Effects of a Passive Online Software Application on Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Nervous System Balance

• Published in: The journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 23; no. 1; pp. 68 - 74
• Main Author: Rubik, Beverly
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Mary Ann Liebert, Inc 01.01.2017
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Autonomic Nervous System; Complementary Therapies; Double-Blind Method; Female; Heart - physiology; Heart Rate; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Mobile Applications; Original Articles; Smartphone; Software; Stress, Psychological - therapy; biofield; stress; autonomic nervous system; heart rate variability; energy
• ISSN: 1075-5535; 1557-7708
• DOI: 10.1089/acm.2016.0198

Objective: This study investigated whether short-term exposure to a passive online software application of purported subtle energy technology would affect heart rate variability (HRV) and associated autonomic nervous system measures. Methods: This was a randomized, double-blinded, sham-controlled clinical trial (RCT). The study took place in a nonprofit laboratory in Emeryville, California. Twenty healthy, nonsmoking subjects (16 females), aged 40–75 years, participated. Quantum Code Technology ™ (QCT), a purported subtle energy technology, was delivered through a passive software application (Heart+ App) on a smartphone placed <1 m from subjects who were seated and reading a catalog. HRV was measured for 5 min in triplicate for each condition via finger plethysmography using a Food and Drug Administration medically approved HRV measurement device. Measurements were made at baseline and 35 min following exposure to the software applications. The following parameters were calculated and analyzed: heart rate, total power, standard deviation node-to-node, root mean square sequential difference, low frequency to high frequency ratio (LF/HF), low frequency (LF), and high frequency (HF). Results: Paired samples t -tests showed that for the Heart+ App, mean LF/HF decreased ( p  = 9.5 × 10 –4 ), while mean LF decreased in a trend ( p  = 0.06), indicating reduced sympathetic dominance. Root mean square sequential difference increased for the Heart+ App, showing a possible trend ( p  = 0.09). Post–pre differences in LF/HF for sham compared with the Heart+ App were also significant ( p  < 0.008) by independent t -test, indicating clinical relevance. Conclusions: Significant beneficial changes in mean LF/HF, along with possible trends in mean LF and root mean square sequential difference, were observed in subjects following 35 min exposure to the Heart+ App that was working in the background on an active smartphone untouched by the subjects. This may be the first RCT to show that specific frequencies of a purported non-Hertzian type of subtle energy conveyed by software applications broadcast from personal electronic devices can be bioactive and beneficially impact autonomic nervous system balance.