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Introduction and Physical Background Biological Impacts and Consciousness Research

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Biological Impacts and Consciousness Research (2)

From a teleological point of view biological systems use sun energy in order to build up high-density informational stores which delay the thermal dissipation in the most effective way. This is completely in line with the characteristics that have been derived in the first part of this paper. However, the model of a resonator connects in the most simple way the phenomena of biophotonic organization with information. As an example take the information that is necessary to regulate the 10⁵ biochemical reactions per second and per cell during the metabolic program of one day. An estimation yields necessary information to be about 10¹² to 10¹⁴ bits, corresponding to a coherence time of 10^-3 to 10^-1 s. These time intervals account for the storage capacity of the resonator, since Q can be expressed in terms of the decay-time t of the stored modes and their frequency n, i.e. Q=nt. Actually, at least in this range of milliseconds or higher one finds the relaxation time of delayed luminescence of single cells. However, the linear resonator is too simple a model for explaining decisive features of living systems based on quantum coherence. In order to show this and at the same time the link to consciousness, let us compare the linear with a non-linear resonator. 
We assume that consciousness is a process of transforming actual into potential information and vice versa, and we optimize this process by optimization of the Q-value. This is consequent since the potential information (as the world of possibilities) has to be assigned to the stored energy while the actual information (as the world of actual events) is expressed in terms of the measurable photon intensity. Consequently, the optimization procedure requires that 

The linear case corresponds to U µ n and i µ, where n is the number of stored photons and the lacking photon current. Hence we have:

The solution is an exponential function (n µ exp(-ßt)), where ß is the decay constant and t the time. However this kind of store has no fixed memory since the measurement values between two consecutive points of time t₁ and t₂ depend only on the time difference t₁-t₂, but not on the original time of excitation. This means that this system is unable to develop consciousness.
There is a further solution to this problem which is optimized on a higher level of organization. In this case, Uµ n² . This means that every particle of the system is connected to every other part, providing optimal communication.

The solution of this equation takes a hyperbolic function n µ 1/t which displays a theoretically infinite memory since the registration of consecutive events in time keeps the information of the original event. 1/t₁-1/t₂ is not only dependent on the time difference t₁-t₂, but also explicitly on t₁ (or t₂). Thus, it never forgets the origin of the actual event.
A further consequence of hyperbolic relaxation as a sufficient condition of coherence is the logarithmic normal distribution of physiological parameters (like blood pressure, tolerability of remedies, conductivity of the skin) which is well known in medicine (Zhang and Popp, 1994). 
In conclusion, these experimental facts derived from biophoton research and the theoretical analysis invites the following picture of hierarchical structure of biological organization (Fig. 10).
 

Fig. 10:  There is a hierachical order of terms which may describe the organization of living systems. On the base, is matter itself, then energy, then the distribution of energy over the matter (entropy). This induces and describes what we call "potential" information, after which we arrive at its highest organizational form, what we call "consciousness" (Popp, 1992) 12.

In order to show the practical relevance of the intimate connection between the biophysical and the psychic situation, let us take the actual problem of placebo effects. In ordinary discussions, the "placebo effect" is based on the belief in the doctor`s capacities. However, the link between the organization of the body and the mind is neglected in this model. Rather, one has to provide that the "belief" in one's own health and the resultant actual health are not separable phenomena. As soon as one is healthy (or almost healthy), the body displays the necessary coherence in the biophoton field. The coherence of the field, on the other hand, induces the "belief" in and conviction of one's health. On the other hand, if this conviction is not manifested, real health will not be manisfested in the patient. In the course of time it is impossible to have this conviction without "health" or to be healthy without this "belief" in it. Compared with this plausible connection between "body" and "mind", the induction of health by "belief" in a doctor is rather unlikely. Consequently, we would like to postulate that homeopathy induces real and probably long-range organizational effects within the body (Popp, 1998b)¹³ ,in cases where some scientists have traced the healing back to placebo effects. We even have reason to claim that every kind of healing has to be focussed onto the improvement of the special coherence of the living matter in order to induce the belief (conviction) of the patient in (of) his own health.

References:

• Chang, J.J., Fisch, J., and Popp, F.A. (1998): Biophotons. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
• Cilento, G. (1988): Photochemistry without light. Experientia, 44, 572-576.
• Fay, J.A. (1965): Molecular Thermodynamics. Reading, Massachusetts, USA: [publisher?], p.122.
• Galle, M., Neurohr, R., Altmann, G., Popp, F.A., and Nagl, W. (1991): Biophoton Emission from Daphnia Magna: A possible factor in the self-regulation of swarming. Experientia 47, 457-460.
• Li, K.H.(1981): Bioluminescence and stimulated coherent radiation. Laser+Elektrooptik 3, 32-35.
• Popp, F.A., Becker G., König, H.L., and Peschka, W. (eds.) (1979): Electromagnetic Bio-Information. München, Germany: Urban&Schwarzenberg, pp. 123-149. 
• Popp, F.A., Li, K.H., and Gu, Q. (eds.) (1992): Recent Advances in Biophoton Research and its Applications. Singapore-New Jersey-London, England: World Scientific, p.14.
• Popp,F.A.(1992): Evolution as the Expansion of Coherent States. In B.Rubik (ed.): The Interrelationship between Mind and Matter (pp.249-281). Southampton, NY, USA: Marketing Graphics.
• Popp, F.A. and Li, K.H. (1993): Hyperbolic Relaxation as a Sufficient Condition of a Fully Coherent Field. International Journal of Theoretical Physics 32, 1573-1583.
• Popp, F.A. (1998a): About the Coherence of Biophotons. In E.Sassaroli, Y.Srivastava, J.Swain, and A.Widom (eds.):Macroscopic Quantum Coherence (pp. 130-150). Singapore-New Jersey, USA: World Scientific.
• Popp, F.A. (1998b): Hypothesis of modes of action of homeopathy: theoretical background and the experimental situation. In E.Ernst and E.G.Hahn (eds.): Homeopathy. A Critical Appraisal (pp.145-152). Oxford, England: Butterworth-Heinemann.
• Schamhart, D.J. and van Wijk, R. (1987): Photon emisssion and the degree of differentiation. In B. Jezowska-Trzebiatowska (ed.): Photon emission from biological systems (pp.137-152). Singapore: World Scientific.

Zhang, C.L. and Popp, F.A.(1994): Lognormal-distribution of physiological parameters and the coherence of biological systems. Medical Hypotheses 43, 11-16.

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