Integrative Medicine: A Clinician's Journal
2018 Apr; 17(2): 24–32.
Human Universal Energy Improved Health-related Quality of Life Outcomes 1 Month After External Beam Radiotherapy for Early-stage Breast Cancer
Josef-Binh Nguyen, PhD (TM), MD (TM), BASMRT, DipMgmt, is a senior radiation therapist in the Radiation Oncology Department at Royal Adelaide Hospital in North Terrace, Australia.
Eric Yeoh, MD, FRCP (EDIN), FRCR, FRANZCR, is a professor of medicine at the University of Adelaide in Adelaide, Australia.
Sonya Stephens, DASN, DBA, GradCertClinTRes, is the clinical trials data manager in the Radiation Oncology Department at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
Ivan Iankov, PhD, BInfTech(Hons), BAppSc, is a statistician in the Radiation Oncology Department at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
Abstract
Background: The demand for the use of human universal energy (HUE) as a form of complementary alternative medicine (CAM) for cancer treatment is increasing, but scientific evidence of its efficacy is lacking.
Aims: The aims of this first randomized study of external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) + HUE versus EBRT + sham HUE in subjects with early breast cancer were to (1) document the changes in health related quality of life (HRQoL) during EBRT and immediately 1 mo after completion of radiation treatment within each subject group and to (2) compare the differences in HRQoL between the 2 groups of subjects.
Method: Eligible subjects were randomized to either HUE (n = 16) or sham-HUE (n = 16). HRQoL measurements were taken in each patient group before starting treatment, during week 3 of EBRT, immediately after completing treatment, as well as 1 mo after EBRT. These results were evaluated using the validated functional assessment of cancer therapy-breast cancer (FACT-B) HRQoL instrument consisting of the FACT-G and breast cancer specific subscales and trial outcome index (TOI) summary scores. Changes in the scores relevant to both groups were compared using a Mann-Whitney U test. The effect of the HUE treatment was quantified by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) models. All statistical analysis was done at a 95% confidence interval and the differences were considered significant if P = .05.
Results: The tests associated with FACT-G, social wellbeing, and emotional well-being scores returned insignificant P value > .05. The test associated with physical well-being and FWB returned significant P value = .05, but the (adjusted) quantified influence of the HUE treatment on these scores was less than the clinically significant threshold of 5 points, and the FWB clinically significant threshold of greater than 2.9 points. The test associated with FACT-B, breast cancer specific (BCS), and TOI scores returned significant or close to significant P value, a = .05, and the (adjusted) quantified influence of HUE treatment on these scores is more than the accepted thresholds (5 points for BCS and 10 points for FACT-B and TOI) for clinical difference.
Conclusion: Although some results, such as P values for Mann-Whitney U tests and coefficients of HUE treatment in initial ANCOVA models showed promising and positive effects of HUE treatment on the subject, further research with a larger sample size is necessary to confidently conclude whether HUE treatment has significant positive influence on subject HRQoL.
Free full text:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6396759/Excerpts:
"It has also been estimated that between 9% and 91% of patients diagnosed with cancer in the United States have used some form of CAM after diagnosis.4
"Demand has been particularly high in the area of energy medicine (or energy healing), which includes techniques such as qigong, reiki, therapeutic touch, and human universal energy (HUE). Several research groups are conducting randomized clinical trials with the aim of providing scientific data for the use of energy healing.5
"The HUE method of energy medicine was founded by the late Master Dang Minh Luong under the organisation name of Mankind Enlightenment Love (MEL). His wife, Professor Dr Theresa Thu Thuy Nguyen, then continued the lineage and further developed the HUE method. She is currently the chancellor and chairperson of the Open International University of Complementary Medicines and the president of the Academy of Human Universal Energy and Spirituality (HUESA). HUE method depends on restoring the energy balance that is disrupted as a result of sickness and disease. The hypothesis is that by following these methods and restoring this balance, it will enable the body to heal itself and ensure that health is maintained. To achieve this balance following the HUE method, it is important that all 3 components are met. In order of importance, these components include (1) activation of major nerve points (also referred to as chakras or energy centres), (2) simple breathing exercises and meditation, and (3) energy transfer. It is believed that the activation of major nerve points is the critical step to achieve success with the HUE technique."
[Materials and Methods, HUE Versus Sham HUE]
"Activation of chakras is believed to be the critical step in the HUE technique and can be performed only by a trained and qualified HUE instructor. The training to become a certified HUE instructor is strictly done through the HUESA under the guidance of Professor Theresa Thu Thuy Nguyen. Chakras activation for the HUE techniques can be achieved either physically or mentally, whereby a certified HUE instructor either places their hands on the patient, or sits in front of them and mentally focuses on the major nerve points (chakras) 2 to 7 (see Figure 1) for approximately 2 minutes (mental activation being similar in concept to establishing a Wi-Fi connection with the patient).
