Pulsed Electromagnetic Therapy
HOW IT WORKS
Pulsed electromagnetic therapy regulates brainwave patterns in order to align your body’s frequency at a cellular level for healing. Just as the Earth’s frequency is a constant 7.83 Hertz, we humans have very specific frequencies depending on whether we are relaxing, sleeping or fully alert (see BRAINWAVES below). A PEMF session recalibrates the body’s frequency according to what you are trying to achieve i.e. sleep, calm, alertness, etc.
PEMF has been compared to a whole-body battery recharger and works by improving adenosine triphosphate [ATP] production, increasing oxygenation, enhancing circulation, promoting hydration, facilitating detoxification and gaining a better overall absorption of nutrients.
Not surprisingly, the scientific evidence is that PEMF therapy is effective because it conveys ‘information’ that triggers specific repair activities within the body. The currents induced in tissues by PEMF mimic the natural electrical activities created within bones during movements thus making it a stimulator for bone growth/osteoporosis.
When cells are infected by disease or damaged through trauma or the natural aging process, their interaction with each other is reduced greatly. The voltage passing through them is reduced to levels even lower than 0.5hz. When this occurs, inflammatory mediators are activated which then worsen the process of cell injury and function.
PEMF therapy works by essentially “recharging” these cells. This in turn boosts their communication and as a result reverses the process of inflammation and cell death.
Mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell, and how strong they are impact your overall health. While you can boost your mitochondria through diet and lifestyle, you can also charge them directly through PEMF therapy as a form of boosting them. This therapy acts as a substitute to mitochondria in which, through strengthening the circulation in your body, it brings nutrients to cells and efficiently removes cellular waste. Improved cellular health impacts your overall health as it stops the progression of diseases.
The United States Food and Drug Administration has accepted PEMF as a ‘viable treatment for pain’, as well as urinary incontinence, and muscle stimulation since 1998, and brain cancer in 2011. PEMF received general approval from the FDA in 2007. The FDA changed PEMF machines from Class 3 to a Class 2 medical devices in 2015. As technology advances, research is continually being done by NASA and researchers on various illnesses and PEMF therapy.
PEMF BENEFITS
Improved Circulation
Resetting the Central Nervous System
Decreased Pain & Inflammation
Enhanced Learning & Concentration
Improved Tissue Oxygenation
Faster Recovery
Deeper, Higher Quality Sleep
Muscle relaxation and performance
Immune balancing
Reduction of swelling
Enhanced cellular repair and recovery
Joint cartilage repair
Hastening recovery from viruses
Healing liver inflammation
Assisting with chronic pain relief
In place of antidepressants
Healing headaches and migraines following traumatic brain injuries
One of the key beneficial effects of PEMF therapy is that it stimulates the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). ANS is the part of our brain and nervous system that is responsible for controlling many varied functions of the body and therefore our health. It controls our breathing, heart rate, sweating, digestion and all vital functions. If this system is impaired or not functioning properly, there will be major dysfunction in the body and can increase the risk of disease and speed the aging process. PEMFs activate and balance the ANS1, which then supports these vital functions resulting in faster recovery for the whole body, naturally. Using PEMFs augments the results of exercise, yoga, meditation and improves the body’s ability to use nutrients. Overall, the body’s health and wellness are maximized.
BRAINWAVES
THETA BAND FREQUENCY 7.8 Hz (8-4 Hz)
This is the frequency in which the brain is most consistently in deep relaxation and lighter stages of sleep, including REM. This stage is where the brain goes during meditation, relaxation, light sleep, calming activities and in general simply quieting down the brain.
This frequency is also called the Schumann Resonance and is the same frequency the earth holds. For this reason, spending time in nature, ‘forest bathing’, earthing or grounding practices, help initiate cell regeneration and healing. To bring the body into this frequency, just go outside and lay in the grass.
BETA BAND FREQUENCY 13-23 Hz
Beta band is the frequency of the brain in an alert state. In this state we are wide-awake, learning, thinking, judging, memorizing, reacting quickly, integrating our thoughts, and any other functions that require us to be ‘on’.
ALPHA BAND FREQUENCY 13-8 Hz
Alpha band is the resting state of the brain.
10 Hz stimulation has been studied by NASA on stem cells and discovered about a 400% increase in neural stem cells and a large increase in various tissue repair growth factors. From this, 10 Hz is a useful signal for tissue and cell regeneration in general and especially for brain and nerve tissues.
Other research found that 10 Hz stabilizes circadian rhythms.
DELTA BAND FREQUENCY 3.5-0.5 Hz
Delta band is the slowest but loudest brainwaves (low frequency and deeply penetrating, like a drum beat) and are generated in our deepest sleep.
Healing and regeneration are stimulated in this state, and that is why this deep restorative sleep is so essential to the healing process.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I HAVE A PEMF SESSION?
Your sessions ultimately depend on the health outcome that you desire and how well you “hold a charge.” How well hydrated the tissues are, and how much damage has been done to the cells, affect your cells’ ability to hold a battery charge. Hydration refers to whether you have enough water and electrolytes surrounding the cells. When the body is toxic, your body’s ability to absorb and distribute that fluid in the correct places is inhibited – even if drinking copious amounts of water.
