Kirlian photography (synonyms: corona discharge photography or Kirlian photography; also high-frequency, high-voltage photography) is a diagnostic procedure used in complementary medicine. This physical procedure was established by a Russian couple, electrical engineer Semyon Davidovich Kirlian and his wife Valentina Kirlian. Kirlian photography is also known as “energetic terminal point diagnosis according to Mandel”. Its aim is the diagnostic evaluation of the energetic pathways (meridians).
Indications (areas of application)
Diagnostic exploration (examinations) and interpretation of functional disorders of the whole organism.
Contraindications
This procedure is a physical process with application of high voltage. For this reason, it is not recommended to be performed on patients who are dependent on medical devices, such as a pacemaker.
The procedure
In Kirlian photography, the human body parts to be examined, are brought into interaction with a high-frequency, high-voltage electrical field. This leads to discharge reactions called corona discharges. These discharges cause light phenomena that can be imaged photographically. In this process, mainly hands (fingertips) and feet (toes) are photographed, because according to the concept of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the meridians begin and end at the fingertips and toes according to acupuncture theory. The resulting photographs are then evaluated according to various criteria and interpreted with regard to the patient’s health issue.
Within a diagnostic system established by comparing patient photographs, the phenomenological findings are topographically assigned and utilized in terms of interference field diagnosis.
Potential complications
During this procedure, the patient comes into contact with electric current, so the risk of electrical accidents must be dealt with. When used properly, this risk is negligible.