In athletic competition, peak performance is the goal. To reach this optimal performance level, athletes train hard – sometimes harder than they should. Even if the training is appropriate, muscle fatigue results from the effort. Proper recovery and healing is important. When given adequate attention, recovery can allow athletes to thrive. But it can be difficult to allow enough time for recovery when participating in highly competitive sporting events.
After participating in competition, recovery usually take between two and three days. Athletes push their bodies to the limit in competition, and that takes its toll. PEMF therapy is a safe, non-invasive treatment. It can be used before injury to not only enhance athletic performance. Also, it can reduce the risk of becoming injured through strenuous training and competition. PEMF therapy is also effective treatment when injuries do occur.
Long ago, people noticed that Eastern European and Russian Olympic athletes would be at the top of their game. This was even after days of vigorous competition. These athletes were using PEMF devices to aid their recovery. Even by 1998 the Eastern Europeans had been using PEMFs for over 30 years. (from Dr. Pawluk’s book “Magnetic therapy in Eastern Europe: a review of 30 years of research)
Brain stimulation, including use of PEMF devices, is not illegal in the Olympics and most professional sports. It’s not considered doping, as there are no chemicals added to the athletes body. Instead, PEMF devices use the body’s own natural electrical charges to heal cells and tissues. This helps relieve stress, soreness and reduce lactic acid in muscles. Many professional athletes worldwide use PEMF devices in their training and recovery.
With PEMF therapy, athletes can both enhance their performance and recover more quickly. It is well established that PEMF therapy can offer an energy boost. PEMF therapy can also improve the condition of muscles, joints, tissues and blood flow. It can also promote clear thinking. PEMFs improve standing balance, indicating more finely tuned and rapidly adaptive nervous system. All of these benefits can aid athletes in reaching their full potential.
Pulsed electromagnetic fields allow muscles to take in more oxygen. This in turn can significantly improve muscle performance and endurance. Muscle stimulation with PEMFs stronger and less uncomfortable than electrical stimulation. This allows for higher peak torque muscle contractions with less discomfort – up to 215% higher. Some people have reported up to 60-70% improvement in overall performance after just a few weeks of using PEMF therapy. That’s a huge difference, especially when you consider that at the competitive level, even a 1% improvement in performance can be the difference between winning and losing.
Muscles work harder and longer, and recover more quickly with magnetic stimulation. Muscles that are used heavily during training and competition tend to spasm, and one classic action of magnetic field therapy is to reduce muscle spasms by stimulating the release of nitric oxide.
I’ve heard many stories first hand about the power of PEMF therapy. One athlete I know of is able to continue performing at a world-class level into his 40s because of his regular use of PEMFs.
Studies have already shown positive effects for athletes through the use of PEMF therapy, and research is ongoing to gain even more insight. Because PEMF devices stimulate the body’s natural healing and self-regulating functions, this type of therapy helps optimize performance, accelerate recovery time, and reduce the risk of injury.
Research demonstrates that PEMFs stimulate a process called myosin phosphorylation, which produces energy in muscle. Phosphorylation produces ATP, which is crucial for cell energy. When ATP is depleted, muscles weaken. Strenuous training depletes ATP. That’s why rest, which restores ATP, is so necessary after hard workouts. PEMFs help restore ATP quickly through stimulation of myosin phosphorylation, reducing recovery time.
Athletic training can also impact a protein called heat stress (sometimes called heat shock) protein. When cells are damaged through heating, they produce heat shock protein. It’s been found that gentle stimulation techniques, such as PEMFs, can induce heat shock proteins before potential damage (such as before an intense workout) and reduce tissue damage. Research using magnetic devices to stimulate heat shock proteins in the heart muscle prior to open heart surgery is being conducted. The preliminary results indicate that stimulation of these proteins decreases muscle damage from the surgery, and improves results and recovery.
Participation in any type of sport comes with some risk of injury. Most often, these injuries are caused by overuse of muscles and/or improper training methods. Many athletes push themselves to compete despite having an injury, which only make the injury more serious.
Concussion is a common concern about many athletes. There’s a substantial research literature supporting the use of PEMF therapy in the better and faster recovery from concussion. PEMF therapy does not leave the recovery from concussion to chance.
Injury prevention is preferred, of course, and PEMF therapy can help with that. But if an injury does occur, PEMF therapy can help you heal sooner.
In a study using rats, PEMF therapy was examined in relation to how it could be used to accelerate healing in rotator cuff injuries. Results showed a positive effect on healing when treated with PEMFs, as compared to untreated subjects, with no adverse side effects.
Another randomized, double blind trial explored whether PEMF therapy could provide pain relief in subjects with chronic musculoskeletal pain, with positive results. Athletes are susceptible to chronic pain due to overuse of muscles and joints. If this pain can be reduced through the regular use of PEMFs, athletes – both professional and recreational – may be more easily able to fully participate in their athletic activities.
Other research has shown that PEMF therapy is beneficial in healing fractures more quickly, as well as addressing soft tissue injuries such as sprains, strains and tendonitis. These soft tissue injuries are a regular part of many high-level athlete’s lives.
Your body’s chemical reactions are stimulated by electrical signals, allowing cells to work more efficiently. Thus, PEMF therapy works at the cellular level to both boost energy production and protect against cellular breakdown.
PEMF therapy also stimulates oxygenation of blood and tissues, improving performance and endurance. PEMF therapy also induces proper reduction of lactic acid, which helps soothe sore muscles.
Injuries and stress on tissues produce swelling (edema), which delays the ability of tissues to receive the oxygen and nutrients they need. Ice is a common treatment for athletes, and ice will reduce superficial swelling, but it won’t touch deep bruising or swelling in the muscles. PEMFs penetrate tissues deeply and completely, without risking harm to superficial tissues in the process (unlike ice which can freeze these tissues, causing harm).
Since PEMFs reduce swelling, blood will be removed from a bruised area more quickly, leading to faster recovery and the ability to return to training or competition. Treatment before damage has settled into the tissue is preferred, since once this happens, healing takes longer.
A number of well known professional and olympic athletes, including football, baseball and basketball players, use PEMF therapy as a regular part of their training and recovery.
A few examples include: former lightweight boxing champion Carlos Palomino; NFL players Terrell Owens and Garrison Hearst; Chicago Cubs pitcher and 2015 Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta; a former Red Sox outfielder and US Swim Team and Olympic Gold Medalist Brendan Hansen. The Phoenix Suns basketball team even invested in a PEMF machine of its own. There’s a reason so many well known athletes are turning to PEMF therapy: it works!
Another benefit to athletes owning a PEMF device to use in their regular training routine is the versatility of use. Once you have the device, it can be applied to many different situations. This means that you’ll already have what you need to use for health maintenance and injury recovery, should an injury occur. The range of applications PEMFs can be used for makes a device a solid investment for athletes at any level.
PEMFs reduce pain and swelling, relax muscles, decrease irritability of nerves, improve circulation, help your body detoxify, and stimulate RNA and DNA to balance cell membrane charge, promote repair of cell damage, improve sleep and reverse jet lag. In addition, PEMFs work in the same ways as reflexology and acupuncture in the body.
While specific injuries require localized, targeted therapy to promote healing, athletes can often benefit in multiple ways from PEMF therapy, even when no explicit injury is present.
It’s not cost effective or practical to purchase multiple units to cover the whole range of localized therapy you may need at some point. Many athletes like a small portable, battery-operated system, a stronger local system and often a stronger whole body system. That’s why I prefer devices that promote a general response in both your body and brain. When you use PEMFs regularly as a preventative measure, your body can decide what it needs and how it will respond at any given time.
Optimal muscle functioning is crucial for all athletes, all the time. When muscles are consistently working the way they should, you can maintain structural integrity and maximize performance in your chosen sport. Not only can this increase your chances of winning, but it will also reduce your chance of injury and help your body recover more rapidly should injury occur. Use of a full body PEMF device before and after workouts, tryouts, or competition promotes all of these benefits.
If athletic training and sports participation is a part of your life, whatever the level, PEMF therapy can help keep you at the top of your game. Whether you need improved energy and recovery during training, or you’ve experienced an injury and are looking to reduce the down time required before you can train again, PEMF therapy can help. To find out more about how, and what the best device for you is, call our medical office at (866) 455-7688 or visit our website to schedule a consultation. With regular use of PEMFs you may discover athletic performance higher than ever before!
Han TR, Shin HI, Kim IS. Magnetic stimulation of the quadriceps femoris muscle: comparison of pain with electrical stimulation. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2006 Jul;85(7):593-9.
Huegel J, Choi DS, Nuss CA, et al. Effects of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy at different frequencies and durations on rotator cuff tendon-to-bone healing in a rat model. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2018;27(3):553–560. doi:10.1016/j.jse.2017.09.024
Thomas AW, Graham K, Prato FS, et al. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial using a low-frequency magnetic field in the treatment of musculoskeletal chronic pain. Pain Res Manag. 2007;12(4):249–258. doi:10.1155/2007/626072.
If you’ve been considering purchasing a PEMF device and conducting research online, you might be very confused. How can you know what information is simply marketing, and what is real? Who do you believe about what type of PEMF device is the best? Are PEMF devices really helpful, or is this just the newest fad designed to separate you from your hard earned money?
It’s a good idea to be skeptical about what you read online. Anyone can post anything – whether they have the proper background or not! That means you’re likely finding information from sales and marketing departments, medical professionals. Some of these who are well informed, and others who have little to no information about PEMF. Also, you can hear from both satisfied and unsatisfied customers. Again, who should you believe?