PEMF & INFLAMMATION REDUCTION
Inflammation can be caused by several factors such as injury, tissue damage, and poor circulation. PEMF therapy has been successful when used to treat and reduce inflammation. By recharging the cells with an electromagnetic current, PEMF therapy treats the cellular source of swelling. Tissue cells are electrically charged, and when they are traumatized, their electric charge is diminished, resulting in normal cell operations shutting down. This causes the body to release chemical signals that cause inflammation and other symptoms and inhibit cell communication. Cell communication pathways between cells are necessary for healing to occur. PEMF therapy recharges the cells with a mild electromagnetic current, treating the source of swelling. Using this mild electromagnetic current, PEMF stops the release of inflammatory mediators, reducing fluids and promoting increased blood flow. As a result, increased oxygen intake occurs, and regular cell interaction is re-established, resulting in an improved healing time. Once inflammation is reduced, pain also decreases.
PEMF & PAIN REDUCTION
Pain can occur in any part of the body and be acute or chronic, lasting for days, months, or even years. Constant pain can interfere with your daily life activities and possibly lead to decreased sleep and increased anxiety and depression. Due to the Bio Magnetic field advancements, PEMF is a safe, quick and effective alternative to treat pain.
PEMF provides electrical charges within a body’s cells to influence cell metabolism and penetrate through muscles resulting in pain alleviation. PEMF stimulates the body parts to cure the pain.
PEMF therapy can also soothe the limbic system by being used on the brain to prevent your brain from sending out overinflating pain signals. A PEMF device reduces pain also by enhancing contraction and expansion of cells, improving circulation, regenerating damaged cells, improving muscle function, and maintaining the body’s natural magnetic field.
PEMF & FIBROMYALGIA
A person with Fibromyalgia experiences constant discomfort, poor circulation, and pain that is very tiring and affects their daily life. Luckily, symptoms of Fibromyalgia can be relieved by PEMF therapy in two ways: in the local area and systemically.
At the local area of pain, PEMF reduces irritation and improves the health of cells. Systemically, PEMF enhances the oxygen-carrying capacity of the bloodstream and increases blood flow, resulting in better health because more oxygen is going to all the cells in the body. PEMF improves the work of the lymphatic system by increasing the delivery and waste removal by blood vessels. When these blood vessels are stimulated and carrying oxygen efficiently to the tissues and cells, this reduces pain and swelling because the circulatory system is functioning properly. This process provides a better cell function and motor function.
PEMF therapy has also been found to treat mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, and insomnia which often accompany fibromyalgia.
PEMF & SLEEPING DISORDERS
Sleeping disorders have been attributed to a loss in the delta and theta waves during sleep. These waves are generated by neurons during the sleep process. They promote falling asleep, maintain the sleep through the different cycles and allow an individual to wake up without feeling too sleepy.
PEMF passes current through the cells. These currents boost the voltage of the cells and allows the cells to amplify to delta waves which are the best for maintaining REM sleep. The increased electrical activity of the cells works to maintain the natural circadian rhythm which ultimately allows for easy falling asleep, maintenance of sleep and arousal without hang-over.
Current and ongoing studies have shown great results and immense promise using PEMF for the treatment of sleep disorders.
PEMF & BRAIN INJURIES
Traumatic brain injuries, or TBI, no matter how mild, are extremely complex. There are three different classifications of brain injury: mild, moderate, and severe. These classifications are diagnosed based on their initial presentation and not long-term outcomes and effects. Traumatic brain injury can occur from hitting your head on a blunt surface, or a sharp object penetrating the skull.
Brain damage from a stroke or tumor can also be considered a TBI. Strokes are caused when blood flow to the brain is blocked or something causes bleeding inside the brain.
It was previously thought that mild brain injury would heal itself with minimal side-effects. Science now knows this is not true. TBI can result in neurological changes, including cell death over an extended period of time.
In contact sports or other occupations which result in frequent head injuries, neurological cell death can equate to increased physical illness, personality changes, depression and other psychological disorders, sometimes even death. Elderly patients with TBI may be at greater risk of Alzheimer’s or dementia.
TBI survivors also share common symptoms such as headaches, migraines, cognitive problems, and delayed reaction time. Other symptoms might include:
Amnesia
Aphasia
Difficulty concentrating or understanding
Aggression, depression, anxiety, impulsiveness, or other mood swings
PEMFs stimulate more than 25 billion neurons, improve multiple facets of cognitive function and neuroplasticity, and improve dopamine and serotonin production making it an excellent antidepressant as well. PEMFs work equally on all types of body tissues. They increase oxygen in the cells, cell metabolism, mobility, and healing, while decreasing pain and inflammation.
PEMF FOR PAIN & REHAB
Stimulating healing where damage has occurred in the cells and tissues of the body, is essential for faster recovery. Masking symptoms with pain medications does nothing to promote actual healing and actually risks further injury. PEMFs, however, directly induce healing actions.
Research indicates that PEMFs can stimulate myosin phosphorylation, the process of producing energy in muscle. This process produces ATP, which is critical to cell energy. If ATP is low, muscles are weak. Tough workouts and strenuous use of muscles diminishes ATP, requiring rest to restore the supply. But if the body doesn’t have the required resources, ATP cannot be replenished. PEMF therapy has been demonstrated to stimulate production, activation and reproduction of ATP.
Muscles can also be damaged due to heat stress (also called heat shock). Active muscles need more heat shock protein, which protects the muscles against damage. Research has shown that using gentle stimulation to induce production of heat shock proteins before damage occurs, this damage can be reduced. Early results of research on the use of magnetic devices to stimulate heat shock proteins in heart muscles before open-heart surgery are really good. This indicates that PEMF stimulation decreases muscle damage, and speeds recovery.
PEMF therapy also increases the amount of oxygen that muscles take in. A small increase in oxygen can lead to significantly better muscle performance.
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