As massage therapy and herbal remedies become commonplace, a new type of holistic treatment is gaining popularity -- harmonic medicine uses sound to heal the body.

Sound has been thought to affect mood and consciousness since ancient times and is one of the oldest therapies for facilitating healing. Now, some acupuncturists are replacing their needles with tuning forks and claiming deeper as well as faster healing.

In this type of Chinese medicine, tuning forks are applied to specific points on the body in order to stimulate nerves. Bowls and gongs are also used to create an internal massage and channel energy back into the body.

Practicing harmonic therapist Rose Eng-Lum of Seattle, Washington normally treats clients once a week, until they feel better, and then sees them once a month. She says some insurance companies now cover the therapy.

The Northwest Institute of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine says classes in harmonic medicine are gaining popularity as acupuncturists look for new treatment tools.