SUMMARY OF THE METHO DS USED TO LOWER THE ANXIETY PARAMETER - STRESS INDEX (T) – ACCORDING TO THE M EASUREMENTS MADE WIT H THE GDV CAMERA CURTA Ioan 1 , ROSCA Ileana - Constanta 2 , Marosy Z 3 , Micu A.C 4 , Mohirta I 5 1 - 2 Product design Department, Mecatronics and environment, Transilvania University, Brasov, Romania 3 Ecologic University of Bucharest, Romania 4 University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Davila, Bucharest, Romania 5 Romanian Association of Transpersonal Psychology, Bucharest, Romania Abstract In this article, we have tried to systematize the experiments made with the GDV (Gas Discharge Visualization) Camera and the afferent special software, focusing mainly on the Anxiety parameter – referred to as Stress Index (T) as it was defined by Dr. Konstantin K orotkov, the inventor of this method. The GDV method is a non - invasive method of extraction of information from the properties of the biological energy field through a non - linear mathematical analysis of the fractal images obtained by photographing the dis charge of the 10 fingers in a high frequency field, followed by the processing of the images with the aid of some special software. By studying the stress index we are able to estimate the type of interaction between man and environment. The anxiety or str ess parameter (T) is based on the hypothesis that the difference between the mental and physical field represents the level of anxiety. This hypothesis has been confirmed by psychological tests (POMS – Profile of Mood States). The decrease of this paramete r was done through different methods: Art of Living Programme, dance therapy, music, sounds created by specially tuned crystal bowls, states changed by consciousness, the ingestion of colloidal solutions etc. These methods are presented in a number of diss ertations from Holos University in the USA (Gibson, Cowan), Romania (Mohir ta, Manolea) , as well as the experiments conducted by the above - mentioned authors. Key words : GDV, Stress Index , Electro - Colloidal Silver (ECS), Bio - Energy Field 1. I NTRODUCTION S T RESS The methods used to reduce stress, e.g. Qi gong [1], meditation [2] , hypnosis [3] , sounds created by the crystal bowl [4] , even music therapy [5] have a guaranteed efficiency, but at the same time they also have some disadvantages, i.e. they require a lot of training and assistance from a qualified person, e.g. a psychologist, they have to be performed in an adequate environment, e.g. practice – meditation room etc. Any type of psycho - emotional tension can cause these activations that can be perceived as states of stress. We consider that any type of method of reducing stress that has been applied by a person and has had results, no matter if it is simple or complex is considered to be beneficial. 1.1 Briefly about stress Firstly, it is important to m ention that stress is not necessarily a bad thing, i.e. it is the natural/normal reaction of the organism, when it is subjected to a sudden aggression [1]; when the level of stress is low, it plays an important role in increasing the capacity of adaptation to a potential danger. Stress activates the neuro - vegetative, endocrine and tissue factors, which produce symptoms located in different parts of the body, depending on each person. The excess of stress is manifested through, excessive eating, alcohol con sumption, smoking, drug abuse, sleep deprivation, lack of patience, reckless driving, irascibility, apathy or depression etc. The German physicians W von Holst and W K ü h ni remarked, in their “Koloidale silber als medi z in” [6] , the fact that silver, espec ially in its colloidal form, is more and more often nicknamed “natural antibiotic”, but this fact only refers to a small part of its action spectrum, and it does not explain, for example, its action upon viruses, its capacity to accelerate the closing of w ounds [ 7,8 ] or to ameliorate pain [ 9,10 ] , or its anti - depressive effect. 2. T HE AIMED OBJECTIVES ARE : - to determine, with the aid of the GDV camera, whether ECS produces measurable effects upon the parameters of th e human body, notably upon the Stress I nd ex, and to make the statistical analysis of the obtained results. - t o compare the evolution of the Stress I ndex after the ingestion of ECS with the results obtained through other methods, measured with the GDV camera, and 2 presented and statistically vali dated in different PhD theses [2,3,4,5] 3 A BOUT ELECTRO - COLLOIDAL SILVER SOL UTION ( ECS ) The electro - colloidal silver solution (ECS) used in the experiments is a liquid mineral food supplement with concentrations of 25 ppm. It has a slightly bitter tas te and it is made up of only 2 elements, i.e. distilled and structured water and silver particles of nanometric dimensions with high purity: 99.99%. 