I began learning about PEMF therapy decades ago. I’ve gathered ample information about the research behind magnetic therapies. Furthermore, I learned how magnetic field therapy can be beneficial to a wide range of health conditions. This extends into how to properly select and use PEMF devices. Much of this information has been summarized in my book, “Power Tools for Health: how pulsed magnetic fields (PEMFs) help you.”
I will tell you something you probably won’t hear from many people in the business of PEMF therapy. There is no best device on the market! PEMF devices offer a range of intensities, waveforms and frequencies, and the right one for you is probably not the right one for someone else. In order to find the best unit for you, many factors must be considered: what intensity do you need, what frequency is best, your personal biology, and what condition(s) do you want to treat with PEMFs?
There are a lot of myths, and some outright lies and scams, perpetuated about PEMF therapy. My goal is to dispel some of these and help you determine the best PEMF device for your personal needs.
With all the research available on the effectiveness of magnetic field therapies I find it very frustrating that this is still a common refrain. What that tells me is that people simply aren’t doing the review of the research required to discover the benefits of PEMF therapy. Decades of research support the effectiveness of therapeutic PEMFs, though there is still a lot to learn about how and why this type of therapy is so effective. But, this is true for most other types of therapies too.
PEMF therapy impacts the body on a cellular level, which means it can have a positive impact on a wide range of health problems and conditions. The research is out there if you look for it, including studies that show how PEMFs help fractures heal, have a positive impact on pain in knee osteoarthritis, and so much more. Much of the research on PEMFs is detailed in my book, Power Tools for Health: how magnetic fields (PEMFs) help you.
Again, this myth comes from lack of understanding. The research easily refutes this claim. In fact, every study conducted has backed up the safety of this type of therapy, showing no significant adverse side effects — which certainly can’t be said for treatment with prescription drugs! Most often you’ll hear that high intensity PEMFs are hazardous – but the research says otherwise. Even research examining high intensity PEMF therapy to the brain supports their safety. For more information, check out my other posts on high intensity PEMF safety here.
The best frequency for specific pathologies varies widely. While some like to debate the “best” frequency for PEMF therapy, I like to remind my clients that what is best right now, for a specific condition, may not be best later. The problem you are trying to treat makes a difference! Your biological makeup also has an impact, which is why what works for one person may not work well for another.
Some companies put great stock in the fact that their products use “earth-based frequencies” only. These range from 1-32 Hz, and may be great for some conditions, but will prove ineffective on others. Acute problems often respond well to lower frequencies, but chronic conditions typically respond better to higher frequencies. Available frequency should be one of the top considerations when purchasing a PEMF device – and your reseller should be able to effectively explain the difference between frequencies, and what might best suit your needs. But, intensity is often much more important than frequency.
Another myth you might come across is that one intensity is the only effective, safe type of PEMF therapy. In reality, the intensity needed depends on the health condition you are treating. Most of the PEMF systems available are considered low-intensity in terms of magnetic field strength.
Think of it in comparison to an MRI machine, which produces a magnetic field between 10,000 and 30,000 Gauss. The high end of intensity for PEMF systems is the 10,000 Gauss range. Many don’t even reach 1 Gauss, but are still helpful for certain conditions. The deeper your problem is within your body, the higher intensity it will take to see results. That’s why quicker, more effective results are seen with higher intensity treatment. Low intensity treatment, on the other hand, offers mostly benefits for health maintenance and improving circulation in the body.
You might hear that you should only use a PEMF device for a few minutes at a time. Many systems promote the use of 8-minute treatments, though there is no research to substantiate this claim. In fact, most studies have used longer and varied treatment times and shown great benefits.
Your condition, the system you are using, and other factors all impact the ideal treatment time. It’s best to talk with a physician well versed in PEMF therapy before beginning your treatment to find the best amount of time for your specific needs.
You may also hear that there is a maximum treatment time per day with some systems. This usually has more to do with the engineering of the system, not any adverse effects resulting from long treatment times. Some PEMF systems can be used for 12 hours per day with no adverse effects, and great benefits. Again, your condition, personal biology, the specs of the PEMF device and where you are in your therapy will all impact the amount of therapy time you need.
When people are misinformed, it’s easy to be taken in by inflated claims and purchase machines that seem legit, but are ineffective for the specific problem that you have. The truth is that any PEMF machine is likely to have some benefit to health – but it may not be the level of benefit you were looking for.
Even medical professionals have to do extensive research to really understand the science behind PEMF therapy. Conventional medical training simply doesn’t include this information. If your only source of information about PEMFs is a general internet search, you probably won’t have the scientific knowledge you need to make the best selection.
Below are some common claims made by some companies whose primary interest seems to be making money, not helping people heal. I have a detailed blog post about common lies/myths about PEMFs if you want more information.
Most manufacturers of PEMF devices actually choose NOT to seek FDA approval. Why? It’s far too limiting. If a device is FDA approved, there are strict parameters around what it can be marketed for. There must be clear research to support the claims – and research is expensive! And if a device is FDA approved for a particular use, you can’t claim other benefits easily. Don’t be confused by claims of being FDA registered either. All that means is that the FDA knows the device is being imported into the USA – and all PEMF machines imported have to be registered, whether that information is part of the marketing plan or not.
The simple truth is there is no one best unit. You can’t find a one-size-fits-all model – or even a model that is best for most. The device best for you will depend on what you need it for now – and perhaps how you might use it in the future. Another consideration is whether other family members will use it as well. Manufacturers love to make claims that their machine is the best on the market — and it might be for specific purposes, but not for every need!
PEMF devices are first and foremost wellness devices. Magnetic field therapies are safe for almost any application when used properly – even at very high intensities (such as an MRI machine). Although some will say that you shouldn’t use PEMF therapy in conjunction with certain medications or with certain conditions (ie, cancer), there is no evidence that PEMF therapy will have any adverse effects. In fact, the opposite is true. Ample evidence exists that shows that PEMF therapy can be a very effective complement to most other treatments, especially in the area of pain relief.
Again, some manufacturers will say almost anything to get you to buy their device. But the truth is, there are many devices available on the market, and if you understand what signal you need, many different PEMF systems can offer relief for the same conditions. Research is expensive and it’s nearly impossible to find evidence for every system out there – which is why understanding frequency and intensity, as well as whether you need a whole body system or a targeted system is so important. I often say that whatever PEMF system you use will benefit your health, regardless of specific conditions. That’s because the overall positive effects on your body will indirectly help you cope with the specific condition. Your body will decide what benefits it will see.
This blog post is intended to help guide you in understanding the complexities of choosing the best device for your needs. You can find more detailed information on some of the misconceptions around PEMFs and what to consider as you purchase a device in my buyer’s guide, designed solely to help you make the right decision for the treatment benefits you desire.
Because there are so many factors involved in selecting the best PEMF device, I always recommend that you work with a physician or medical team well versed in PEMF therapy. I have studied PEMF therapy for years, and I am always happy to help you make the right selection. Call my office at 1-866-987-0514 or click here to apply for a complimentary consultation if you are considering purchasing a PEMF device. We can help you make the best choice for you.
I have long been interested in the use of pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) in children. PEMFs are significantly underused in children. I believe this is due to 3 reasons. Firstly, most professionals who use PEMFs tend to limit their use in adults. Secondly, the lack of education of people who work with children and parents. Lastly, the fact that I have not emphasized the value of PEMFs with children. This blog is intended to begin to remedy the latter two reasons.
Below, I provide a summary of a more extended document discussing the use of PEMFs in children. The extended document can be found at: https://www.drpawluk.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/PEMF-device-therapy-in-children-safety-and-usefulness-full-article-1.pdf
The information regarding the value of PEMFs for children comes primarily from 3 sources: my first book, “Magnetic therapy in Eastern Europe: a review of 30 years of research,” my second book, “Power Tools for Health: how magnetic fields [PEMFs] help you, ” and from the blog section of my website, drpawluk.com/blog.
The evidence for the value of PEMFs in children is both direct and indirect. The direct evidence is based on studies that have actually been done in children. The indirect evidence comes from all of the science related to the value of PEMFs in general and in adults. This evidence is still very useful when considering children’s health issues. Clearly, some health issues and diseases happen more in adults than in children, and vice versa.
The information below will focus on the specific conditions that are common to and unique in children, that may or may not happen in adults too.
Unfortunately, there is limited direct evidence for the benefits of PEMFs for children’s health issues. The indirect evidence is still extraordinarily valuable, because, children share the same biologic mechanisms for health and disease as in adults, even though their specific disease conditions may be unique to their age brackets. Even among children, disease conditions vary in their frequency and severity within the age brackets of children, ranging from birth until late adolescence. As “children” approach late adolescence in age, they become more and more similar to mature adults in the way their bodies react and heal and the kinds of problems they face.
My first book had a chapter on studies reported in Eastern Europe for the use of magnetic field therapies in children. These included benefits found for sinusitis, heart arrhythmias, Legg-Perthe’s disease, enuresis, other orthopedic conditions and chronic bronchitis. Legg-Perthe’s disease and enuresis tend to be more specific in common to children. PEMFs have been shown to be significantly beneficial for each of these conditions.
Whatever PEMFs do in adults is likely to work even better in children
The general expectation is that whatever works in adults is likely to work even better in children. because of the fact that children heal faster and regenerate damaged tissues better. This becomes more evident with trauma, such as wounds and fractures. The result is faster healing and reduced risk of breakdown, complications, side effects of treatments and and the need for medications and antibiotics.
One of the reasons for more rapid healing and reduced risk of complications is the accelerated metabolic rate of children compared to adults. Children have very rapid metabolic rates, about 2 ½ times higher than adults. The highest rates are in the first 5 years of life, leveling off into the teen years and beyond. (Son’kin) More rapid metabolic rates equate to rapid healing and recovery.
