Electromagnetic Pulse Therapy
 

I'm posting here because I'd like to hear testimonials and NOT opinions as we all have those. Yesterday I attended a seminar put on by TVH re: Electromagnetic Pulse therapy. It's directed at folks who have pain issues, circulatory issues and more. They're now offering it and it sounded intriguing as I deal with several pain issues. While I have questions regarding this...I wouldn't think that main-line medical people would be doing this if they don't see it working for some of their patients, thus I don't believe this is a "fly by night" witches brew type of thing but yet I'd like to hear from others and if they've utilized this. I might also add---one doesn't need to be a patient in their system to sign up for this. BUT only 2 or 3 clinics offer this.

So this morning I googled the brand they use as well as some other brands. The prices vary widely as well as their ratings.

It hasn't been proven effective for anything at all. Consider this: the planet has a built-in PEMF (pulsed electromagnetic field). If this was effective, then simply laying on the ground with the painful spot against the ground, would fix it. The planet's PEMF is a lot stronger than anything you can plug into a wall socket.

It's not fly by night, it's been around since the 1800's and has been pushed on the alt-med circuit for decades. Some even claim they're FDA approved. They're not - though some are FDA cleared, which is a different thing.

I’m familiar with TENS which is a cousin to the PEMF. After a car hit me I had no broken bones but several aches and pains especially in the back and the machine worked so well that I bought one for home too.

We went to a talk Villages Health had about them a year ago or so. They have PEMF machines at some of their facilities. We asked our doctor about it and he said he didn't understand the technology and didn't have a feeling one way or the other but said he has a number of patients who have gotten relief from PEMF.

We ended up passing on it but if you are interested I think Villages Health has a program that lets you try a few free sessions... you don't have to be a member of Villages Health to use their PEMF machines.

Here's my personal testimonial.
In 1983, I was in a car accident. The driver of my moped went down the wrong way on a one-way street without stopping, into a major intersection. The driver, my best friend Jimi, was flipped over the car we hit and suffered from a broken neck, massive internal injuries, and died 3 days later. I was thrown off the bike onto the sidewalk, and crashed onto the left side of my body. I was in CICU for 4 days, and broke my left clavicle, 3 ribs, radius, ulna, and femur. I loosened my front teeth, and had minor lower spinal trauma that wasn't reparable. I had double-surgery to implant a steel rod in my leg and a pair of plates screwed on my forearm bones. I was released from the hospital after 2 weeks with an rx for intensive physical therapy for the next six months. I was told I'd be in a wheelchair, most likely, by the time I was 40 years old. At that time I was only 22.

The doctor suggested that for quicker healing of my arm, I could try this funky box I'd attach to the removable cast. It had a cord that led to a small metallic box that plugged into the wall. I would wear that whenever I was in my house/apartment, for a minimum of 8 hours per day.

They said without this box, I should expect at least 3 months for my bones to mesh, and a minimum of a year before the plates could come out.

I used the box religiously.

My bones were sufficiently meshed 12 weeks later, and 12 months after that I had the plates unscrewed from my arm and the steel rod pulled out of my femur.

Summary: it did absolutely nothing that time, care, and an amazing orthopedic surgeon couldn't do.

Fast forward to today: I'm 57. I'm not wheelchair-bound. I can still turn a cartwheel. I have osteoporosis in my hip and spine, and have had both knees surgically repaired (not replaced). I credit good genes, my surgeon, the physical therapy, and utter rejection of failure for the fact that I can walk unimpeded (most days). I credit the "blue box" with profiting from the health insurance that had to pay for it.

Wow! What a wonderful story of determination and recovery. Very happy to hear it.

Jazuela....I'm so sorry for your loss but at the same time thrilled you fared so well in your healing. Many haven't had that benefit. The item at the seminar isn't a TENS...they said it wasn't. I have one of those already.

To the post-er who said the Earth is already an electromagnetic pulse source...I have heard that. I'm not looking for opinions as stated, I was looking (perhaps) to someone who MIGHT have had experience going to have this treatment.

To another post-er, I know you don't have to be a patient with TVH...I said that in my original post here. STILL looking for folks who might have gone and tried this device. Again---NOT opinions as we all have those, don't we??!!

That was also me who said the planet is already an electromagnetic source. It's not an opinion. It's just science. And the box wasn't a TENS. I don't remember what they called it. It was a blue plastic case with some kind of electromagnetic somethingorother inside it, that attached to my removable arm cast. It was sort of built into the cast, I don't really know how to explain it. That blue box thingie had a cord that plugged into the "machine" itself. The machine was a little smaller than a Pignose portable amplifier, and IT plugged into the wall.

These devices have changed over the years to accommodate ease of use. But the basic science behind them is the same. It is to emulate the earth's own abilities to pulse electromagnetic energy, and no machine attached to your body can do it more efficiently than the earth itself. And if just being on this planet isn't going to heal you (which it won't), then no artificial device created to emulate that will either.

I have just begun using PEMF therapy at IPULSE located on rte 441 in Summerfield. They offer 2 free sessions. Then there are various plans if you want to continue. I would suggest taking the free sessions to see if you get any benefits.

I did use a Bemer devise in the past. But it was quite expensive and I returned it after the 30 day trial period. I decided to ty it again on a longer term to see the benefits.

PEMF is FDA approved and NASA has used it. There are no documented side effects and can have long term benefits.

It's worth a try.

I spent about an hour or so on the fda.gov website, and could not find any statement or document where the FDA has approved the PEMF device. If you type in "PEMF approval" in their search data field, you get a 2013 warning letter to Curatronic Ltd. telling them that they have violated the law by improperly marketing the device. They do say in the letter that the PEMF device is "cleared" (not approved) for:

1. Stroke rehabilitation by muscle re-education
2. Prevention or retardation of disuse atrophy
3. Increasing local blood circulation
4. Muscle re-education
5. Maintaining or increasing range of motion

The only places you'll see that it's "approved" for use by the FDA, is from alt-med sites that promote all kinds of crazy things like drinking bleach along with 500-calorie-per-day starvation diets to lose weight, and daily enemas and monthly high-colonics to improve "gut health." That, and the websites of companies that actually sell the devices themselves.

I would encourage people who are interested in reading updates on evolving medical treatments to use google scholar as their search option. Enter in this situation PEMF and double blind pain and check the date of publication box so only more recent material is presented

Google Scholar

Your challenge will be to separate the good data from those published in journals which accept any material including those produced by the manufacturers. But it is a start. Testimonials are not considered as useful in seriously evaluating benefit .. post hoc ergo propter hoc

Off topic, but thanks, Blueash, for letting us know about "Google Scholar"; I hadn't heard of it before.