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Electroceuticals
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Over the past few decades, a new breed of therapy has emerged on the alternative medicine front: electroceuticals... non-invasive devices which transmit therapeutic forms of electromagnetic radiation throughout bodily tissue. Heat, electricity, sound waves and magnetism transmitted through electroceutical devices can enhance the body’s natural capacity to heal by optimizing cell pulsation.
It’s All About “Energy."
We are electromagnetic beings by nature. Our hearts pulsate, or beat, by virtue of electrical impulses, and nerve impulses make possible our voluntary and involuntary movements. Naturally occurring electric fields regulate the movement of nutrients and waste products in and out of our cells, as well as cell division and healing. Our cells pulsate to particular frequencies as they constantly transmit and receive energy in communication with the environment. Even our thoughts resonate to particular frequencies and affect our overall “energy,” or state of pulsation.
Optimal cell pulsation is key for health maintenance. Healthy cells are well nourished, oxygenated, and otherwise in a state of environmental balance or equilibrium. They pulsate effortlessly and at higher frequencies than do unhealthy cells. Healthy cells produce enough energy to satisfy their metabolic demands.
Metabolic, Environmental, and Emotional Stress Can Disrupt Our Electrical Circuitry
Healthy pulsation is expansive. At the cellular level, at least, we move toward forces that are healthy for us and away from threatening ones. Disrupted pulsation occurs when cells contract in response to unhealthy metabolic, environmental, or emotional factors. When cells are threatened with unhealthy stimuli the perfect efficiency with which our cells function becomes compromised and our health suffers as a result.
Nutrient deficiencies are metabolic factors that can cause our cells to pulsate at lower frequencies. Cells lacking CoQ10 or carnitine, for example, expend more ATP than they can generate, and, over time, pulsation slows. Without magnesium, many enzymatic reactions cannot take place; magnesium deficiency can cause enzymatic stagnation and ATP deficit.
Environmental toxins hinder cellular pulsation by generating excess free radicals that destroy cellular structures. Likewise, electropollutants like high voltage power lines, fluorescent lights, or cell phone electromagnetic radiofrequencies (EMF) bombard cells with foreign electrical fields (thermal and non-thermal) that disrupt our natural cellular rhythms. Our cells instinctively shrink away from these stimuli; nutrient receptors can shut down and prevent healthy metabolism.
Even emotional stress can disrupt cellular pulsation. As the field of psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) emerges, we are beginning to understand the physiology of emotions and how they affect our endocrine and nervous systems. Until PNI science becomes more readily available, we do know that chronic stress causes disruption in cellular function, and can set the stage for disease. Constant sympathetic nervous system activity can result in shallow breathing and slowed digestion becoming “the norm.”
Restoring Natural Cellular Pulsation via "______- ceuticals"
As interventionists, we began using pharmaceuticals long ago to restore health, especially in the psychiatric arena. Although they are often toxic to mitochondria and can lead to nutritional deficiencies and other unpleasant side effects, prescription drugs can indirectly enhance cell pulsation. Taking anti-anxiety or anti-depressive drugs, for example, can create a domino-like effect where less psycho-emotional stress (and therefore stress-hormone release) results in better sleep and digestion. Of course, natural alternatives, like mind-body techniques, exercise, nutritional therapies, and relationship work, which can achieve similar results without negative side effects, are always preferred; we want to avoid the use of foreign, chemical agents as much as possible.
A few decades ago, when nutraceuticals moved into the neighborhood, we began neutralizing metabolic and environmental factors, or free radical stress, by providing cells with antioxidants and other nutrients necessary for metabolic efficiency. Nutraceutical therapies also promised freedom from the negative side effects associated with pharmaceutical drugs, marking a shift toward preventive medicine and the need for less drastic intervention.
Most recently, we have started targeting cellular dysfunction with electroceutical interventions, which are even more subtle and direct. Through heat, electricity (microcurrents), visible light and magnetism, we can send electrical impulses through the skin to activate cell surface receptors that have lost their electrical conductivity due to injury or the abovementioned factors. As electrons neutralize free radicals, rapidly sending them into inflamed tissues creates antioxidant, healing effects.
Like nutraceuticals, electroceuticals can assist the body in regenerating its ATP supply and ultimately facilitate healing by increasing the body’s energy. When used together, electroceuticals and nutraceuticals can produce profound therapeutic results. In more macrocosmic terms, electroceuticals can be used to treat a variety of musculoskeletal and nervous system conditions. The conductivity of collagen, the protein which makes up most of our connective tissue, may explain the relative success of microcurrent technology in healing musculoskeletal tissues.
