The Universe Is Energy
A health and medicine essay on caring for the body and mind as a microcosm
David S. Park, L.Ac., Dipl. O.M., DAcCHM, PhD. | Scalar Nature Medicine
Even when we sit still, our bodies keep moving. The heart beats, breath flows in and out, and countless chemical reactions continue inside our cells. Closing our eyes may make us feel briefly removed from the world, yet we continue to respond to air, food, light, temperature, and the words and expressions of people around us. Being alive is a continuing process of exchange and change between our inner world and our surroundings.
In an earlier article, I discussed easing tension through 12 minutes of medical meditation a day. In another, I explored stepping back to observe ourselves when fear and anger take hold. Both lead to a question: Can caring for the mind also be a way of caring for the body?
I would like to explore this question through the relationship between the universe, life, and energy. The energy involved in metabolism is neither symbolic nor metaphorical. It is real energy governed by physical laws. Thoughts and emotions do not occur somewhere apart from the body, either. Our mental activity and actions influence bodily responses and the direction of daily life. Understanding these connections can make it clearer what we can do for our health today.
Our bodies are a microcosm
When we look at the night sky, the universe can seem impossibly distant. Yet the elements that make up our bodies are part of nature, and every reaction within us follows natural laws. We are not outside the universe, looking in. We already live and breathe within it.
Modern physics describes nature in terms of matter, fields, and their interactions. Mass and energy are related, and quantum mechanics is essential to understanding atoms and molecules. From this perspective, the body is a living system continually exchanging matter and energy, rather than a permanently fixed object. The title “The Universe Is Energy” invites us to pay attention to this dynamic quality. [1]
This is also why we may call the body a microcosm. Cells, tissues, and organs perform their own tasks while sustaining life as a whole. No part lives in isolation. The heart works with the lungs, the brain depends on its blood supply, and organs influence one another through neural, hormonal, and other signals. Microcosm is a philosophical expression for this interconnectedness.
It does not mean that stars and galaxies literally exist inside us. It helps us understand the body through relationships and change, rather than only as a list of mechanical parts. That is why, alongside examining an area of pain, we also consider sleep, food, activity, emotions, and living conditions. A person's health unfolds within that person's life.
The real flow of energy within cells
The cell is the basic unit of life. Within it, reactions continuously build necessary substances, break down others, and maintain internal conditions. This is metabolism. The synthesis and breakdown of matter cannot be separated from energy transfer, energy conversion, and the constraints of thermodynamics. Energy in biology is not a different kind of energy from that described in physics.
Cells use chemical energy stored in nutrients. In mitochondria, electron transport and an electrochemical gradient across a membrane are linked to ATP production. ATP plays an important role in transferring energy for cellular activities. Moving muscles, transporting substances, and sustaining neural activity all require energy. These intricate processes accompany even a single step we take without thinking. [2]
Caring for health therefore includes supporting the conditions in which the body can use energy appropriately. More energy does not always mean better health. The body needs recovery as well as activity, and signals need appropriate timing and regulation as well as intensity. Just as continually pressing the accelerator will not keep a car running indefinitely, constantly pushing ourselves is not a sustainable way to protect our health.
It is important not to imagine balance as an unchanging state. The body needs different responses during exercise and sleep. Even a racing heart may be appropriate when we face a threat. Healthy regulation is less about remaining unchanged than about responding appropriately and being able to recover afterward.
Thoughts and emotions leave traces in the body
Sometimes worry alone keeps us awake, even when no danger has actually occurred. Replaying a conversation in our minds can tighten our jaws and shoulders and shorten our breathing. At other times, a few warm words from someone we trust can ease bodily tension. Our mental experiences are connected with our physical experiences.
Thoughts and emotions are linked to nervous and hormonal responses and can affect heart rate, breathing, and muscle tension. Persistent stress can also alter sleep, eating, activity, and relationships. The ways the mind influences health include both these physiological pathways and the pathways of behavior. [3]
Reflecting on our thoughts and understanding our emotions are therefore not abstract activities unrelated to health. Remaining with “I always fail” may lead to a different next action than thinking, “Let me try one thing I can do now.” When our actions change, the conditions our bodies experience in daily life can change too. Intention and resolve play an important role in turning thought into practice.
In this sense, I describe caring for the mind as caring for our energy. Physically, this involves energy use and signaling in the brain and body. Experientially, it includes changes in vitality, tension, concentration, and motivation. We do not need to define thought or emotion itself as the same physical quantity as energy. The connection between mental activity and real bodily processes already gives us ample reason to care for the mind.
A little space between ourselves and our emotions
Fear and anger sometimes arise to protect us. Difficulties often emerge not simply because an emotion exists, but because it overwhelms us until other choices disappear. In anger, every word from another person can sound like an attack. As fear grows, a future that has not happened can feel already decided.
One first step is to name the emotion: “Anger is rising in me.” “I am feeling anxious.” We acknowledge the feeling while making room to recognize that it is not the whole of who we are. The True Self perspective discussed in my earlier article is my philosophical language for this kind of self-observation and care.
What if we could approach our own minds as a mother comforts a child? Rather than ordering a crying child to stop, we ask what is troubling them. We can briefly give the same attention to our own fear. If preparation is needed, we prepare. If help is needed, we seek it. What cannot be resolved immediately may have to be set down for a while.
Research on meditation and mindfulness suggests that these practices can help some people manage stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and pain. The size of the benefit and individual responses vary. The aim is to develop room to observe and respond, rather than an urgent need to eliminate emotion. If meditation increases discomfort, it is reasonable to open our eyes, notice our surroundings, or switch to gentle walking. [4]
Genes and the brain in a life that can change
“This is just how I am” can sometimes make us give up too soon. Inborn temperament and genetic factors do matter. But they do not, on their own, determine every aspect of health, behavior, and the course of a life. Our environment and repeated actions also play a part.