4. GDV CAMERA METHOD The device and method named GDV were developed by a team coordinated by Professor Ph. D. Konstantin Korotkov in Russia in 1995. Currently it is used by hundreds of researchers and physicians in over 60 countries ( www.korotkov.org , www.ktispb.ru ). After almost 20 years of use of the “GDV” term, another term has started being used: that of Electro - photonic Capture (EPC), as it is considered to define this procedure more accurately. The GDV/EPC method is a remarkable extension of the Kirlian effect, of the images of the p hotonic emissions resulted from the stimulation in electromagnetic field, followed by computed processing with dedicated software using the nonlinear fractal analysis [1] By making measurements of the ten fingers and using complex software, a distributio n image of the human energy field is created. The principle relies on the connection of the different areas of the fingers to different organs and systems of the body through energy meridians described by Asian medicine [ 11] This idea was first put forwar d by Dr. Voll in Germany. Later it was developed by Dr. Mandel in Germany and then it was clinically verified and corrected by a team coordinated by Dr. Korotkov in Russia. GDV is certified as a medical device in Russia and Europe. The FDA certification p rocedure for this device in the USA is in course PhD Nancy Rizzo Roberts has conducted an interesting study, in which she compared the results obtained by the GDV Camera after an acupressure treatment with those obtained after a placebo treatment. The re sults were statistically analyzed and they confirmed that the GDV method can detect the changes produced by acupressure in the human body. The advantages of using the GDV /EP C technique are numerous [ 1 2 , 1 3 ] Among them we remind the non - invasive, simple, safe and sterile technique. It simply records the pictures of the fingers. 4.1 Value intervals of Stress I ndex (T) established by the pro f. K. Korotkov The usual values of T range between 0.30 and 07.37. [1] Thus, 0 - 2 = low level of stress – a calm and h armonic state (this can be caused by a weakened energetic functional level of the organism, a person under the influence of sedatives etc.) which can also be seen in chi - quong masters or experienced meditators. 2 - 4 = normal level 4 - 6 = high level, which in fluences a person’s state 6 - 8 = high level, which affects both the psycho - logical and physical state 8 - 10 = exhaustion, major issues The quantitative estimation of the level of stress and anxiety is important in determining the subject’s general condition. By introducing the filter we can make the difference between the psycho - physiological field and the physical field. The higher the level of stress experienced by a person, the bigger the difference between the two images. The filter disables the influence of all the processes that are directly connected to the surface of the skin – the first being the sweat. ‘’We can assume that the filter distinguishes between the activity of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system . To analyze the psycho - physio logical field it is necessary to take the GDV - grams without the filter ’’ [1 , pg 34 ]. Comparing represents the tolerance to stress and a capacity to resist the psychological load 5 S UMMARIES OF PAPERS R ELATED TO THE DECREA SE OF STRESS INDEX (T ) We will ne xt present the short summaries of some research papers that treat of different ways of reducing stress, which used the GDV camera and ended by turning into PhD theses. We would like to mention that there are yet certain limitations given by the fact that t he works cover the period 2002 - 2013 and the GDV camera software has been constantly improved , with the limitations given by the fact that the research that the article refers to was conducted between 2002 and 2013. The measurements were made with differe nt versions of software, owing to the fact that during that period the GDV camera software was constantly improved. Susanne Gibson’s PhD Thesis In her PhD Thesis in 2002, PhD Suzanne Gibson presented some studies [2] conducted with the help of 49 subjects, which showed that music (15 minutes only) and Focused Meditation reduce the level of stress. The measurements were taken with the GDV Camera, they were then confirmed trough The Profile of Mood State (POMS) technique and finally were validated trough the statistical analysis. The POMS consists of 65 adjectives describing mood rated on occurrence “within the past week” for the pre - test and “at this moment” for the post - test. In the research conducted on 82 people, PhD Marianne Cowan [ 4 ] reduces “the music/t he vibration” transferred to the body to only one musical note – the C note – produced by the Cristal bowl toning and through the statistical analysis she shows that this note only influences the 5 th Chakra. Mohirta’s PhD Thesis: By means of an experiment that used 30 