"In this study, we chose mental activation of the chakras by a certified HUE instructor, so the subjects were unable to determine which group (HUE or sham HUE) they were in. Education on the HUE or sham HUE technique was mandated for all eligible subjects after randomization. To reduce any potential bias, and to also establish a connection with the subject, both the subject and instructor sat in the same room with a free-standing room divider placed between them. The subject was able to hear the instructor but could not visibly see their face. The subjects were unaware whether they were placed in the HUE or the sham HUE group. The process of mental chakras activation takes approximately 2 minutes. During the 2 minutes, the HUE instructor communicated with the subject by verbalising the location and chakras that will be activated. The HUE instructor activated or did not activate, depending on the group that the subject was assigned to. All information regarding the HUE was given to the patient by the HUE instructor behind the freestanding room divider.
"Following the mental activation process, the subjects were carefully guided step by step through the second and third constituent parts of the HUE technique by the certified HUE instructor. The second constituent involved the subject performing a series of 9 inhalations through the nose and exhalations out through the mouth, followed by a short 5-minute mindfulness meditation. Following this, each subject performed the third constituent part of the HUE technique, which is energy transfer. This involves focusing on chakras 7, 6, and 4 for 30 seconds.
"For the subjects to remain blind to which group they were placed in, all subjects were taught the second and third constituent parts of the HUE technique. The only difference was the chakras activation process, which is believed to be the most crucial step in the success of the HUE technique. The randomization and subject allocation to the 2 groups were done by the data manager.
"Once educated in the HUE technique, the subjects were asked to perform the steps they were taught twice daily for 5 minutes each, once at night before going to bed and then first thing the following morning. This was to be done throughout the course of EBRT treatment and including 1 month after completion of EBRT."
[table 6 summarizes "Evidence for Statistically Significant difference Between the Control and Experimental Groups," for 8 scores at each of three time points. All entries were either "Limited" or "Weak."]
(Discussion)
"The tests associated with FACT-G, SWB, and EWB scores returned insignificant P value, a > .05. The tests associated with PWB and FWB scores returned significant P values at a = .05, but the (adjusted) quantified influence of HUE treatment on these scores for PWB was less than the clinically significant threshold of 3.5 points, and the FWB clinically significant threshold of greater than 2.9 points. The tests associated with FACT-B, BCS, and TOI scores returned significant or close to significant P values and the (adjusted) quantified influence of HUE treatment on these scores was more than the accepted thresholds (5 points for BCS and 10 points for FACT-B and TOI) for clinical difference.
"The comparative analysis of confidence intervals for median changes in scores observed in both groups showed that there are significant overlaps of the comparable confidence intervals. This fact confirms our conclusion that the statistically significant differences obtained by the ANCOVA analyses are most likely consequences of distorting effects of outliers in our data. Therefore, we recommend our initial findings to be verified by future studies using larger samples and longer follow-up periods, which will allow time to investigate if the benefits demonstrated over the short period of time sustain in the long term (ie, 1 y). In addition, this longer follow-up period will confirm whether the positive effects of HUE treatment are sustained because of previously reported carryover effects of HUE treatment.14,15,16"
"The analyses demonstrated that although some of the results, such as the P values for the Mann-Whitney U tests and coefficients of HUE treatment in initial ANCOVA models, are promising and show positive effects of HUE treatment on subjects, further analyses based on the larger sample sizes are necessary to confidently conclude whether HUE treatment has a significant positive influence on patient well-being.
"There is a promising future for the integration of this type of energy therapy as a complementary component to mainstream medicine, provided that there is more awareness, support, and opportunities for open collaboration, research, recognition, and acceptance from all level of stakeholders."
"This project had no financial funding assistance, but it was fully supported by the Radiation Oncology Department, Royal Adelaide Hospital."
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Comments:
As usual, there is no mention that the premises of the study are rejected by scientific medicine. The Royal Adelaide Hospital should not have sanctioned such a nonsensical study.
The results were essentially negative, but the authors still concluded that "There is a promising future for the integration of this type of energy therapy"! They also claimed a positive result in the title of the article.
Here is an article on HUE: "Is Human Universal Energy a Cult Masquerader?"
https://www.icsahome.com/articles/is-human-universal-energy-a-cult-masquerader-verdugo-ijcs-2013