Electroceutical Mechanisms and Instrumentation
Electroceutical instrumentation varies depending on the particular medium and frequency of energy transmission. Remember the electromagnetic spectrum from grade school? Electroceuticals are founded on the idea that everything we know of oscillates to a particular frequency within this spectrum, and that exposing injured or sick cells to therapeutic frequencies can help restore them to balanced vibrational states.
Electromagnetism
Electromagnetism encompasses both electric and magnetic fields, which are intrinsically related. The distinction between these fields is subtle: a magnetic field is created by the movement of electrically charged particles while an electric field surrounds each electric particle, regardless of movement. The magnetic field creates magnetism, which attracts polar opposites and repulses like particles. Magnetism is a directing force which would not exist without electric charge. The electric field may be static, i.e. existing by virtue of a particle’s electric potential, and may also flow as a current of electrons.
Electromagnetism is what causes interaction between electrically charged particles, and is responsible for the cohesion of subatomic particles: electrons, protons, and neutrons. Within an atom, negatively-charged electrons surround a positively-charged nucleus.
Various Electroceutical Mechanisms and Instrumentation
Grounding, or “Earthing” is one of the most primitive and accessible electroceuticals available to us. By standing barefoot on the earth (grass, sand, etc.) or an unpainted concrete surface, we can absorb the earth’s natural electromagnetic energy through the vast array of nerve endings in our feet. The negatively charged electrons we absorb neutralize positive free radicals in our bodies to reduce inflammation and promote healing. Alternately or adjunctively, we can utilize man-made grounding devices to achieve the same effect: conductive bed or floor pads that are either linked by a wire to a ground rod outside the building or plugged into a wall outlet with a modern Earth ground system.
Far-infrared sauna: This sauna takes the conventional sweat shack to another level. Typically heated to temperatures of 140 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit, saunas help us detoxify by sweating out toxins that have accumulated in our fat cells. Detoxification ultimately improves cellular function.
Unlike a conventional sauna which heats the air around our bodies, the far-infrared sauna directly penetrates the body with infrared heat: electromagnetic radiation with frequencies falling between micro- and ultraviolet waves. Sunlight, which spans the spectrum from lower frequency infrared to higher frequency ultraviolet light and necessarily includes visible light in between, similarly warms the body in this manner. Because it is so much more directly and efficiently absorbed, and may also improve circulation, infrared heat is considered superior to conventional heat for the treatment of pain.
In addition to detoxification, far-infrared heat also can be used to help reduce inflammation and temporarily reduce muscle and joint pain. Studies have also shown that infrared heat therapy increases nitric oxide within endothelial cells, or artery linings. Since nitric oxide helps dilate arteries so to promote better blood flow, far infrared therapy may also be useful, then, for treating hypertension, congestive heart failure, and erectile dysfunction.
If you can’t put an infrared sauna in your home or access one at a spa, you could try alternate far-infrared therapies such as portable infrared heat lamps, heating pads, and body wraps. The ultimate portable electroceutical, infrared clothing, has even penetrated the alternative medicine market!
The Evolution of Pulsing Electromagnetic Fields (PEMF)
The use of magnets to treat body pain and stiffness allegedly dates back to the ancient Egyptians. Early Chinese healers are also said to have used magnets to correct Qi (thought to be the life energy of the body) imbalances. Modern static magnet therapy has involved the application of magnets to the body through objects, such as jewelry, shoes and chair pads, which are said to help lessen pain and swelling, improve circulation, and increase tissue oxygenation.
According to various studies, people tend to report “feeling better” after using fixed magnet therapies. Such results, however, do not demonstrate the same level of healing potential as therapies utilizing pulsing electromagnetic fields (PEMF). This is probably due to the lack of an external conductor with which to generate an electrical current. Static magnets will not likely heal injured tissues without the dynamism necessary to sustain the flow of ions across cell membranes. Such ionic flow makes it possible for nutrients to get into cells and wastes to get out. While the body’s natural electricity (such as that which is generated through ionic movement, blood flow, and muscle twitching) could serve as a conductor, it may not be adequate or consistent enough to sustain a current; hence static magnet use would have to be long term to generate any health benefits.
PEMF therapies, on the other hand, involve using an external conductor to establish a magnetic field to drive cellular ionic flows. They have been shown to enhance tissue healing when the correct frequency and pulse rates are selected, and are useful for treating acute injuries as well as inflammatory conditions.
The first PEMF therapies involved placing electromagnets on either side of a fracture site to promote re-union of bone tissue. Researchers soon discovered that PEMF not only could stimulate healing in other tissues such as ligaments, nerves, capillaries, and skin, but that healing frequencies are particular to each tissue. PEMF therapies evolved into various technologies, including microcurrent therapy, through which electricity is transmitted directly into tissues; microcurrent technology is sometimes referred to as bioelectrical-stimulation, or “electro-stim.” Various PEMF devices have been given direct or indirect FDA approval to be marketed to secondarily treat a wide range of clinical conditions.