Because the bodies of infants and children are much more dynamically reactive physiologically and their bodies and organs are smaller, PEMF therapy needs to be applied differently. This includes the length of treatment time, intensity of the magnetic field and the need to go “low and slow” to observe for response and adjust treatment parameters accordingly. This approach is even more important in children who are vulnerable with significant health issues and handicaps and in situations of acute and more severe problems or disturbances.
The most common childhood illnesses are acute infectious diseases, particularly in the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts. PEMFs can be used early on in infectious diseases to speed healing and recovery and reduce the risk of complications. This can be especially important in dealing with ear infections [including mastoiditis], sinus infections and upper respiratory infections with significant gland enlargement, such as infectious mononucleosis [mono], hepatitis and dental infections. How PEMFs help with infectious conditions is covered more completely in my 2nd book, “Power Tools for Health.”
Because of the many actions of PEMFs, including reducing chronic inflammation, edema, improving circulation and accelerating tissue repair, PEMFs applied early and throughout the infectious process, can help with limiting infections and speeding healing and recovery. However, PEMFs cannot reliably be expected to directly kill bacteria or viruses. They facilitate the body’s ability to defend itself better and faster and accelerate healing and recovery. PEMFs can be combined with antibiotics, antivirals and antifungals to produce the best and most predictable results.
All children will likely have many different health problems during infancy and childhood, but for most children these problems are mild, come and go, and do not interfere significantly with daily life and development. For some children, however, chronic health conditions can be more severe and limiting, affecting everyday life throughout childhood.
Some examples of chronic conditions include (but are not limited to):
In the extended document, there is more discussion about how PEMFs can be able to help these various chronic conditions. I have also added anxiety/panic/phobias, depression, immune disorders, and obesity.
It is rare that PEMFs can or should be used alone. Generally, multiple strategies may be needed to most effectively deal with these conditions. Sometimes, however, PEMFs can be used as the sole source of benefit.
The above is a relatively short list of all the possible chronic problems children may have. Once the basic mechanisms of the effects of PEMFs are understood, most chronic conditions may be benefited to varying degrees by the use of PEMFs alone or in combination with standard therapies. Most of the basic mechanisms of actions of PEMFs are covered in the book, “Power Tools for Health.”
Chronic pain in children is soul wrenching and devastating. One of the most common uses of PEMFs in general is for the management of pain. Since PEMFs are very safe, they should without question be considered for helping children in chronic pain. PEMF use should be able to dramatically decrease dependency on medication, especially opioids, and risky surgical procedures.
About 20-35% of children and adolescents are affected by it worldwide. (Friedrichsdorf) More than 10% of children hospitalized for any cause have chronic pain. Untreated chronic pain in children has a high risk for development of pain and psychological disorders later in life. Seventeen percent of adult chronic pain patients report a history of chronic pain in childhood or adolescence, with about 80% saying that the pain in childhood continued and persisted until adulthood. One study of 1336 children and teens in pain, ages 11–14 years, found 44% had increased risk of chronic pain disorders and conditions, primarily headaches, back pain, abdominal pain and facial pain, and 12% had persistent pain.
The extended document has more discussion about the various causes of chronic pain in children and how PEMFs help with this pain.
Each of these conditions would have to take into account both the child and the type of physical aspect of the pain condition when considering the use of PEMFs. One size does not fit all! Every individual circumstance would have to be taken into account when considering the type of PEMF system to use and how it should be used. Professional input from somebody expert at PEMFs is recommended, who would have a broad knowledge about available PEMFs and an understanding about the physical changes involved with each condition and the likely impact of PEMFs. PEMFs are unlikely to completely reverse these conditions. It’s necessary to set specific objectives and expectations for what PEMFs can help for any of these conditions. In most cases PEMFs can help significantly with symptoms and function.
Daily preventive use of PEMFs in children is probably not necessary unless there are chronic health issues. PEMFs are not expected to enhance normal growth, function or intelligence in the absence problems. Preventive higher intensity PEMF use especially is not recommended routinely in children without health issues. While unlikely, there is some slight risk of overstimulating tissue processes that are in constant flux and constantly balancing themselves anyway, especially over bone growth plates. Probably the most common use of PEMFs in children will be for sleep issues. Because of the known safety of PEMFs, when there are significant health issues, a trial of PEMFs may certainly be recommended to see what the benefits might be.
Symptom management versus tissue or disease management.
While many of the conditions listed above are related to specific diseases, children with chronic symptoms that impair function or quality of life may benefit from PEMFs. As mentioned, PEMFs may help with symptoms, physiologic functions as well as tissue repair and regeneration. Because of their safety, even symptoms, related to physiologic dysfunctions, may be significantly improved, for example sleep, recurrent abdominal pain and colic.
In paraplegia and spinal cord injury, pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) will help these patients in supportive fashion. Obviously, PEMFs will not reverse the spinal cord injury. Spinal cord injury is a very complex problem and it varies tremendously from person to person. From this perspective it is hard to generalize the benefits from one person to the next. In general, however, there may be benefits. These involve improving motor function, pain, basic tissue health, spasticity, and bladder function. In Europe they are using PEMFs in cerebral palsy patients. These patients often share similar features to spinal cord injuries, particularly with spasticity. The tissues below the level of the lesion are often unhealthy. This is because of the lack of appropriate spinal cord nerve “trophic” or nutritional support.
These tissues are more prone to breakdown and prolonged wound healing due to these trophic changes. PEMFs protect the tissues by maintaining an optimized level of vitality at the cell level. This is in the skin, muscles, soft tissue, etc. In addition, if there is any risk of tissue breakdown or wounds from pressure issues, these tissues would heal much faster. It is expected that with regular, daily health maintenance use of PEMFs, the tissues would be much less likely to breakdown in the first place. In several of my lymphedema patients, where the tissues are similarly poorly nourished because of inadequate drainage, there is a dramatic reduction of infections.
Needless to say, inadequate tissue protection from pressure may trump the potential benefit of PEMFs. In my mind, every para needs to have daily PEMF therapy to optimize health. The challenge of course will be to convince somebody who would expect PEMFs to reverse their injury or to dramatically improve their spinal cord function to use PEMFs, as it is one more thing they need to do. In the long run, though, with simple daily application, PEMFs may save the para a lot of grief and over time even gain additional function. To be able to have any reasonable chance at improving spinal cord function from PEMF therapy, as the spinal cord is still recovering from the injury, PEMFs should be started as soon as possible.
Americans are taking massive amounts of painkillers. The federal government is very concerned about the level of abuse and wants to take steps to reduce this dependence.
The prevalence of chronic pain in the United States has been estimated to be upwards of 100 million people. This spans all age groups, races and genders.
The common medical approaches to managing pain, include medications, injections, procedures and surgeries. Unfortunately, physical therapy is not offered enough. It is often limited by insurance, including Medicare, and is not always completely effective.
Pain medications can be addicting, create all kinds of side effects and even death. One of the most commonly used medication groups, other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs). NSAIDs have been found to cause about 16,000 deaths per year, due to gastric bleeding. In addition, NSAIDs damage the kidneys and liver. Chronic dependence on NSAIDs, also reduces the body’s capacity to heal itself from injury or tissue damage. Tylenol or acetaminophen, damages the liver. Thousands of people a year end up with liver failure due to unwitting acetaminophen overuse.
Acetaminophen is often hidden in over-the-counter medications, like cold and flu formulas. People are innocently overdosing with it. Narcotics such as codeine, oxycodone, and OxyContin are addicting. Sedatives, antidepressants and tranquilizers are also used for pain management. Their use escalates during the addiction process. There is a significant illegal market in these drugs. They can often lead to heroin or fentanyl abuse and overdose deaths.
Because of an increase in prescription narcotic overdoses, drug deaths now outnumber traffic fatalities in the United States. From 1999 to 2017, almost 218,000 people died in the United States from overdoses related to prescription opioids. Drugs were a cause of death in 2009, of at least 37,485 people nationwide, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 8 years later, more than 72,000 Americans died from drug overdoses
Prescription pain and anxiety drugs are potent, highly addictive and especially dangerous when combined with one another or with other drugs or alcohol. Among the most commonly abused are OxyContin, Vicodin, Xanax and Soma. One relative newcomer is Fentanyl, a painkiller that comes in the form of patches and lollipops and is 100 times more powerful than morphine.
These drugs now cause more deaths than heroin and cocaine combined. Following the introduction of oxycodone into Toronto Canada’s drug formulary in 2000, there has been a 500% increase in deaths due to the drugs. Between 1991 and 2004, oxycodone prescriptions increased by more than 850 percent, representing about one-third of the opioid prescriptions given in 2006. Opiod use is often defined by morphine milligram equivalents (MME). In 1999 the MME person was 180 and 2015 it rose 3-fold to 640! 640 MME per person equals 5 mg of hydrocodone every 4 hours. In 2015 the amount of opiates prescribed was enough for every American to be medicated around the clock for 3 weeks.
Even at low doses, taking an opioid for more than 3 months increases the risk of addiction by 15 times. A dose of 50 MME or more per day doubles the risk of opioid overdose death, compared to 20 MME or less per day. And, at 90 MME or more, the risk increases to 10 times. (CDC) The vast majority of people who died from opioids had visited their doctor and received a prescription for oxycodone within a month of their death.