Epigenomics studies marks and processes that regulate gene activity without changing the DNA sequence. Some epigenetic changes are associated with environmental or lifestyle conditions. This knowledge shows that living systems do more than mechanically repeat a given blueprint. It does not mean that thought alone can freely switch any desired gene on or off, or remove a genetic variant. [5]
The brain also has plasticity: it can change with experience and learning. Even when a familiar response cannot be changed all at once, we can practice making a different choice. Regular physical activity can help maintain or improve some aspects of cognitive function as well as physical health. Learning new things, interacting with others, and getting adequate rest are also important parts of caring for brain health. [6]
The wish to regain youth may mean more than wanting a lower age. It may express a desire to feel less exhausted, move more comfortably, learn new things, and enjoy life. We can translate that wish into concrete changes in sleep quality, activity, strength, and concentration. Caring for today's abilities and tomorrow's possibilities is more practical than promising to turn back age.
The possibilities I see in energy medicine
Over years of clinical practice, I have seen people whose longstanding symptoms improved and whose daily difficulties diminished. Those experiences have encouraged me not to judge a person's entire potential by a diagnosis alone. A person regaining interest in their own body and beginning to participate more fully in life is also a meaningful change to me.
These clinical experiences helped shape my interest and conviction. At the same time, an individual experience cannot by itself establish that one treatment was the sole cause of improvement. Examining the diagnosis, clinical course, concurrent treatments, lifestyle changes, and follow-up makes experience more useful to others. Offering hope and documenting treatment outcomes accurately can go together.
The name “energy medicine” covers very different approaches. Medical technologies using electrical or magnetic stimulation, mind–body practices involving breathing and movement, and methods whose effects remain insufficiently established do not all have the same level of evidence. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, used for certain conditions, is a real example of physical stimulation in medicine. Its results cannot be extended to every treatment called energy medicine. [7]
I also see interest in quantum energy, energy and information, zero-point energy, and torsion fields as an opportunity for deeper inquiry. Zero-point energy relates to the ground state of a quantum system, while torsion is a concept in certain theories of gravity. The existence of these physical concepts and the effectiveness of a treatment based on them are separate questions. We can remain open to new possibilities while examining specific evidence for the treatments a reader may receive. [8,9]
The value of an integrative approach to body and mind does not lie in promising one answer for every disease. It lies in finding what may help an individual, connecting necessary medical care with changes in daily life, and checking what actually improves. This is also different from reducing illness to a problem of attitude. Failure to recover does not mean a patient lacks willpower or belief.
Caring for your microcosm today
When you wake in the morning, take a moment to notice your body before beginning the day. Observe how the breath moves and whether there is tension in your shoulders or jaw. There is no need to force large breaths or hold your breath for a long time. A brief opportunity to listen to bodily signals is enough.
If your mind is busy, choose just one thing you can change today. It might be not skipping a meal, taking a short walk, or putting aside work you have been holding on to late into the night. Choices we can repeat shape our lives more reliably than grand resolutions. Resolve can be a force that pushes us, but it can also help us create the conditions our bodies need.
Begin movement at a level appropriate to your current condition. Find something sustainable, such as walking, gentle strength work, balance exercises, or comfortable qigong movements. Adjust the intensity and method if you have pain or a medical condition. The important task is to find a way to keep moving while respecting your body.
In the evening, briefly reflect on your emotions and physical state. Note what made you tense and what helped you feel a little more comfortable. Recording sleep, pain, and how long you can stay active can help reveal actual changes beyond a general impression. When useful, share those observations with your healthcare professional to guide treatment and daily self-care.
None of this needs to be done perfectly. Some days call for rest, and some are difficult enough that we need help. Choosing rest and support is also part of caring for health. We can learn to work with our bodies rather than trying to dominate them.
The possibility of recovery belongs to daily life
The universe is more than a distant landscape. We are part of nature, and real energy conversion and biological regulation continue within us. Caring for thoughts, emotions, intention, and habits means caring for the responses and daily conditions of this living body. This is the understanding of health I hope to convey through the idea of the microcosm.
We cannot promise that every disease can be cured in the way we wish. Yet a difficult diagnosis does not mean the possibilities for care have ended. Depending on the condition, the goal may be a cure or prevention of recurrence. It may also be reducing symptoms, restoring function, or living each day more comfortably. Each is a meaningful change in a person's life.
Do not assume that who you are today is the last version of yourself. Try looking at yourself a little more gently, making room for appropriate movement and rest, and receiving the treatment and support you need. When care for the mind becomes action that cares for the body, hope becomes something we can practice today.
Caring for your microcosm does not begin somewhere far away. It begins here, as you recognize what you feel and choose your next step.
References
[1] CERN. The Standard Model. Read source
[2] John E. Walker. Nobel Lecture. ATP synthesis and energy conversion. Read source
[3] NCCIH. Stress. Read source
[4] NCCIH. Meditation and Mindfulness: Effectiveness and Safety. Read source
[5] NHGRI. Epigenomics Fact Sheet. Read source
[6] NIA. Health Benefits of Exercise and Physical Activity. Read source
[7] NIMH. Brain Stimulation Therapies. Read source
[8] Wilson et al. Observation of the dynamical Casimir effect in a superconducting circuit. Nature (2011). A physics experiment, not a study of treatment effectiveness. Read source
[9] Hehl et al. On Poincaré gauge theory of gravity, its equations of motion, and Gravity Probe B (2013). A gravity theory paper, not a study of treatment effectiveness. Read source