, working toward a unity of Eastern and Western thought may lead to a more universal understanding of acupuncture in the future.
Alternative medicine remains alternative because it poses serious challenges to the mainstream bi... more Alternative medicine remains alternative because it poses serious challenges to the mainstream biomedical paradigm of mechanical reductionism and because it requires a new framework. This paper explores some of the hypotheses and challenges of energy medicine including healer interventions, electromagnetic therapies, and homeopathy. Together with new findings from the bioelectromagnetic field, they spell out the rudiments of a new paradigm for biology and medicine based on information. Information embraces the complex network of relations in the matter and energy transactions of living systems. It offers a unified view of energy medicine modalities as well as a fresh perspective for biology and medicine and new questions for further research.
Alternative medicine is made up of a large number of diverse approaches, diagnostics, therapies, ... more Alternative medicine is made up of a large number of diverse approaches, diagnostics, therapies, and several comprehensive systems of medicine that appear to have no overlap with one another. However, they have one thing in common: For the most part, they have been considered alternative because they challenge the dominant biomedical paradigm and defy explanation in terms of conventional science. Moreover, the history of science and medicine shows that these approaches etc. are likely to remain outside of the mainstream until we have an explanation of how they work as well as a world view that accommodates them. Therefore, basic research toward understanding alternative medicine is crucial. Such work is also revolutionary: old paradigm-breaking and new paradigm-making. This is a difficult task. Challenges to the mainstream paradigm are not taken lightly. Those who work in areas that appear to thwart the dominant paradigm face extraordinary obstacles, including funding difficulties, loss of camaraderie, inability to publish in mainstream, peer-reviewed journals, and career problems in promotion and even job retention.
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Papers by Beverly Rubik