For centuries, medical therapies that focus on balancing energy and the flow of life force have been a central tenet of health for some Asian cultures.

Now, the West is beginning to embrace energy medicine as well, according to new predictions for 2009 by SpaFinder.

Energy medicine generally falls into two types: putative and veritable. Putative energy fields have not yet been quantitatively measured and are generally used in alternative therapies such as Reiki, Qi Gong and chakra balancing.

Meanwhile, veritable energy fields are measurable and have received more backing from the conventional medical establishment, who use them for MRIs, sound therapy, radiation therapy and similar treatments.

According to SpaFinder, mainstream acceptance of energy-balancing treatments such as Jin Shin Jyutsu has been steadily building, as people look beyond Western medicine for healing.

"There’s a great deal we still don’t know about the body electric," the predictions state.

For example, acupuncture and acupressure are two alternative energy therapies that have gained notice of late for their effectiveness at improving fertility and treating side effects from chemotherapy.