Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - According to a recent issue of the AARP Bulletin, 61 million Americans have used some form of alternative health therapy. Available alternative therapies are many and varied, including yoga, meditation, breathing exercises, chiropractic treatments, naturopathic and homeopathic treatments, herbal remedies, vitamin and mineral supplements and many more.

Over thirty years ago I worked as the assistant to a chiropractor who used a form of magnetic therapy called Functional Balance Testing. From this doctor I learned that the body not only has an electromagnetic field, but each gland, organ and type of tissue has its own field as well.

After aligning a patient's body though chiropractic adjustment, the doctor would use Kinesiology to watch the body's response to both the positive and negative poles of a magnet. For example, if the thyroid gland was hyperactive, and I held the positive pole of the magnet above it, one side of the skeletal musculature would contract, which the doctor determined by checking the patient's leg length. Conversely, if the thyroid was hypoactive, the skeletal muscles would react to the negative pole of the magnet.

When an imbalance was detected, the doctor would place substances on the body, usually supplements in pill or capsule form, known to benefit that organ, gland, or type of tissue, one at a time, until the leg length was again in balance. Using that method the doctor developed a prescription for the patient to follow for two weeks.

The most amazing thing I observed, time and again, was that after the two weeks when we retested the patient, the imbalance was either completely gone or so diminished that the amount of supplementation required was often 75% less than it had been. The body's ability to heal when given the exact help it needs never ceases to amaze me.

Magnetic therapies have come a long way in the ensuing years due to much ongoing research involving many more practitioners and patients. I have recently had the great good fortune to experience some of these new therapies, and their results, right here in Puerto Vallarta.

Dr. Sergio Villanueva's Bionergetic Center is a peaceful refuge of profound healing. Clean and quiet, and decorated with inspiring art, the treatment rooms are adjacent to a courtyard filled with trees and plants. Certified in a remarkable number of therapies, including chiropractic and gestalt psychotherapy, Dr. Sergio also performs various magnetic treatment methods. To my great surprise he treated me with several that are similar to functional balance testing. The difference is that he uses the actual magnets, positive or negative poles, depending upon which energy frequency is needed, to bring the body into balance.

The testing method is the same, using leg length testing, then the magnets are taped to the body and the patient rests with them for half an hour. Then, while resting on a magnetic bed and the body tuned by a frequency zapper, Meta Music is played to inspire a receptive, meditative state of mind. The level of refreshment and relaxation I have personally experienced during these treatments is remarkable.

Dr. Villanueva treated me for several chronic conditions with which I have suffered for years, and for which allopathic medical treatment had been unsuccessful. My treatments included PAP-IMI electromagnetic pulse therapy, testing and readjusting my entire body with magnets, ozone therapy and hydro therapy enemas with ozonated water. The conditions for which I sought help now show marked improvement, and it feels like my entire body has been re-booted like a computer. I have also benefited greatly from his nutritional counseling, and my improved diet has contributed to overall improved health.

While I am fortunate not to have any chronic conditions that manifest in pain, I observed the beneficial effects of these treatments on other patients. I saw several patients literally hobble into the center, bent over in agony, clinging to someone's arm, and those same patients walked out upright and unassisted two hours later. I also met a woman whose doctors told her months ago that she was terminal, and there was nothing more they could do for her. Today, after six months of treatment at Dr. Sergio's clinic, she enjoys fine health.

In my experience allopathic medicine certainly has its' place, but the focus is on treatment of disease. I am grateful that my curiosity led me to explore alternative therapies, the focus of which is to bring the body into balance and prevent disease from occurring in the first place. Thank you, Dr. Sergio!

The Bioenergetic Healing Center is located at Calle Pilitas #193, near the corner of Olas Altas in Old Town Puerto Vallarta. The phone number is (322) 222-4560, and his email address is sergiovallarta(at)hotmail.com.