How theoretical physics can change your health.
First, a disclaimer: Physics is my kryptonite. Something about the subject makes my head spin. Remembering organic chemistry and calculus are no problem, but when I try to recall anything from my year of college physics (which I took only because it was required for medical school), I draw a complete blank.
(Of course, because the Universe has a sense of humor, my daughter is a physics rockstar, on track to complete both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in physics in 4 years. Like all kids, she thinks I’m an idiot. On this particular point, she’s right.)
However, despite my dislike of physics, I’ve come to realize that principles being explored in the realm of theoretical physics — the branch of physics concerned the fundamental nature of matter — are critically important for doctors to understand. And everyone else, for that matter. The principles of physics have the potential to revolutionize health and healthcare, as we know it.
Best of all, you don’t have to be a physics genius (like my daughter) to apply these principles to your life. There’s just 4 simple principles you need to understand.
Principle #1: Mass and energy are interconvertible
I’m assuming you’re familiar with Einstein’s famous equation E= mc2. This equation looks simple and is quoted often, so it’s easy to overlook its profound implications.
Put into words, the equation E=mc2 says that if you have something which has mass (that’s the “m” in the equation) — and it’s important to say there that anything which has mass is defined as matter, something that exists in physical reality — you can turn it into energy (“E” in the equation).
The idea that matter (something that has mass) can be turned into energy is familiar. We see this principle at work when we watch wood (matter) burning in a fireplace, giving off heat and light (energy). Or any time we ride in a car. Inside the engine, a controlled explosion of gasoline (matter) is turned into power (energy) which makes the car move.
But here’s the kicker. A quick rearrangement of the formula and you get
m = E/c2
Put into words, this rearranged equation states that energy divided by velocity (“c” in the equation is the speed of light) equals mass.
The idea that matter — something that you can touch and see in the physical world — can be created out of thin air seems ridiculous, but Einstein’s famous equation says that this is how the world actually works.
Matter can be created from energy and a velocity, both things which are completely without physical form.
Principle #2: Subatomic particles
The ancient Greek philosopher Democritus theorized that all matter was created from tiny building blocks, which he termed atoms, a word which means “indivisible.” For more than 2000 years, scientists believed that there was nothing smaller than an atom. That it was impossible to split an atom into pieces.
Today we know that isn’t true. Since 1897, when electrons were first described, the atom has been dissected into smaller and smaller pieces, first into the nucleus and electrons, then into protons and neutrons, then into fermions and bosons, then into quarks and leptons, and so on, and so on. A quick Wikipedia search will give you a list of more than 40 confirmed and theorized subatomic particles. And I’m sure that list will grow (thanks to people like my daughter) over the coming decades.
What all this variety of subatomic particles have in common is that they are defined in terms of energy and spin and forces. And the weight of these smallest pieces of matter is defined in volts, which is a unit of energy (think 9 volt battery), not a conventional unit of weight.
In other words these subatomic particles (matter) in actuality are vibrating packets of energy.
Everything is in constant motion.
Principle #3: Atoms are empty
Atoms are composed of dense nucleus (or maybe not actually that dense, when you consider principle #2) surrounded by a cloud of electrons. And the cloud of electrons aren’t really individual electrons in specific orbits, like my science textbooks depicted them. The cloud is more a range of possible positions where an electron might be.
And in between these parts of the atom is a lot of nothing. To be precise, atoms are 99.9999999999996% empty space.
Yes, that’s fourteen 9’s in a row. And no, that’s not a typo.
Put another way, if a hydrogen atom were the size of the earth (with a diameter of about 8000 miles or over 12,000 kilometers), the proton at its center would be about 200 meters (2 football fields) in diameter. That’s a whole lot of empty space.
I know it is tempting to thing this idea applies only to very small particles. But it’s important to realize that everything is made of atoms. There isn’t something “magical” which happens when you put lots of nothing together which spontaneously generates something. Empty space + empty space = empty space, each and every time.
Nothing is solid.
Principle #4: The wave particle duality
More than 200 years ago, physicists studying light discovered that photons — the elementary particle of electromagnetic radiation (which includes light and radio waves) — could appear in the form of a particle (which by definition is matter) or in the form of a wave (energy), depending on experimental conditions.
But here’s the kicker: the experimental conditions depended what the scientist wanted to see.
In other words, if the scientist set up the experiment to detect particles, he saw particles. If he set up the experiment to detect waves, he saw waves. Same light source but two different results depending on how the light was detected.
It may be easy to understand that light — something that is “just” energy (though principles #1 and #2 indicate that there isn’t anything that’s “just” energy) — could have this dual nature. After all, light isn’t really matter, right? So maybe this property applies only to photons.
It doesn’t. This wave particle duality has been demonstrated in electrons, neutrons, protons, even large molecules.
Here’s a way to think about the wave-particle duality: Imagine two scientists looking at the same container of water at the same time. One scientist has an ice cube detector, and when she looks at the container, she sees ice cubes. The other scientist has a steam detector, and, sure enough, when she looks at the container of water, she sees steam.
Same matter, different results. All based on what the scientist wanted to see.
The wave-particle duality says that at the most fundamental level what you see is determined by what you want to see. By your intention.
So let’s put this all together and apply it to your health.
These four principles mean that anything and everything which exists in the physical world (things with mass) — which includes everything you see around you, the chair you’re sitting on, the computer or phone you’re reading this on, even your body itself — is composed of vibrating packets of energy floating in empty space. And how you see these vibrating packets of energy appears depends on what you — the observer — expect to see.
Physics says that there’s another dimension to our bodies, an energetic dimension, which we can control using intention.
This is the future of health. It doesn’t look like the pills and procedures and technology that we’ve come to associate with modern medicine. But modern medicine isn’t really that modern. Modern medicine is actually old news, based on an outdated concept of physical reality.
The next generation of healthcare is going to require a different type of doctor, someone who understands the intersection of the physical and the energetic, and a completely different approach to illness and wellbeing.
I’m that doctor. I’ve got that approach. And now is your time.
If you’re ready to step into this new era of health, let’s talk. Find a time here.
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