There is an even more insidious problem with all these medications and drugs. They end up in the urine of the users, which ends up in our groundwater, and then in our water supply. Therefore, we are all, including our children and pregnant women, involuntarily getting these pain medications in our bodies as well. Could this also be a contributing factor to the dramatic rise in ADD/ADHD and autism? Studies have found these substances showing up in our water supply in major urban areas. So, this is not just speculation but is now becoming proven through environmental studies in several of the bigger cities in the USA.
Injections are standard medical practice and create their own problems. Most of the injections are steroids. We have all heard about the fungal meningitis caused by epidural steroid injections. In fact, fifty-five people died in 2012’s nationwide fungal meningitis outbreak linked to injections of tainted steroids.
In addition, local injection of steroids creates its own tissue destruction. This leads ultimately to an increased risk of injury and further damage to the surrounding tissues. Injections are usually limited to one or 2 into the same location in a lifetime, because of these risks. At the most, injections give temporary relief in any event. Doctors are too cavalier in using these injections, because they don’t know about or don’t want to acknowledge that there are safer alternatives outside conventional medical approaches.
Procedures and surgeries are too often sought too quickly because people are desperate for a pain solution. They can often be dramatic and very beneficial, but the results are very unpredictable and too often lead to major complications that become permanent and potentially even more disabling. The problem with surgery, is one never can tell where the actual pain generator is in the tissue. So, it is common that the procedures do not result in any benefit, or if there is a benefit is short-lived before the pain returns.
Because of our dependence on insurance coverage for medications and the other medical therapies, people often do not try alternative or complementary approaches enough or at all, particularly for chronic pain.
What are some other approaches or alternatives to managing pain, that should be sought before more invasive or toxic approaches are used?
There are many. A short list includes: chiropractic, massage, acupuncture, physical therapy, dietary changes, herbs and supplements, mind-body approaches, healing techniques, such as Reiki, and energy medicine technologies.
I have been trained in acupuncture, nutrition, mind-body techniques and energy medicine. I have used all of these approaches with appropriate and reasonably expected success. When I did my training in acupuncture, in 1990, acupuncture was very early in its acceptance in the US and mostly shunned. So, at that time I started looking for alternatives to using acupuncture and came upon the use of magnets.
Magnets have been used in the Orient for decades, even centuries, to stimulate acupuncture points, as an alternative to using needles. As I started delving into the science behind magnetics and its effects on biology, I realized there was a large body of literature to support positive effects in the body. I also began to see that a lot of the science had to do with electromagnetic (PEMF) therapy and not physical magnets. Physical magnets are often called static magnets, because, once they are formed, they remain magnetic. In other words, the magnetic field is not turned on or off.
Because there was so much more science behind PEMF therapy, I eventually met up with a doctor from the Czech Republic who had translated a lot of the Eastern European science behind the use of medical magnetic fields. As a result, we collaborated and published the book, Magnetic therapy in Eastern Europe: a review of 30 years of research. Now, this is not a book for the average person. It is very technical. Nevertheless, the point here is that there was a decent amount of experience already using PEMFs to treat various medical conditions, most commonly pain.
After this, a large amount of my personal clinical effort towards managing pain clinical shifted to using PEMFs.
After 25 years of working with magnetic field therapies and constantly reading the latest research, I felt that another book was needed to better explain how PEMFs work, which conditions there is scientific proof for their effectiveness, which devices are available and how to apply them. The result is my publication of the book “Power Tools for Health: how pulsed magnetic fields (PEMFs) help you.“
So, what is the value of PEMFs over other technologies in managing pain?
The big advantages are that they do no harm, do a much better job at impacting the causes of the pain for a better longer-term solution and can be used at a person’s own convenience in the home setting.
The causes of chronic pain include swelling in the damaged or injured tissue, lack of circulation, inflammation, poor ability to regenerate damaged tissue, nerve damage, muscle spasm, and others. Certainly, cutting or burning oneself or having an infection destroy tissue, are all causes of pain. These types of minor injuries often resolve on their own given enough time. But, for those with chronic pain, these acute problems often converted into chronic problems because they just didn’t heal themselves properly.
A lot of chronic pain, such as arthritis, or from a bulging disk in the lower back, is not due to any obvious cause. Chronic pain is often associated with aging. I describe aging as “death by 1000 cuts”. So, aging and chronic pain are often caused by a lifetime of minor injuries, infections or other insults to the body. This is seen most commonly in professional athletes, who endure multiple minor or even major injuries over their professional and personal playing time. People who have physical jobs also have multiple minor and major physical stresses in their lives.
Magnetic fields (PEMFs) go right through the body as if the body was not even there. It can be visualized as the wind blowing in the trees. You can’t see the wind, but you can tell it’s there because the leaves are rustling. The wind does not stay in the tree, it just passes on through. So do pulsed magnetic fields. While the PEMFs are passing through the body, they stimulate the cells of the body and produce increased energy (charge) in the tissues. This increased energy can then be used by damaged or injured cells and tissues to better repair themselves. This is a self healing process, that is stimulated by the use of PEMFs.
This was a point made by Dr. Oz, that PEMFs can be a cure for pain. They do so because they treat the cause not just the pain itself. They are not a Band-Aid, although they can act that way sometimes too. I was invited to appear on the Dr. Oz show to review devices he wanted to demonstrate. Dr. Oz introduced me as a world expert in PEMFs.
Magnetic fields have actually been found to have a pain killing effect, equal to about 10 mg of morphine, so not only do they help resolve the underlying cause of the pain problem but they also can help to produce a natural analgesic effect.
The Internet is full of information on magnets and magnetic therapy. There are many PEMF devices sold on the Internet as well. The information is very confusing and people often make significant claims that their specific machines or devices are the best.
I have set up the website, DrPawluk.com to provide more scientifically and medically valid information about PEMFs. As a physician, it is my ethical obligation to provide people with choices. The more research I did and the more devices I looked at and reviewed and, in fact, used, both in my practice, for myself and my family, the more I realized there is no “one size that fits all,” that there is no one device that is a perfect solution for all problems.
As a result, on my website, I have presented reviews of a number of different devices I have used and recommended. As I said, I do not emphasize any one device as being better overall than any other. The choice of the device for anybody with chronic pain will depend completely on the nature of the pain they have. Certainly, some devices are better for certain kinds of problems than others. I will therefore use certain devices more for specific situations. Part of the question about which device to use depends on whether the problem is local or general, or whether there is more than one location of pain, which is often the case. Another option is whether the device is portable or requires you to be in one place for extended time to get your treatment.
Anybody who:
PEMF therapies can be used alongside most other therapeutic modalities. In fact, combinations of approaches are often even more effective. Who wouldn’t want at least a 30 to 70% reduction in their pain, if not even eliminate it, but, done safely?
I often tell people that when they buy a PEMF therapy system, they don’t own it – the house owns it! This includes the dog, the cat and the plants. PEMFs are just as effective, often even more effective, in animals than they are in people. Much of the research on PEMF therapies has been done in animals. Therefore, the results certainly have been proven for pets.
DrPawluk.com is a place where you can find credible, scientifically-based information and education about PEMF therapies. I also provide reviews of different PEMF products that give you various device options. In addition to the book, “Power Tools for Health,” I also give new information about PEMF research here.
A critical consideration for selecting and applying pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy is the strength of the magnetic field needed to affect the tissue (regulated by adenosine) being treated. Furthermore, for the most effective results, the individual seeking to do PEMF therapy needs to determine three factors:
PEMF Therapy is a developing medical field and there are no clear cut guidelines available for the myriad of conditions and circumstances for which people can and are likely to want to use PEMF therapy. Nevertheless, one thing is clear though, one “size” does not fit all.
Another critical consideration is the intensity of the magnetic field at a distance from the applicator. For this calculation, apply the inverse square law. This law dictates that the magnetic field, normally, rapidly reduces in intensity with distance from the source of the field, that is, by the inverse square root.
One of the most common uses of PEMFs is to simultaneously reduce chronic inflammation. Inflammation is at the root or a major part of a majority of health conditions in humans and animals. This blog provides an example of the magnetic field intensities required to adequately treat inflammation throughout the body. Consequentially, because of their actions on inflammation, PEMFs have been found to help with a number of other health conditions as well: infection, pain, sleep problems, arthritis, bone stimulation (fractures and bone surgery), cancer, ischemia, wound healing, and problems with the eyes, liver, lungs, heart, and nervous system, among many other tissues.
A very important part of control of inflammation is through a molecule in the body called adenosine acting through its receptor, the adenosine receptor (AR). Adenosine is a building block for RNA/DNA and a part of the energy molecule ATP (Chen). Adenosine regulates the function of every tissue and organ in the body and is considered a “guardian angel” in human disease (Borea).
All cells release ATP at low levels. Release is enhanced with PEMF stimulation, inflammation, pH change, hypoxia, tissue damage, or nerve injury in all the tissues of the body. The mitochondria need adenosine to make ATP in all the cells of the body. Through various metabolic processes, adenosine is released by the breakdown of ATP to create energy and then is re-used to create more ATP in a perpetual cellular cycle.
The concentrations of adenosine are naturally at physiologically low levels in body fluids between the cells of unstressed tissues. Nevertheless, These concentrations increase rapidly in response to cell injury-causing stress conditions such as low oxygen (hypoxia), lack of blood supply (ischemia), inflammation, or trauma. Adenosine has a short half-life in the blood (a few seconds) and in spinal cerebrospinal fluid (10 to 20 minutes) (Antonioli). Adenosine is released from within the cell after production of ATP by mitochondria inside the cell (intracellular space) and then passes through the cell wall into the spaces between cells (extracellular space). Moreover, once released into the extracellular space, adenosine functions as an alarm or danger signal; hence a “guardian angel.” It then activates specific adenosine receptors, causing numerous cellular responses that aim to restore tissue homeostasis.