The effectiveness of PEMF therapies is particular to the individual. Through multi-center clinical trials, PEMF used to treat non union fractures proved effective in 85 percent of cases. Knowing this has led to the discovery that practitioners must determine optimal therapeutic frequencies on a case-by-case basis. To determine which frequencies are healing for a person, a PEMF practitioner can measure electrical events in the body through some form of cellular-electrical biofeedback test. Traditional biofeedback includes measurements of electrical skin resistance (Galvanic skin response), skin temperature, muscle tension (electromyography), brain activity (electroencephalography), heart activity (electrocardiogram or heart rate variability), and/or arterial pulse (vascular autonomic signal, or VAS).1
Recent PEMF technology allows practitioners to both diagnose and treat patients using the same instrument. Developed in 1994 by Rolf Binder, the Ondamed is perhaps the best known device of this kind, combining VAS biofeedback with microcurrent technology. CE certified as a Class II Medical Therapy Device in Europe, the Ondamed is registered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a Biofeedback Class II Medical Device, and has been approved for use in research and clinical testing.2 The Ondamed encourages cellular repair and regeneration and corrects energy imbalances through a set of pre-programmed frequencies.
Other electroceuticals registered with the FDA as class II medical devices are the Electro Acuscope and Myopulse machines. Using cellular electrical stimulation therapies based on missile guidance chip technology, these machines send specific frequencies of minute electrical impulses to the cells of injured tissues through non-invasive means. The electrical impulses help increase circulation and decrease inflammation, making these “electro-stim” instruments useful for treating arthritis, injuries, and other forms of acute or chronic pain. Specifically designed to heal neurologic tissues, the Acuscope helps reestablish the electrical conductivity of nerve cells. Like the Myopulse, which heals connective tissues such as bone, muscle, ligament, and tendon through facial micro current treatment, the Acuscope also may be used to treat connective tissues.
Former TV stuntman and founder of The Thorp Institute of Integrated Medicine, Inc., John Thorp helped heal his own occupational musculoskeletal injuries through Acuscope and Myopulse use; he eventually ran a triathlon on a leg doctors said would never bend again. Many professional athletes use Acuscope and Myopulse therapies to speed up their recovery periods when injured.
Sound Therapy
Another emerging electroceutical involves the use of full-spectrum sound to help heal cells and tissues within the body. BioAcoustic therapy is a sound healing modality founded upon the theory that, in order to maintain a state of health, all the body’s cells cooperatively resonate to a full range of frequencies. According to this theory, full body harmony is indicative of health, while cellular dis-harmony may eventually manifest as illness or injury.
Human Bioacoustic therapy is a twofold process involving vocal profiling, or analysis of sound waves produced during vocalization to determine areas of imbalance or stress within the body, and the subsequent creation of a personalized sound formula. Based on a person’s emotional and physical responses to low frequency analog sounds presented, a Human BioAcoustics practitioner will program a series of specific sounds into a therapeutic device for the person to use at home. Designed to address cellular dissonance detected in the vocal profile, BioAcoustic therapy utilizes frequency equivalents of nutrient compounds, biochemicals, muscles and structural components within the body.
Sharry Edwards, founder of the field of Human BioAcoustics and executive director of Sound Health Alternatives International, Inc., describes BioAcoustic therapy as a cross between biofeedback and music therapy, with regard to combinations of sounds. Sound Health is a non-profit research center that provides training and certification in BioAcoustics therapy for health care practitioners.
Light Therapy
As a form of electromagnetic energy we tend to take for granted unless we work the night shift or live in Alaska, light plays a subtle, yet significant, role in regulating our metabolism. Environmental changes can influence our circadian rhythms, our “internal biological clocks” which regulate our daily cycle of biological processes. Changes related to light exposure and traveling across time zones can affect our “natural rhythms” by altering enzymatic and hormonal activity. While short term effects, such as jet lag, leave us feeling “a bit out of whack,” longer term disruption of circadian rhythms can lead to sleep and depressive disorders, and has even been linked to the development of metabolic syndrome and cancer.
Light deficiency, for example, is often correlated with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a recurring depressive condition thought to affect some people who experience seasonal variations of light exposure; longer nights and shorter days can bring on, for some, the “winter blues.” Light therapy, where patients are exposed to daily doses of artificial high intensity light, has been shown in various studies to ease the symptoms of SAD.
As an alternative to conventional light boxes for SAD therapy, light emitting diode (LED) light therapy has recently emerged. With the capacity to emit the particular wavelengths of light that our circadian rhythms are most sensitive to, LED therapy offers wavelengths concentrated at the 450-480 nm range; conventional light therapy boxes emit incandescent or fluorescent light that is not in the “full-spectrum.” Thirty minutes of daily light therapy with an LED device proved effective in the treatment of SAD (Desan). In addition to the treatment of SAD, the primary clinical applications for light therapy include dementia, mood disorders, and insomnia.
