First, a word about unbelief.

"It's just natural to be skeptical about it," says Dyan Schulenberg, who operates Good Vibrations at 849 CY Avenue in Casper. "My husband didn't want to get out of the car in Meeteetse," when the couple was about to have their first encounter with the VIBE machine.

The VIBE machine - short for Vibrational Integration Bio-photonic Energizer - was the brainchild of inventor Gene Koonce of Greeley, Colo.

According to the VIBE machine Web site, imbalance is created in the human body by a variety of environmental toxins "and how we process information in our thinking and feeling." When the body becomes overwhelmed with such negative influences, its positive bio-electric field is lowered in vibration and frequency.

"The VIBE machine is an electronic device that brings the vibrational level of your body back to its natural state of being," the Web site claims.

The machine itself is a cylindrical collection of glass tubes crowned by a halo of copper wires, all of which sits on a six-pointed star. The gadget emits a red-orange glow when in operation. Reportedly encased in the tubes are 12 inert and noble gases, including argon, krypton and water vapor. "Activated by a low-power laser, it produces all the frequencies needed to resonate a higher pitch within your body," according to the Web site.

Koonce says a number of scientific studies of the device are in the works. It has not been approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration, which Koonce says is a lengthy process. Koonce has no medical credentials; for 27 years, he operated an electronics repair shop.

Schulenberg says the VIBE machine creates a spectrum of positive electromagnetic energy which helps the body heal itself. Electromagnetic energy created by computers and cell phones has the effect of dragging the body down, causing people to be tired or otherwise not feel their best.

"The body, in addition to being flesh and blood, we do have an electrical charge to our body," she says. "And when that weakens, the cells stop vibrating."

The VIBE machine purportedly creates an electromagnetic field that interacts with the human body on a cellular level to raise the frequency of the cells, thus bringing the vibrational level of the body back to its natural, healthy state.

Schulenberg says she became interested in alternative health approaches after the death of her mother, and the suffering she endured: "Since then, I've been investigating a lot of different things. It made me a lot more open-minded."

Members of her family have had good success with the VIBE machine, she says. Her husband had back surgery, which resulted in lingering pain. Use of the machine helped relieved his symptoms.

Her sister-in-law had neck fusion surgery several years ago "and she's been in a lot of pain from that," Schulenberg says. At first, Her sister-in-law was doubtful, fearing the machine might worsen her condition. But after a couple of sessions, "she was just beaming. She felt good. She said she was from a level 8 in her pain down to a level 2 for about six hours. I think that's when my husband said for me to order the machine."

Since starting up in October, Schulenberg estimates 40 people have used the VIBE machine. Small pets also are candidates. But she makes no claims about the machine's healing properties. "We can't claim that it does anything," she says. "The body is actually what does the healing. It (the VIBE machine) facilitates healing."

A session with the VIBE machine essentially consists of sitting quietly, hands open and palms up, as if to accept the device's energy. The maximum exposure time is 10 minutes, which actually takes 20 minutes, because the machine runs for 30 seconds, then stops for 30 seconds. Session times depend upon individual circumstances.

The cost is $10 per session, but for those who would simply like to try out the VIBE machine, the first session is free.

"If people can't afford to come in and use it, then it doesn't do anybody any good," Schulenberg says. "I want to make it affordable for everyone."

Schulenberg knows for certain of three VIBE machines in Wyoming - her own, one in Meeteetse and one in Cheyenne - but she expects its presence to grow.

"I think people are trying to find a more natural alternative," Schulenberg says. "And even though this hasn't been proven yet, once those studies do come out it's going to be a very popular thing."

Business Editor Tom Mast can be reached at tom.mast@casperstartribune.net, or by calling 1-307-266-0574.