subjects – all students – using a GDV camera, Dr. Mohirta statistica lly demonstrated the fact that [5], under the influence of music therapy, the difference between the density of the luminosity of the physical body and that of the emotional o ne (stress level) decreases. The subjects displayed a decrease of stress index from an average of 3.85 to 2.72. The difference reached the threshold of statistical significance t(30) = 4.59, p = 0.001). The correlation analysis of the two distributions sho wed that there is a statistically significant positive correlation between the two distributions (r = 0.6, N = 30, p = 0.001). The 3 consistence was done on the R2 = 0.36 radius, which indicates great consistence. Manolea’s PhD Thesis Manolea’s PhD Thesis [ 3] starts from the premise that psychic activity exerts some major influence upon the autonomous nervous system and the emotional states (“feelings”), irrespective of their biological, psychic, social or cultural motivation, may modify the body’s physiolog ical parameters in a sometimes spectacular manner. Wh en assessing the stress level, M r. Manolea used the Cohen - Williamson questionnaire, which lays stress on the individual’s reaction to the stressful context. M r Manolea has proved that, under the influen ce of the consciousness - modified states produced under hypnosis, the parameter whose modification proved to be statistically significant was the activation coefficient, which a measure of the psycho - emotional stress Korotkov [1]. 6 EXPERIMENTAL R ESEARCH 32 subjects aged between 22 and 74 participated in the experiment. There were 21 female and 11 male subjects. Age grouping was as follows: 5 subjects were aged between 20 and 30, 1 4 subjects were aged between 30 and 40, 10 subject s were aged between 40 and 50, 1 subject were aged between 50 and 60 and 2 were older than 60. The subjects were explained the working protocol that comprised 4 series of GDV camera measurements and they signed the participation agreement. The research took place on the 28th and 2 9th of August 2012, during the first part of the day, thus complying with the requirements of the protocol established by Dr. Korotkov [1] chapter 5, after his research sessions Prior to this experiment, a pilot study was conducted (3 subjects/7 measuremen ts/8 hours) that allowed establishing the number of and optimal time intervals between the measurements, i.e.: t0; procedure: ingestion 10 ml ECS, t1 – immediately after the procedure (2 - 5 minutes); t2 / 30 minutes after the procedure, and t3 – 9 0 minutes after the procedure. The device used: GDV Compact Camera and the afferent software (GDV Aura, GDV Diagram, GDV Chakras etc.), produced by Kirlionics Technologies International Ltd. In this case, the GDV camera was used to find/highlight the impact of the ingestion of a small amount of ECS upon the human energy - informational field. The premise we are starting from is that the modifications first occur/are reflected in the energy - informational field, long before the physiological manifestation. Hypotheses: Following the ingestion of ECS, the difference between the density of the luminosity of the physical body and the emotional one (the stress level) decreases, and the restructuring of the energy - informational field takes place. Cumulative chart of the meas urement results of the Stress Index in the 32 subjects for the 4 measurements: Table 1 T - v alues interval of the 32 subjects measured at 4 different times ( T0 before procedure) T0 T1 T2 T3 0 - 2 = 6 0 - 2 = 8 0 - 2 = 13 0 - 2 = 6 2 - 4 = 15 2 - 4 = 16 2 - 4 = 11 2 - 4=19 4 - 6 = 9 4 - 6 = 7 4 - 6 = 6 4 - 6 = 7 6 - 8 = 2 6 - 8 = 1 6 - 8 = 2 6 - 8 = 0 One may notice from the chart above that, as compared to the initial time, which is the control measurement, we find NO value in the 6 - 8 interval at the t3 time, the number of subjects with a stress index in the 4 - 6 interval has dropped from 9 to 7, the number of subjects with a stress index in the 2 - 4 interval has increased from 15 to 1 9, and the values in the 0 - 2 interval have remained un changed (after they were higher at the intermediary times. Even though the results seem obvious, a statistical analysis was made, which validated the initial hypothesis, i.e. the ingestion of ECS leads to the decrease of the stress index. 