Every morning I put on my Holosync tapes and meditate to the sound of Tibetan crystal bowls and rain--yes rain. The sounds are soothing, miraculously mellowing. But I make my own sound too--the AHHHH of Jappa meditation and the morning chimes away like a symphony.

Sound not only brings a sense of inner peace; sound actually has physical applications that can reduce pain and reverse the progress of disease. It also has applications for use as a weight loss tool. But before we look at that, let us look at what sound therapy entails.

American Physician Dr. Royal Raymond Rife used sound frequencies to reverse some forms of cancers. Unfortunately, his work was banned in the United States in the 1930's. It was the work of Dr. Hans Jenny several years later that brought the public to understand the correlation between sound and vibrational fields. A medical doctor, Hans Jenny spent 14 years studying the effects of vibrations on various materials--powder, sand, pastes, liquids. With the use of audible sine-wave vibration, he created natural patterns that were the physical representations of sound vibration. Using an oscillator to generate different frequencies, he transformed the vibrating sand into beautiful and symmetrical patterns. This was the beginning of "Cymatics"—the study of wave phenomena. While Dr. Jenny did not use his method as therapy, scientists who were influenced by him certainly did so—notably Dr. Guy Manners who made a direct correlation between sound vibration and the human body.

A more modern version has been revived at the Monroe Institute using Hemi-Sync, that is, synchronized pulsing beat from the hemispheres to regulate the body's healing potentials.

The basis of sound therapy can be summarized as follows:

a) Every form vibrates within its own specific range of frequencies.

b) Every cell has its own frequency.

c) Every body has a composite harmonic frequency as unique as a fingerprint. When the body is unwell, unbalanced in any way, an aberrant resonant frequency is generated.

d) Because the stronger and more balanced vibrations can bring the aberrant vibrations in line ( principle of entrainment), transmitting healthy vibration to a sick cell or organ can help the cell or organ restore itself to health.

Recent studies at the NeuroScience Research Institute in New York have actually begun to study the physiology of this phenomenon. Scientists have identified nitric-oxide molecules as the pathway between sound and relaxed well-being. Because these molecules help create the auditory system and are an active agent in inner ear blood flow, researchers believe that nitric–oxide could be seen as stress-busting molecules and active agents in the physiology of sound entrainment.

Another leading edge researcher in the field of sound therapy, Dr. John Diamond has demonstrated that human bodies can discriminate between beneficial and detrimental sounds, even when the ears are blocked. "Our bodies have a pulse," he writes in Living the Field #11,"and so does music. In a healthy state, we are in touch with our 'inner pulse'." Dr. Diamond suggests that surrounded by the right sounds, we can all be invigorated, energized and balanced. "Music," he concludes," can be an important part of our program of primary prevention—the preventing-illness-and-strengthening intention at a pre-physical, energy balance level."

What do these discoveries mean for those of us who have weight and stress issues?

Simply this: listening to calming music after a hard day at work can help you stay away from the 5 o'clock binge.

Plan a sound therapy session after work. When you return home from work, head straight to your bedroom( not the kitchen), put on something comfortable. Light a candle if you wish. Then play your favorite CD. Make sure it is something calming and has a beat that closely parallels the beat of your heart.

Some pre-selection of listening material is in order here. If you can feel the beat of your heart in the beat of the melody--you have found the right sound entrainment CD. Waltzes are a good choice; according to Dr. Diamond, the major arteries of the extremities have a waltzlike beat. "The heart sounds too," he writes, "can be considered waltzlike, the third beat being tacit, or implied, as in LUB-dup-rest…LUB-dup-rest…and so on." Or better yet, choose sounds that come from nature—like babbling brooks or waterfalls. The rhythm in these sounds have a way of taming the beast.

I have found this exercise to be effective for all kinds of stress issues. At the end of the 15 minute music and sound session, problems don't seem as bad anymore. You can go downstairs and have an apple with carrot sticks and feel perfectly satisfied.