Exhibit shows body’s healing processes

A young boy with light brown hair jumps frantically in the air, rhythmically kicking his feet and clapping his hands in front of a television screen displaying a large white blood cell.

Each clap or stomp sends the white blood cell coursing onward down the bloodstream.

Behind the boy is a large green screen that allows virtual reality equipment to thrust him into a microscopic world where he actually becomes a white blood cell at war with viruses attacking the “body.”

The hands-on lesson about the human body comes from a new traveling exhibit running through Sunday at Science Central.

Interactive and fun for both children and adults, “The Healer Within” exhibit provides insightful demonstrations and learning stations.

One of the visitors on this day is Kathleen Miller of Indianapolis, her husband, Ian Anderson, and their two daughters.

“I think it is very exciting,” Miller says, adding she likes the quotes written by philosophers such as Socrates and Aristotle that are posted on the walls of the exhibits. “They have done a great job with it.”

“The virtual game was my favorite part,” says her 11-year-old daughter, Savana Anderson. Her younger sister, Violet, proclaims her favorite as being a display in which a man that is half-skeleton and half-muscle rides a bike to demonstrate the way the muscles and bones work together to form a pedaling motion.

Ian Anderson says he found the exhibits to be a good way to explain the human body to his children.

“This exhibit explains what happens when you get a cut,” says Anderson, pointing to the giant blood clot behind glass. “I explained it to them because they both had cuts recently, and now they know how they heal.”

“The Healer Within” opened in Atlanta in June 2000. It since has traveled to many states throughout the country.

Created by A.T. Still University (ATSU) in Kirksville, Mo., it shows the interconnection of healing processes inside the body, presenting a more holistic view of the body and its healing abilities. Visitors learn about the immune and nervous systems as well as get a look at human anatomy and physiology.

“By playing games and interacting with the learning stations, visitors have fun learning about how the body works and how to maintain it to have a healthy life,” said Jason Haxton, director and healer coordinator at ATSU.

Parents run up and down steps with their children to test their heart rate, answering questions about blood pressure. Visitors also can test their balance in front of a moving ocean scene — often falling off the small beam.

A group of children gather around the giant heart, feeling the different levels of blood pressure and pushing buttons to light up different areas of the heart.

The exhibit also provides its visitors with booklets and information to take with them to further promote good health.

A small yellow booklet, written with kid-friendly explanations, lists 10 great things to do for your body. Random “fun facts” about the body and brain are readily available.