Adenosine acts through four subtypes of adenosine receptors: A1, A2A, A2B and A3.
Additionally, these receptors are widely distributed throughout the body and have been found to be part of both physiological and pathological biological functions. They affect, at the least, cardiac rhythm and circulation, breakdown of fat, kidney blood flow, immune function, regulation of sleep, development of new blood vessels, inflammatory diseases/inflammation, blood flow, and neurodegenerative disorders. ARs are found in many types of immune cells, including neutrophils, macrophages, dendritic cells, and mast cells.
PEMFs appear to primarily influence A2A and A3 ARs. They do not appear to influence A1 or A2B ARs (Varani, 2002). PEMFs stimulate the activation of adenosine receptors, increase their functionality, and augment chemical agents that also stimulate these receptors.
Stimulation of A2A and A3 ARs by PEMFs in cells throughout the body results in reduction of inflammation by lowering many proinflammatory tissue cytokines, including reduction of:
But very low intensity PEMFs between 3 and 5 microTesla (μT) do not affect IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-8, or IL-10 production (de Kleijn).
Most research todate has been done on PEMF stimulation of A2A ARs. PEMF stimulation of A3 ARs specifically could benefit bone marrow and lymphatic disorders and gastrointestinal and various skin conditions.
Furthermore, PEMFs stimulate the production of adenosine by stimulating A2A receptors, being especially helpful in chronic inflammation (Palmer). A2A receptor stimulation and adenosine produce most of their immune benefits through the T cell immune system. A2A receptors’ inhibitory effects on immune and inflammatory processes are very complex. However, basically, the A2A receptor is, normally, naturally stimulated by acute inflammation-producing molecules to inhibit or control the inflammation. When adenosine production drops off or is low, inflammation persists and produces chronic inflammation.
In addition, in fact, PEMFs, by increasing ARs, enhance the functional efficiency of adenosine, resulting in a stronger physiological action than the use of drugs. Moreover, the anti-inflammatory effect of adenosine enhanced by PEMF is less likely to have the side effects, desensitization, and receptor resistance than drugs used to act on adenosine receptors. Prolonged stimulation of adenosine receptors with a drug can dampen the ability of the receptor to function. Prolonged use of drugs decreases the quantity of receptors, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the drug over time.
In this context, the role of adenosine receptors and adenosine in modifying inflammation is well accepted (Varani, 2017). A2A receptors are plentiful in the membranes of neutrophils. Meanwhile, Neutrophils play a major role in inflammation and tissue repair. Neutrophils are about 40% to 70% of white blood cells in most mammals. They form an essential part of the innate immune system. Consequentially, The innate immune system is one of the two main immunity strategies; the other is the acquired or adaptive immune system. Furthermore, like the innate system, the acquired system includes both circulating and cell-based immunity. Neutrophils are recruited to a site of injury within minutes following trauma and are the hallmark of acute inflammation. Therefore, Neutrophils are one of the first responders of inflammatory cells to migrate toward the site of inflammation.
Stimulating the A2A adenosine receptor on the neutrophil is essential for controlling inflammation. Because PEMFs stimulate the A2A receptor, determining the appropriate dose of the magnetic field is critical for optimal benefits. PEMFs applied in the lab at the surface of neutrophils have been found to significantly increase the binding of adenosine to the A2A receptor. This effect was time, intensity, and temperature dependent. PEMF dose-response studies have found that after 30 minutes of exposure, the receptors became saturated with a 1.5 mT magnetic field (Massari). The effect plateaued with intensities greater than 1.5 mT (Figure 1). This means that intensities above 1.5 mT produce no additional benefit, although they do not appear to have any negative actions either.
Figure 1. Saturation binding of A2A adenosine receptor as a function of magnetic field peak intensity (mT) in human neutrophil membranes. Bmax = receptor binding capacity. Adapted from Massari (2007).
The PEMFs used in this research had an intensity range from 0.1 to 4.5 mT; frequencies ranged from 10 Hz to 120 Hz. The most used peak intensity of the magnetic field was 1.5 mT (15 Gauss) at 75 Hz.
Armed with this information, 1.5 mT would be the optimized intensity of a magnetic field needed to help with reducing inflammation, at least as far as neutrophil involvement is concerned. When considering that individuals applying PEMFs for various problems associated with inflammation, the need is to be able to reduce inflammation at various depths in the body, depending on the target organ and tissue. Therefore, the intensity of the magnetic field of the applicator always needs to be considered in the decision making.
To achieve the 1.5 mT goal, PEMF intensity acting on neutrophils at various distances from the applicator—that is, at various depths into the body—the clinician must be aware of the inverse square law governing the loss of magnetic field intensity with distance from the applicator.
Table 1 was calculated for the 1.5 mT goal intensity at various depths in the body, using Newton’s inverse square rule.
|
Target Depth (in) |
0 |
0.4 |
0.8 |
1.2 |
1.6 |
2 |
2.4 |
2.8 |
3.2 |
3.6 |
4 |
|
Target Depth (cm) |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
|
Intensity needed (mT) |
1.5 |
6 |
14 |
24 |
38 |
54 |
74 |
96 |
122 |
150 |
182 |
|
Intensity needed (G) |
15 |
60 |
140 |
240 |
380 |
540 |
740 |
960 |
1220 |
1500 |
1820 |
|
Target Depth (in) |
4.4 |
4.8 |
5.2 |
5.6 |
6 |
6.4 |
6.8 |
7.2 |
7.6 |
8 |
8.4 |
|
Target Depth (cm) |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
21 |
|
Intensity needed (mT) |
216 |
254 |
294 |
338 |
384 |
434 |
486 |
542 |
600 |
662 |
726 |
|
Intensity needed (G) |
2160 |
2540 |
2940 |
3380 |
3840 |
4340 |
4860 |
5420 |
6000 |
6620 |
7260 |
|
Target Depth (in) |
8.8 |
9.2 |
9.6 |
10 |
10.4 |
10.8 |
11.2 |
11.6 |
12 |
12.4 |
12.8 |
|
Target Depth (cm) |
22 |
23 |
24 |
25 |
26 |
27 |
28 |
29 |
30 |
31 |
32 |
|
Intensity needed (mT) |
794 |
864 |
938 |
1014 |
1094 |
1176 |
1262 |
1350 |
1442 |
1536 |
1634 |
|
Intensity needed (G) |
7940 |
8640 |
9380 |
10140 |
10940 |
11760 |
12620 |
13500 |
14420 |
15360 |
16340 |
From the table, it can be seen, for example (in the blue areas), that to deliver 1.5 mT (15 Gauss) to the target tissue 2 cm (0.8 in) from the applicator, a 14 mT (140 Gauss) intensity magnetic field would be required. At 20 cm (8 in), 662 mT (6620 Gauss) would be required to deliver 1.5 mT (15 Gauss) at the target tissue.
To give an example, the kidneys may be a target for PEMF treatment. Inflammation in the kidneys is common, and the kidneys have been found to have adenosine receptors. We know that neutrophils are present within the kidney circulation when there is inflammation. The depth of the center of the kidneys into the body is typically from 5 to 7 cm (2 to 2.8 in) from the front of the abdomen (Xue).
The thickness of the kidneys is typically about 5 cm (2 in) from the center of the kidney to the back of the kidney (Moorthy). If a PEMF applicator is placed over the anterior abdomen and the expected depth to reach the back of the kidney is 9.5 cm—or rounding up, 10 cm (3.9 in)—with the goal intensity being 1.5 mT, the maximum PEMF intensity would need to be 182 mT (1820 Gauss). This means that a PEMF system would need to be selected that can deliver at least this much magnetic field intensity to adequately target the kidneys.
Similar calculations can be done for any organ or tissue in the body to determine the optimal PEMF intensity needed. All one needs to figure out is the depth of the tissue, not only at the surface of the organ but also across the diameter of the organ or tissue farthest from the PEMF signal. In treating the brain, for example, the skull may be 15.2 cm (6 in) front to back and 12.7 cm (5 in) side to side. That means to treat the brain from front to back would require a magnetic field intensity of around 384 mT/3840 Gauss, to deliver 1.5 mT/15 Gauss to the back of the brain. Side-to-side treatment would require about 294 mT/2940 Gauss.
Targeting the anti-inflammatory effects of adenosine receptor stimulation is only one possible consideration for selection of magnetic field intensity in judging magnetic field intensity needs. Because there are so many different physiologic effects and actions of PEMFs (see Power Tools for Health book), dosing calculations for each of these effects are not available for the PEMF user. In addition, it is unlikely that any specific physiologic action – for example, enhanced circulation, accelerated healing, pain reduction – can be uniquely and specifically selected in considering actual applications in the clinical environment. Experience suggests that multiple actions are at play any time a PEMF is used.
A recent study (Cañedo) showed that diabetic foot ulcers could be helped by treating parts of the body other than the foot ulcers directly (see here.) This indirect action can take longer (up to 60 days) to produce results than direct PEMF stimulation at the ulcer site. This means that stimulating neutrophils in one part of the body may activate the adenosine receptors circulating under the magnetic field sufficiently to benefit inflammation in other parts of the body. Direct stimulation of the ulcer would activate other mechanisms of healing action of PEMFs to result in faster healing, such as increased collagen production.
Nevertheless, even local treatment with a PEMF at sufficient intensities may help inflammation in the rest of the body indirectly. However, the adenosine stimulated by PEMFs has a very short half-life and would require frequent repeat treatments or treatments over extended periods.
