Magnetic pain relief device

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients,  Jan, 2005  by Jule Klotter

• E-mail
• Print
• Link

Scientists at Lawson Health Research Institute (London, Ontario) have invented a small device that uses a specific, pulsed, extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic field to reduce pain perception. They began their research in 1995, by placing snails on a hot surface (40 degrees C/ 100 degrees F). Snails prefer cool surfaces and consistently reacted about five seconds after contact with the heat. The researchers then gave the snails morphine before placing them on the hot surface. With the pain killer, it took the creatures about 15 seconds to react. Next the researchers exposed the snails to specific magnetic fields and found one that produced the same delayed reaction as the morphine.

Having identified a pain-reducing magnetic impulse, the scientists moved on to humans. The Lawson researchers developed a headset to deliver ELF impulses and began testing the device on patients with either fibromyalgia or with rheumatoid arthritis. Patients wore the headsets for 40 minutes, at least twice a day, for one week. The scientists found "a significant reduction of pain in fibromyalgia and a very significant reduction of pain in arthritis patients." Alex Thomas, a bioelectromagnetics scientist with Lawson, says that it may take ten years before the device reaches the marketplace because of scientific controls. The magnetic field produced by this device is weaker than the field produced by an electric hair dryer. The device has no known side effects.

Miner, John. Small device gets rid of pain. Sun Media 14 May 2004.

http://chealth.canoe.ca

Shupak, N. et al. Effects of exposure to a specific pulsed magnetic field on pain ratings in fibromyalgia patients: A double-blinded, randomized control design. www.ampainsoc.org/abstract/2004/data/798/

COPYRIGHT 2005 The Townsend Letter Group
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group