7 S TATISTICAL METHOD The statistical analysis of the data collected based on this experimental model is made using the t test (test/retest) for pair samples with repeated measurements. An experimental Plan will be used (with a single independent variable) on correlated dependant groups. The independent varia ble is the triggering of certain changes in the entire energy - informational field of the human body after the ingestion of a controlled amount of ECS, quantified through the modification of the parameters GDV camera measured parameters. T est – Stress inde x T Fig. 1 Stress h istogram Index T - test Table 2 Deviation coefficients of the T - averages Statistical descriptors Average Number of subjects Standard deviation Average standard deviation T Stress Index 3.24 32 1.59 0.28 RT1 Stress Index 3.06 32 1.45 0.25 RT2 Stress Index 2.71 32 1.55 0.27 RT3 Stress Index 2.96 32 1.31 0.23 4 The variation coefficients of the 4 series, i.e. 1.59, 1.45, 1.55 and 1.31, indicate a very good homogeneity and the 3.24, 3.06, 2.71 and 2.96 averages are representat ive for the series. Table 3 Correlation coefficients (r) and significance threshold (p ) Number of subjects Coeffi c ie nt (r) Significance threshold (p) T_ RT1 Stress Index 32 .45 .010 T_ RT2 Stress Index 32 .40 .020 T_ RT3 Stress Index 32 .45 .009 7 .1. S tatistical conclusions: Time M1: the stress index presented a decrease from an average of 3.24 to 3.06: the correlation of the two data distributions is average, r = 0.45 and strongly statistically significant, p = 0.010. Time M2: the stress index presente d a significant decrease from an average of 3.24 to 2.71: the correlation of the two data distributions is average, r = 0.40 and strongly statistically significant, p = 0.020. Time M3: the stress index presented a significant decrease from an average of 3. 24 to 2.87: the correlation of the two data distributions is average, r = 0.37 and of average statistical significance, p = 0.034. These data indicate the fact that the ingestion of ECS bears effect upon the values of the T stress index averages. The dete rmining coefficients : R2 = 0.20, R2 = 0.16 and , R2 = 0.13 , indicate an average effect, in the sense that the existence of a significant difference between the two times may be attributed to the independent variable, i.e. the ingestion of ECS. 8 FINAL C ONC LUSIONS 1. All the 32 subjects reacted to the procedure 2.ECS has a very quick, almost instantaneous action 3.The Stress I ndex had a special evolution, as there was a significant decrease, from an average of 3.23 at the control measurement, to 2.96 – 90 m inutes after the ingestion, going through intermediary values. At the end of the technique, most of the values fall under the normal interval 2 - 4, whereas values exceeding 6 no longer exist [1] . We believe this is an exceptional result that confirms the em pirical observations about the comforting effect of ECS that Dr. W . Kühni and W. von Holst [ 6 ] put forward. 3. Parameters measured without a filter have a faster evolution than those measured with a filter, which may indicate that the sympathetic nervous system is the first to react 4. If compared to music therapy (Mohirta) and the consciousness - modified states, the ECS ingestion has a weaker effect, its maximum efficacy being noticeable 90 minutes after the ingestion. After that, the effect starts to di minish. The advantage of this method lies in its simplicity and rapid effect. Certainly, additional measurements and compared analyses will be necessary to highlight the resemblances and differences from other manners of anxiety reduction (music therapy, d ance therapy, color therapy etc.) 8 G ENERAL DIRECTIONS FO R THE CONTINUANCE AN D COMPLETION OF THE RE SEARCH - D uring the experiment, the idea of a new experiment emerged that would allow determining the action of ECS based on how it this solution comes int o contact with the body (moistening of the epithelial surface, keeping it in the mouth without ingesting, ingestion), thus to determine the difference between the effects of these processes. - M easurements with different concentrations of ECS for the purp ose of determining a threshold level or value - We could notice that, at the measurement made at the T3 time, 2 hours after the ingestion, the stress index average increased as compared to the value measured at T2 (30 minutes before), which indicated the d ecrease of the effect in time. Certainly, an experiment would be useful that would allow determining the maximum efficacy point on the efficacy/time curve. Moreover, we believe it would be useful to have an efficacy/ECS concentration graph. REFERENCES 1. K. Korotkov , “ Human Energy Fields. Study with GDV Bioelectronography ” (2002). 2. S. G i bson, ’The effect of music and focused meditation on the human energy field as measured by the gas discharge visualization (GDV) technique and profile of mood state’’ , Thesis of a Dissertation, Holos University, 2002 3. A. Manolea , “Conditionarea psihosomatica. Psihodiagnoza si interventie psihoterapeutica folosind starile modificate de constiinta’’, University of Bucharest, 2012. 4. M. Cowan , “The effect of Crystal Bowl toning on th e chakras as measured by the GDV technique, and scores on the profile of mood scale,” Thesis of a dissertation, Holos University , 2005 5. I. Mohirtă , “Psihologia Sonoluminică ”, Bucharest, Ed Ars Docendi, 2011. 6. W. 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