Using PEMFs to reduce inflammation in the body, which is common to a vast majority of health conditions, is assisted by a “guardian angel,” adenosine and the adenosine receptor. This new research, that shows an impact of PEMFs on this receptor, gives important guidance in choosing the magnetic field intensity necessary, in any areas of the body with inflammation, to produce the best results. We no longer have to resort to guessing about which magnetic field intensity to choose to best help the body to heal.
Pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) have been used to treat almost every conceivable human health issue. This includes illness, pain, or malady, including many inflammatory diseases such as arthritis or psoriasis.
PEMF therapy has been associated with pain reduction, and accelerated healing. PEMFs exert these effects by regulating processes. These processes involve inflammation and autoimmune diseases, among other biologic actions.
Inflammation is a cascade of physiological processes instigated by the body. The goal is to repair cellular damage in tissues with good blood supply. Furthermore, it aids in restoring the tissue to its normal function.
Characteristic signs and symptoms that accompany inflammation include:
– redness generated by increased blood flow,
– heat generated by the metabolism of leukocytes and macrophages recruited to the damaged site,
– swelling due to edema, and
– pain caused by the production of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins.
Inflammation is the net result of a cascade of biologic processes. It is generated and supported by the interaction of a number of immune cell types. This includes lymphocytes, macrophages and neutrophils. Furthermore it helps with other cell types. These include fibroblasts, endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells playing a regulatory role in the cascade.
Basically, inflammation is your body trying to heal itself from an injury or other disruption.
While inflammation is a necessary and beneficial process, its intensity during the initial acute phase can be abnormally exaggerated, and often persists longer than necessary, developing into chronic inflammation.
Chronic inflammation is associated with dysfunction of one or more parts of the immune system and leads to the ongoing tissue damage found in diseases like tendinitis, arthritis or psoriasis. Chronic inflammation is also a cause of cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, among many other disease conditions.
The various cell types and metabolic pathways that generate inflammation provide numerous targets for therapies aimed at controlling inflammation in the acute phase and in preventing progression to chronic inflammation. Inflammation can be initiated by many causes, and knowing and understanding the nature of the cause is important in designing therapeutic approaches.
In bacterial infections, early infiltration of the affected tissues by polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs), a type of white blood cell, is followed by the arrival of T cells, an event that is required to kill bacteria. When this circumstance occurs, eliminating T cells can delay or stop healing. In trauma-induced injury, T cells are less important for healing tissue damage, and may be harmful if present for long periods. In this case early elimination of T cells in the acute phase of inflammation could minimize the unwanted effects of inflammation, accelerate healing, and reduce the risk of chronic inflammatory disease. With chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and chronic tendinitis, persistence of the disease state depends on the presence of T cells. Here, removing T cells would be a favorable approach of therapy for these and similar chronic conditions.
T cells are a major regulator of the inflammatory cascade. Research has shown that PEMFs can induce the appropriate death of T lymphocytes, by actions on T cell membranes and key enzymes in cells. For example, PEMFs have been found to affect ion flow through specific cell membrane channels, including those for sodium, potassium and calcium, that positively affect these enzymes. These appropriate effects help with reducing chronic inflammation.
Normal cells are not usually impacted by magnetic fields. Compromised cells, called meta-stable cells, are more likely to be impacted. This means that PEMFs have more impact in circumstances where there is imbalance in tissues or cells, i.e. where there is pathology or chronic inflammation. Where homeostasis in the body is robust, PEMFs, especially weaker PEMFs, are unlikely to have effects. For example, activation of the T cell receptor, such as happens with PEMFs, also activates various processes in the cell that within five minutes after removing the activating signal, these activated processes return to normal levels.
Significant changes occur in other white blood cells called lymphocytes, from both low intensity, low-frequency PEMFs and even DC/permanent magnetic fields. PEMFs interact with cellular systems in often unexpected ways. This means that increasing frequency and or intensity does not always produce a one-to-one change in reaction intensity.
PEMFs inhibit growth and the natural death of unwanted lymphocytes that decreases inflammation. The PEMF inhibition of lymphocytes and then inflammatory processes appears to be most obvious 48 and 72 hours after PEMF treatment and then the PEMF effect seems to disappear. This indicates that the effects of PEMFs can work well with other natural treatments.
PEMF use for inflammation needs to be optimized so that exposure will lead to long-lasting, therapeutically relevant outcomes. Pulse-burst-modulated higher frequency fields seem to be much more effective than other frequency signals, and therefore produce improved therapeutic outcomes. While particular types of signals may be most effective, a positive response is often seen to various kinds of magnetic stimuli. There appear to be similar effects on lymphocytes using pulsed bone healing fields, versus sinusoidal power line frequency fields.
Pulsed PEMFs with intensities from 5-25 MilliTesla had no effects on normal T cells. This means there is no apparent damage to normal lymphocytes. Inflammatory T cells produce interleukin-2 (IL-2), which stimulates growth of T cells. When IL-2 levels are high enough, it increases desired early elimination of these chronic inflammatory cells. Cells exposed to pulsed PEMFs can make up to a threefold increase in IL-2.
There appear to be PEMF intensity windows, but these have not been well defined. Frequency windows have been found to vary across different types of tissue cells in the body. The frequency ranges appear to be quite narrow for bone cells. For lymphocytes the frequency windows seem to be broader. Even 5-100 hertz, 0.15 mT signals modulate calcium flux in lymphocytes, 50 Hz PEMFs having the greatest effect. Frequency fields, combined with parallel static magnetic fields have also been found to have action.
It is important to know that PEMFs affect all lymphocytes, including B cells and T cells and other human lymphoid cell lines.
PEMF therapy specifically targets cells that are meta-stable as a consequence of disease or other ongoing therapies. Thus, PEMFs can be an important cellular therapy in many diseases, including cancer, psoriasis, wound healing, and bacterial infections because of their effects on reducing chronic inflammation. It is important that normal homeostatically stable cells are not harmed by PEMFs, allowing other treatments to be more effective without proportional increases in side effects.
In chronic inflammatory diseases, cells are characteristically maintained in meta-stable states, as a consequence of cytokine secretions and other stressors associated with the disease. In these cases, PEMFs can work as a stand-alone anti-inflammatory therapy. Even weak, low-frequency PEMFs induce apoptosis in activated T cells, thereby reducing chronic inflammation without negatively affecting acute inflammation.
Overall, PEMF is an ideal therapy for both acute and chronic inflammation and pain conditions due to the way that it interacts with our biology on a cellular level. By correcting physiological imbalances pain is reduced in the short term while long term healing and recovery is optimized.
Pain is both normal and necessary in acute situations. The pain you feel is a message from your body to your brain. It signals your brain to send help. It’s only after this that reduction occurs.
Acute inflammation is a physiological response to cell damage. It initiates from the exact location of the problem. In addition to being felt through pain sensations, this inflammation is often visible through redness, swelling and heat.
Acute inflammation makes your blood vessels dilate. It increases blood flow, sending white blood cells to the injury site to aid in healing. Certain chemicals are released to call immune cells, hormones and nutrients to action. All of this promotes the healing process, and as the body heals, inflammation is reduced.
Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, means that there is a steady, low-level of inflammation in the body. This holds true even when there’s no obvious injury or infection. There’s still a lot unknown about chronic inflammation and what causes it. However, research has shown that it can lead to a wide range of health issues, including chronic pain. When the immune system is activated with nothing to heal, those white blood cells can begin attacking healthy organs, tissues and cells.
Chronic pain is a major health issue that can take a toll on daily life. One in four adults experiences some form of pain at any given moment. Furthermore, 17% of people in the US aged fifteen or older deal with chronic pain that disrupts their daily life. Chronic pain can be responsible for missed work, inability to perform routine daily tasks or participate in recreational activities, and it can be a source of serious emotional distress.
The default treatments for management of chronic pain are often medications, surgical procedures, or physical therapy. Unfortunately, these treatments are often ineffective, and sometimes dangerous.
Medications are simply covering the pain, not addressing the actual problem. And there are some serious side effects that can occur, including permanent damage to your kidneys or liver, stomach bleeding, and addiction.
The risks of complications with surgery are great, and I’ve seen far too many patients come to me after surgical procedures have failed. Physical therapy can be expensive and time-consuming; while it can be a good short-term solution for an acute problem, it’s not practical for treating chronic conditions.
Other alternative treatments, like chiropractic care and acupuncture, can provide some relief, but the problem is still there. When the treatment wears off, the pain returns, sending you back for treatment again and again.
Damaged nerve networks stuck in a constant state of inflammation send pain messages to your brain, which sends help that can actually perpetuate the pain. PEMF therapy calms those nerves, finally allowing them to recover.
The majority of pain sources treated with PEMF therapy are musculoskeletal disorders such as arthritis, sprains or strains, factures, osteoporosis, neuralgias, neuropathies, and many more. While inflammation is crucial to the healing process, when the body overcompensates tissue swelling (edema) can cause pain and delayed healing.
With soft tissue and musculoskeletal issues, as well as post-traumatic wounds (such as after surgery), edema reduction has to occur to speed healing and achieve pain reduction. PEMFs change the local tissue where the pain begins, thus resulting in a reduction of pain. Studies have shown these tissue changes in numerous conditions, including acute ankle sprains, whiplash injuries, and chronic wound repair (Jerabek).
Pain is communicated through nerve signals from the point of origin to the brain. Often, with more severe or chronic pain, this pain “centralizes” in the brain, so PEMF treatment to the brain is the best option. Pain can also be transferred to other parts of the body, so determining the actual source can be tricky. It’s important to work with a knowledgeable practitioner to establish the cause and the source of the pain to set-up the most effective treatment protocol.
