Weight loss is a complex issue with no quick-fixes or easy answers. Commercial weight-loss programs are a huge industry. However, quite often these programs only work short-term, if at all. Obesity is a growing epidemic. Researchers are looking for answers to both what causes obesity and what the most effective treatments might be. PEMFs for weight loss are a dramatically underutilized tool and in this article we’ll talk about how they can best be used.
Medical treatments for obesity currently include prescription medications, devices such as gastric balloons, bariatric surgery, and altering nutrition and physical activity choices. Medication and surgery carry their own set of risks, with potential side effects that could exacerbate health issues.
Nutrition and exercise are important components of a healthy lifestyle, but weight loss can be slow with these interventions alone, making them harder to stick with. With many programs, even when a significant amount of weight is lost initially, it’s often regained when the intervention ends. That’s why I think it’s worth exploring the effectiveness of PEMFs for weight loss.
Your body has many built in processes that regulate fat burning – and fat storage. These processes ultimately have an impact on how easy it is to lose weight.
Your metabolic rate determines how quickly you will burn calories. Calories are burned while at rest, in everyday activities, and through intentional exercise. You basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the number of calories burned simply to keep your body functioning while at rest. This rate is primarily determined by your genetics, meaning there isn’t a lot you can do to change it. But you can impact calories burned through daily activities and exercise, so metabolism isn’t as static as you might believe.
If you have a “high” metabolism, you’ll burn more calories both at rest and during activity. If your metabolism is “low” you’ll burn fewer calories – which means you’ll need to eat less in order to maintain a healthy weight. With a slow metabolism, gaining weight is easy, and losing it can be very difficult – so you’re hit from both sides!
Quite often, there are stubborn areas where fat deposits build up no matter what you’re doing to lose weight. You may see great results from other treatments in terms of overall weight, but fat in those problem areas just doesn’t budge. Poor circulation is the reason these areas seem to hold on to fat.
When blood flow is poor, fat loss is difficult. That’s why these areas – abdomen and “love handles” in men; hips, thighs, and abdomen in women – are so troublesome. When circulation is poor, fatty acids released cannot make it to the bloodstream to be burned as energy. Instead, they land right back where they came from. Spot reduction exercises don’t work well, because they do nothing to improve blood flow to the area. That’s where PEMFs can help.
Knowing what we do about the relationships between metabolism, circulation and weight loss, as well as how PEMF therapy works, it’s clear to see that there is potential for PEMFs to help with fat reduction and weight loss.
Your cells are powered by energy, and when that energy level dips, these cells cluster together, slowing metabolism. PEMF therapy stimulates cells directly to make more energy, helping give metabolism a boost.
PEMF therapy also promotes the release of fatty acids from fat cells, and improves circulation to those areas where stubborn fat deposits linger, which allows the fatty acids to make it to the bloodstream where they can be processed as energy.
PEMFs increase circulation through three mechanisms. First, PEMFs increase nitric oxide, which helps widen blood vessels, allowing for better blood flow. They also improve separation of red blood cells, breaking up cell clusters. Only one red blood cell can enter the capillaries at a time, so if cells are bunched together, circulation will suffer.
PEMFs also lower the viscosity (density) of water, which helps to emulsify fat. The fat is broken into smaller molecules that can more easily flow into the bloodstream, allowing it to travel to where it can be burned as energy.
PEMF therapy also has potential to impact weight through stimulation of the reward centers in the brain (much like it helps with smoking cessation). A small nine-week study of obese individuals treated with either brain (transcranial) magnetic stimulation (TMS) or a sham treatment suggested that the TMS may help drop pounds and reduce cravings.
Individuals who were given high-intensity TMS lost about ten pounds in five weeks, and cravings had reduced by 34% – both significantly greater than those in the sham group. By the end of the nine weeks, the high-intensity TMS group had lost 3.2% of their initial weight. It is expected that with stimulation beyond 9 weeks even more weight loss would occur, until goal weight is achieved.
Other research has demonstrated the impact of TMS on the balance of bacteria in the gut. When the balance of beneficial to harmful bacteria is off, the messages carried to the brain about appetite and satiety can be altered. Using PEMFs for weight loss by changing the balance of bacteria is a promising new avenue of treatment.
There are no quick-fix solutions, and lifestyle changes are the most likely to both promote and maintain weight loss. Lifestyle interventions also don’t come with adverse side effects. It can be difficult to change your dietary and exercise habits. However, and PEMF therapy might provide the extra boost to weight loss that keeps people motivated.
All participants in the study looking at reward centers were also given advice by both a physical trainer and a nutritionist every two weeks, and with this intervention, the sham control group also lost weight – 1.8% of their baseline. These results show that PEMF could be an effective addition to lifestyle interventions in combating obesity and stimulating weight loss.
PEMF therapy directly impacts the cells. You may experience other secondary benefits, even when the primary intent is weight reduction. PEMFs can rev up your metabolism, by improving thyroid function. Thyroid imbalances can be behind many uncomfortable symptoms, including fatigue, mood problems, and weight gain. This is something I discuss in a lot of detail in the bonus course currently available for power tools for health.
PEMFs also help remove toxins from your body, which not only improves bowel function but also helps burn cellulite. When excess waste and cellulite is removed, weight loss often results.
PEMF therapy can improve chronic pain conditions, especially in the joints. PEMFs help your body heal from injury and boosts energy – which in turn may help you exercise more regularly, thus stimulating faster weight loss.
PEMFs also promote high quality sleep and reduce stress. Both poor sleep and high stress are connected with weight gain – among other issues.
That’s a lot of good reasons to give PEMFs a try. If you’d like to explore the benefits of PEMFs for weight loss, call our office to speak to a member of my team. We can help you find the product that best suits your health needs and budget. We are here to help you take steps towards your weight loss goals – starting now!
