Feng Shui for Health? What do you know about feng shui's effect on health? I have a friend who said rearranging her living room reduced the frequency of her migraines. Can this be true? Feng shui is a 3,000-year-old Chinese practice which maintains that the arrangement of your physical surroundings -- your house, furnishings, etc. -- can promote positive energy or "chi." This in turn leads to health, wealth, and happiness. Almost unknown in this country a decade ago, feng shui (pronounced fung shway) seems to have taken off in a big way, particularly in California, which has a large Chinese population. However, feng shui has caught on among non-Chinese who seem willing to pay some pretty steep prices (anywhere from $150 to a few thousand dollars per hour) to have consultants evaluate houses they're interested in buying. Proponents claim that feng shui is a scientific discipline, but I think this is going a bit too far. To my knowledge, no scientific studies have evaluated feng shui's impact on physical or emotional health and well-being. However, there's no doubt that many people like your friend believe feng shui has improved their health and positively influenced their lives. Others have tried rearranging their furniture on the advice of feng shui consultants -- only to put everything back where it was after realizing that they're not happy with the changes. An article in the real estate section of the "Los Angeles Times" earlier this year reported on the effect feng shui is having on the sale and purchase of houses in the area. Apparently, many house hunters are refusing to buy unless the house they're interested in has been evaluated and approved by a feng shui consultant. Similarly, real estate agents themselves, as well as sellers, are adhering to recommendations from feng shui consultants in order to make properties more salable. I've had two feng shui consultants come to my house and make recommendations that I've been slowly implementing. I'm happy with the changes -- I think they make the space work better for me -- but I can't say that I've noticed any particular effect on my health or wealth. I also can't say whether or not feng shui affected the frequency of your friend's migraines. But if she feels better, that's all that matters.