PEMFs heal tissues deep within the body when the correct intensity is used at the source of the pain. In PEMF therapy, low frequency pulses of electromagnetic stimulation is used to relieve pain and heal damaged tissues. These pulses activate energy at the cellular level to stimulate natural repair processes.
Adenosine is a molecule that has been called a “guardian angel” in human disease (Borea). Working through the adenosine receptor (AR), adenosine plays a key role in controlling inflammation.
PEMFs stimulate A2A receptors which increases production of adenoisine. A2A receptors have a complex relationship with immune and inflammatory processes. Under normal conditions, acute inflammation-producing molecules naturally stimulate the A2A receptor to prevent or decrease inflammation. Low adenosine production means these receptors don’t work as they should, and chronic inflammation can result.
PEMFs increase the ARs, allowing for more efficient functioning of adenosine, which produces a larger anti-inflammatory action than medications, without side effects, desensitization, or receptor resistance.
Neutrophils, which make up 40 to 70 percent of white blood cells in most mammals, have an abundance of A2A receptors in their membranes. These neutrophils are called to the site of inflammation very quickly after trauma. In a lab study, PEMFs of the right intensity applied at the surface of neutrophils have significantly increased the binding of adenosine to the A2A receptor. (Massari) This research clearly showed that having the proper intensity can be critical to effectively reducing inflammation anywhere in the body.
By reducing inflammation, PEMFs are an effective alternative treatment for both acute and chronic pain.
In acute situations, treatment with PEMFs can speed tissue healing and reduce pain quickly, without the potential side effects of the medications often used to treat acute pain.
With chronic conditions, PEMF therapy is even more valuable. Animal studies show that PEMFs reduce the pain receptors in the brain. Some studies found that the relief was equivalent to 10 mg of morphine (Thomas). This relief, in addition to the natural healing responses that PEMF therapy creates in the body, makes PEMF therapy an ideal option for the management of chronic pain and its causes.
One of the great things about PEMF therapy is that it can be done in the comfort of your own home. The initial investment is often less than ongoing treatment would cost, and when you own a PEMF machine, multiple family members can make use of the therapy as needed.
For more information on PEMF therapy for pain reduction, or to discuss which PEMF machine might be right for you, call our office to speak to a member of my team.
There’s no need to live with chronic pain – we can help!
Jerabek, J and Pawluk, W. Magnetic therapy in Eastern Europe: a review of 30 years of research. Publ. Advanced Magnetic Research of the Delaware Valley, Chicago, 1996.
Massari L, Benazzo F, De Mattei M, et al. CRES Study Group. Effects of electrical physical stimuli on articular cartilage. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2007 Oct;89 Suppl 3:152-61.
Thomas AW, Prato FS. Magnetic field based pain therapeutics and diagnostics. Bioelectromagnetics Society, 24th Annual Meeting, Quebec City, PQ, Canada, June, 2002
Pain management is one of the most common applications for PEMFs. Current conventional medical approaches to pain management often leave much to be desired. They involve heavy medications, procedures, surgeries, and physical therapy. Rarely will conventional doctors refer patients to alternative modalities. These include acupuncture, massage, or chiropractic therapy, let alone PEMFs. But PEMF therapy for pain should be considered.
Specialists tend to have tunnel vision. You go to a specialist for a problem and that specialist has a single approach to dealing with your problem. I like to refer to these as “parlors”. There are parlors of neurosurgery, orthopedics, pain management, natural medicine, massage, etc. Every doctor has a parlor, a specialty. If you end up in the wrong parlor, your problem may be addressed in the wrong way. It’s not to say that the specialists are not well. However, that they cannot see beyond their own parlor. Only a well-informed consumer can see past the parlors and find out what other options may exist.
Most people find PEMFs at the end of a long search for an answer to their pain. Almost everyone we speak with has tried traditional medical management of their pain before they consider alternative options. It’s only once these traditional options have failed that people do their own research on alternative treatments.
Most doctors don’t tell their patient that the problem will linger and require lifetime management. So this becomes a huge disservice to the patient. They are given false hope that this approach to treatment is going to truly resolve their problem. Yes, people will temporarily feel better and get on with their lives. But then there’s 3 months, 6 months, or a year after the treatment. The problem returns, sometimes with more severity, because the underlying cause was not dealt with.
People who have failed to find relief from other modalities will often find relief using PEMFs. Animal studies show that PEMFs reduce the pain receptors in the brain. In some research, PEMFs were found to be equivalent to 10mg of morphine. All of this aside from the natural healing responses PEMFs trigger in the body.
Our ability to relieve pain is variable and unpredictable. It depends on the source of the pain and whether the pain is acute or chronic. Pain mechanisms are complex and have local tissue and central nervous system aspects. Because of all these variables, pain management should be tailored to each person individually. The most effective pain management strategies require multiple concurrent approaches, especially for chronic pain. Rarely will a single approach solve the problem.
Having practiced medicine for more than 40 years, I’ve become very familiar with the different patterns of pain. Chronic pain (especially from arthritis, lumbar stenosis, injury, failed surgeries, etc.) is not expected to be fully cured because the underlying chronic problem doesn’t go away. Because of my years of experience, I resolve to find better, more helpful healing solutions that will work to resolve the underlying causes while at the same time providing safe, effective pain relief.
I frequently recommend magnetic therapies for people in chronic pain (usually before anything else) so that they can avoid complications and side effects, and because PEMFs usually provide a reliable degree of pain relief, through convenient treatments done at home. PEMFs have been proven in numerous studies to affect various aspects of the pain process. In my experience, almost everyone benefits from PEMF therapy and very frequently they can avoid procedures and decrease or avoid the use of medications. I usually recommend relatively high intensity systems to combat pain, as research indicates intensity is the most important component to consider when working with PEMFs for pain management.
Chronic pain is often perpetuated by abnormal, small nerve networks stuck in a rut of constant inflammation. PEMF stimulation (especially with high intensities) quiets down nerves and facilitates recovery from injury and inflammation. Even patients suffering from stubborn or systemic sources of pain have found pain relief using magnetic therapies.
Musculoskeletal disorders make up the vast majority of pain sources commonly treated with PEMFs. These include arthritis, tendinitis, sprains and strains, fractures, post-op pain, osteoporosis, wounds, neuralgias, neuropathies, hip disorders, muscle spasms, spinal cord injury, trauma, burns, neuromas, heel spurs, phantom pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, headaches, tennis elbow, reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD – now known as complex regional pain syndrome) and so on.
The tissue inflammation that accompanies the majority of traumatic and chronic injuries is essential to the healing process. But sometimes the body over-responds, and the resulting tissue swelling (edema) causes pain and delays healing. For soft tissue and musculoskeletal injuries and for postsurgical, post-traumatic chronic wounds, edema reduction must take place in order to accelerate healing and reduce associated pain.
PEMFs work to reduce pain by changing the local tissue environment from which the pain starts. Double-blind clinical studies have shown this with chronic wound repair, acute ankle sprains, and whiplash injuries. Similar studies have been done for neck pain.
A number of studies have also been done on the use of PEMFs for back pain. Just over 15% of the entire US population complains of chronic lower back pain. In the back pain studies, findings suggest that it is best to apply PEMFs on a consistent basis over an extended period of time to achieve the best results – and 95% of individuals found relief. Benefit was found for patients suffering from herniated discs, spondylosis, radiculopathy (spinal nerve compression), sciatica, spinal stenosis, and arthritis. People who have tried other modalities and failed to find relief will often find relief from PEMFs. Higher intensity PEMFs are often necessary in the more severe or chronic back pain situations.
In diabetic neuropathy, PEMFs used every day for at least 12 minutes improve pain, paresthesias and vibration sensation, and increased muscular strength in 85% of patients compared to controls.
Post-herpetic neuralgia, which is often medically resistant to treatment and can be extraordinarily debilitating, has been found in research to benefit from PEMF therapy. Some patients respond in as little as 30 days, while others took upwards of 90 days or more to find relief. Often, this situation requires a fairly high intensity PEMF to provide the benefit. Used properly, PEMF therapy was effective in 80% of these individuals. In no cases was the pain made worse. Both local and whole body treatments could be used, although the individuals with local therapy appeared to benefit better, probably because local treatments tend to be of higher intensities.
Patients who suffered from headaches, and failed to respond to acupuncture and other therapies, who applied PEMFs for at least 20 minutes per day had at least a 50% reduction in the frequency or intensity of the headaches and a reduction in dependency on medication. In a somewhat surprising study, it appears that even PEMF therapy away from the head may be able to help migraines. PEMF therapy to the inner thigh, femoral artery area, can decrease headache activity. Short courses of therapy produced only about a 73% result in pain reduction versus a longer course of therapy, providing relief of about 90%.
It’s easy to apply PEMFs to various parts of the body. Sometimes, the source of the pain can be treated directly (as with wounds, tissue damage, or fractures). Nerve signals conducting pain move from the source of the pain upstream to the brain (from a foot up through the nervous system all the way to the brain, for instance). Treatment can be applied anywhere along this path. Pain may be conducted downstream as well (a hip problem can cause knee pain, for instance.) For this reason, it’s ideal to treat the source of the pain, not necessarily where the pain is felt.
Sometimes the most effective pain management is to not only treat the source of the pain, but also apply treatments at the brain or along the spine. This combination allows for management of both the cause of the pain and at the same time controlling the pain signal traffic to the brain where the pain is ultimately recognized. It’s for this reason that we frequently suggest PEMFs systems that will allow for whole-body and local treatments simultaneously.