Putting the “Physics” Back in “Physicians”
As we become more aware of how electromagnetic energy influences health, we’re beginning to see how “energy medicine” is not just for new age enthusiasts. At the forefront of alternative medicine, electroceuticals are emerging as valuable tools to prevent and reduce inflammation and boost the body’s capability to heal itself. Like nutraceuticals, electroceuticals influence the body at a microscopic level, changing the efficiency with which our cells interact. Viewed in this light, electroceuticals are not recommended as sole treatments for acute injuries or diseases. Rather, in serious medical situations, such as with cancer and heart attacks, they best serve as adjuncts to conventional medical treatments.
As compromised cell pulsation does not result in disease overnight, electroceutical therapies do not immediately “cure” diseases. Rather, they help cells get back to states of healthy pulsation where they have a much better fighting chance against disease and injury. Physicians that also explore medicine through “a physics lens,” i.e. beyond anatomy, physiology and pharmacology, can better understand the potential of, and intricate subtleties involved in, alternative medicine modalities such as electroceuticals. Integration of electroceutical and nutraceutical therapies into conventional medical practice can open up a whole new dimension of healing. Sometimes it simply requires looking outside the traditional medical education box and recognizing that, “just because we didn’t learn it in school, doesn’t mean it’s not a viable and effective alternative.”
For more information, read Dr. Sinatra’s new book, Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever?.
1. Vascular Autonomic Signal (VAS) describes the body’s pulse response to “questions” posed through stimuli like medically induced currents, sound frequencies, light waves, emotions, touch, substances, and electromagnetic frequencies. Mediated by sympathetic and parasympathetic neurons, VAS demonstrates a rapid change in tone of the smooth muscles of the arterial wall system in response to stimuli. There are 4 pulse responses: no change, weakening of pulse (negative VAS), increase in pulse (positive VAS) and sharp spiking of pulse. Consistently repeatable and measurable by modern equipment,VAS is useful for determining subtle levels of imbalance or stress within the body, as well as the best frequencies for treatment. In alerting people of subclinical issues, VAS provides the opportunity to reverse developing conditions at an early stage. (Oshman J.)
2. Certified as a class II biofeedback device, Ondamed falls within the FDA’s 510(k) exemption for pre-market notification of marketing. Ondamed has been approved for use in research and clinical testing (under the supervision of AAABEM an Institutional Review Board) as a non-invasive secondary therapeutic device in the treatment of pain, discomfort, or general malaise.
Additional Resources and References:
Sinatra ST. Heartbreak and Heart Disease. (Keats Publishing, Inc. 1996, 1999). Oschman J, Kessler WD. Energy medicine and anti-aging: from fundamentals to new breakthroughs. Explore, 2008; 17 (6). Full text available here. Oshman. J. Energy medicine and longevity: cellular-electrical biofeedback combined with frequency specific healing. Anti-Aging Medical News. Winter 2007 Official Show Handbook. Full text available here. Far Infrared Sauna - High Tech Health, Inc. Laycock, DC. Static magnetism versus pulsed magnetic therapy in medical and veterinary use Electro Acuscope and Myopulse - The Thorpe Institute of Integrated Medicine Human BioAcoustic Therapy - Sound Health Alternatives Inc Desan PH, Weinstein AJ, et al. A controlled trial of the Lightbook light emitting diode (LED) light therapy device for treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). BMC Psychiatry, 2007; 7:38. Published online 2007 August 7. doi: 10.1186/1471-244X-7-38. Full text available here. Shirani A, St. Louis E. Illuminating rationale and uses for light therapy. J Clin Sleep Med. 2009 April 15; 5(2): 155–163. Full text available here.
© 2010 Heart MD Institute, PA |
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The Father of Modern Grounding
Clint Ober, who once headed a nationally acclaimed cable installation company, rediscovered grounding’s healing power following an embarkation on a quest to overcome a near fatal disease. By connecting wires from a homemade conductive grid on his bed to the ground outside, Clint constructed the first artificial grounding device with which he began experimenting on himself and friends before implementing sleep studies. Soon after, a California doctor setting out to disprove Clint’s findings, conducted an independent study through which he learned that sleeping grounded helped normalize the stress hormone, cortisol.
Pulsation... Is the key element in health. When a cell is in a well-nourished, oxygenated, environmentally balanced state, an effortless pulsation occurs. When a cell becomes contracted due to metabolic, environmental, or emotional factors, pulsation is disrupted and healthy functioning is disturbed. The heart is the ultimate organ of pulsating muscle, engaging the energies and interactions of mind, body, and spirit. -Heartbreak and Heart Disease