Chronic and higher levels of pain do alter EEG signals. An improvement in pain will reverse these EEG changes. Even if the goal of the treatment is simply to reduce the pain level without an expectation for reducing or eliminating the cause, research shows that applying PEMFs to the brain can cause a significant decrease in pain related changes in an EEG.
Some patients get complete pain relief after only a few treatments. Sometimes it can take up to 3 hours after treatment to achieve maximum pain relief. In rare cases, short courses of treatment can produce complete or partial pain relief for upwards of 4 months after treatment. Most people experience pain relief lasting for between 8 and 72 hours. This suggests that PEMFs stimulate increased energy in the tissues, which allows the body to fulfill its healing process. Treatments should be continued until the pain is under control, and ideally should continue beyond pain relief to ensure the injury has fully healed.
Unfortunately, the longer a person waits to start treatment with PEMFs, the more challenging it is to remove the cause, which is the primary objective of using PEMF therapies. When we use PEMF therapies we are attempting to heal the tissues that are the source of the pain signal. How long it takes to achieve this depends on the tissue and the level of damage. This is the most important aspect of use of PEMFs, that is, healing the tissue, not just “numbing and dumbing” the perception of pain.
It is also important to understand expectations in pain management. Even in the best hands, pain reduction follows a spectrum from complete elimination very rapidly to gradual reduction over extended periods of time, as the body heals itself. In many patients even a 25-30% reduction in pain is gratifying. It is not infrequent that we can actually achieve even higher levels of pain reduction.
HEAD OVER TO OUR PRODUCTS PAGE TO SEE A WIDE VARIETY OF PEMF SYSTEMS, AND SCHEDULE A CONSULTATION IF YOU NEED HELP PICKING THE RIGHT UNIT FOR YOU.
Pain is not only a nuisance—it is also a lifesaver. People born without the ability to feel pain die younger. Pain is a teacher that helps you to avoid future harm. This is especially true for sudden severe pain.
Chronic, or constant, pain can shorten your life as well, but for other reasons. One of the most important reasons is the risk of addiction to opioid painkillers.
In modern society, pain is chronic to a great extent. Pain is the primary reason people visit doctors. Chronic pain affects at least 116 million American adults. That’s more than the total affected by heart disease, cancer, and diabetes combined. Despite considerable research, there is no consistently reliable and effective treatment for chronic pain. And the rate of chronic pain continues to rise, as shown by the opioid crisis.
Chronic pain increases anxiety and dramatically reduces quality of life. Chronic pain causes disability, loss of work, and other problems in the way people act, think, and feel (emotions). If untreated, chronic pain can lead to depression, sleeping disorders, immune suppression, eating disorders, and other long-term negative health problems.
People with chronic pain continue to suffer even when the intensity of the pain is reduced by the usual treatments. They are sometimes more distressed about the emotional issues stemming from their pain than about the physical pain itself. The emotional suffering continues even when the signs of injury, considered the source of the pain, have long disappeared.
The brain responds strongly to pain, and the resulting mental states dramatically influence the perception of pain. A mother’s kiss is more effective in stopping the pain of an injury than the use of a pain reliever. Athletes injured in the heat of competition often feel the pain only once the competition is over. Soldiers often keep on fighting in the heat of battle without noticing how injured they are. Phantom pain is when a person feels pain in a missing limb or organ. This is another example that doesn’t make sense since the source of the pain is no longer present.
These examples show that pain cannot simply be explained by the flow of nerve signals. Typically, this is from the site of an injury or to an exaggerated or irregular response in the spinal cord. This transmits the pain from other parts of the body to the brain. The majority of research on pain and pain management focuses on these non-brain factors.
But now, thanks to brain research, we can peer into the brain with various types of imaging tools. This includes enhanced MRI and positron emission tomography (PET) scanning. Pain perception has been found to be the result of numerous interactions. These are between various parts of the brain exchanging and processing incoming pain signals. Even with relatively minor acute pain, about 10% of the brain cortex (the largest part of the brain) is activated, amounting to about 8 billion to 10 billion neurons. The number of actual pain-specific neurons identified in primate brains over the last 50 years is fewer than 100! To give you a sense of proportion, memory is associated with activation of about 8% of the brain, reward pathways 2%, emotion 6%, and pain 6%. So, pain signals from the body enter the brain and act like dominoes spreading throughout the brain and activating various brain functions.
The parts of the brain affected by acute pain include mostly the limbic system, the seat of emotions. These acutely produced reactions gradually go away (extinguish) in time. However, when the pain is more intense and persistent, it does not extinguish from the limbic system. Rather, it shifts and expands from the feeling of pain to more of an emotional suffering state.
Over time, this shift causes actual physical and functional brain changes. These changes can cause even minor pain signals from the body to be perceived as worse than they actually are. This is done by increasing the sensitivity of the spinal cord and the brain itself to any continuing pain input. In addition, even other non-pain sensations from the body can stimulate the brain circuits of previous pain memories. This means that the focus of clinicians on what the type of pain is—whether from inflammation or neuropathy, for example—for designing treatment is not likely useful.
Brain imaging studies done on chronic pain patients show no increase in pain-specific patterns. There does not appear to be a brain neuron cluster specifically dedicated to pain perception. Instead, the studies show enhanced activity in the parts of the brain related to emotion, the cortical-limbic system. This research shows that chronic pain cannot be thought of as a single thing but a combination of unique brain states. These brain states reflect the specific properties of each type of clinical pain.
Any given pain—for example, the burning pain of neuropathy or the sharp pain of a nerve being compressed—can involve different parts of the brain, especially the limbic system, and lead to an emotional preoccupation, depression, and memory and personality changes. These patterns are the “chronic pain brain” leading to chronic pain syndrome. These patterns are modified even more by the effects of addiction from the drugs themselves and the way the brain responds to the drugs.
So, while the most common definition of chronic pain is “pain that persists past the healing process,” this new research can re-define “pain as pain that does not extinguish its memory and emotional tracks.” This means that targeting the cortical-limbic brain circuit in treatment is critical to the control of chronic pain, and because the cortical-limbic brain circuit shares much of the same involvement seen in drug addiction, it could help with that too.
Research shows that chronic pain negatively affects the workings of parts of the brain, which suggests that pain is a progressive disease. It is critical to halt this progression as soon as possible. The rational approach for the prevention and treatment of chronic pain should target the mechanisms causing pain to be chronic.
There is evidence that certain drugs are highly effective in treating acute pain—such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and opiates— but they are unpredictable or have no benefit in treating most chronic pain. Why is this the case? It may not be due to the pain itself and the body’s reactions to the pain.
The current approach to treating chronic pain is almost always based on the symptoms. A new approach to chronic pain management is needed not only because of the opioid crisis but also to reduce human suffering.
This new research evidence tells us that one of the main targets of chronic pain treatment should be the centers of the brain that are affected by the chronic pain, primarily the prefrontal cortex and the limbic system, including the hippocampus.
Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) therapy can be used to target the pain response centers in the brain. There is extensive research on using PEMF therapy to treat the brain and regulate brain function. This brain research has shown that PEMFs are safe and effective to use across the brain. This includes use of devices across the range of intensity, from very high to low. High-intensity PEMFs are often used in the clinical setting, although many people own their own high-intensity systems. Medium to lower intensity PEMF systems are also available and can be used across the brain. PEMFs can help to tone down inflamed and overactive brain functions (hyperexcitability), both by direct tissue actions (repair) and by adjusting brain frequency functions (entrainment).
In other blogs on our website, Sleep and PEMFs and Concussion and TBI, among others, we talk about the use of PEMFs for brain entrainment and repair. Entrainment and brain stimulation are also discussed in the book Power Tools for Health.
PEMFs, including high-intensity systems, have been found to be extraordinarily safe to treat the brain. My favorite PEMF systems for treatment of the brain—whether for multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s disease, seizures, Alzheimer’s, and sleep disorders, among others—are lower intensity, portable and operated by battery, with the option to select multiple brain-wave-tunable frequencies and allow extended use. In addition, portable PEMF systems that allow selection of a range of frequencies can be used for more extended treatment times at home. Extended treatment times may be especially important at the beginning of a course of treatment as the PEMFs begin to “re-educate” the brain through entrainment to reduce the high levels of activation of the pain circuitry.
If the causes of the chronic pain signals away from the brain have not healed—for example, injuries, neuropathy, low back pain, arthritis—PEMFs can also be used to treat these. They can also be used to help interrupt pain signals coming through the spinal cord from the outside or surface of the body or from the spinal cord itself by applying the devices at the base of the spine (for problems below that level, such as the hips or legs) or at the neck (for problems below that level) in addition to treating the brain. Even if the source of the pain is healed, improving the chronic effects to the brain of the pain reactions often lag significantly behind, requiring the brain to be treated anyway. This is especially true if there is opioid addiction.
Based on the current research, coils from the PEMF device are placed across the skull at the upper part of the forehead at the hairline and, at the same time, at the base of the skull on the upper part of the neck for at least 1 hour. Following this, coils should be placed about an inch above and slightly behind the midline of the ears, on both sides of the head, for at least 1 hour. These placements target the goal brain locations, the frontal brain cortex and the limbic system.
A portable battery-operated system can be used for at least 2 hours at a time, with 1 hour for each combination of locations. Since sleep disturbance is a very common problem in chronic pain. This portable battery-operated PEMF system can be used under the pillow all night long to help with sleep.
My recommended frequencies are 10 Hz or 7.8 Hz during the day and 3 Hz through the night.
Source: Chronic pain: The role of learning and brain plasticity. Restor Neurol Neurosci. 2014; 32(1): 129–139. AR Mansour, MA Farmer, MN Baliki, and A Vania Apkarian. Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois.