More importantly, life processes that are inexplicable according to biochemistry have been either ignored or misinterpreted. As a result, medical science has abandoned the central rule of all science, which is revision in light of new data. In many ways medical science has been frozen in time by looking for more and more chemical solutions for problems that are not chemical in origin. As a consequence, the discoveries that have kept physics so vital have not occurred in medicine.

The search for a cancer cure illustrates this tunnel vision. The battle against cancer in 1974 was being waged with $270 million. Today the budget has grown to over $6 billion and, using more and more complex and toxic chemical weapons, we are not winning the war. After so many years and millions of dollars spent for negligible results, it is still assumed that the cure for cancer will be a chemical. On every level, this approach is becoming more and more disastrous.

Conventional medicine has always put the emphasis on crises intervention, and that is where it is most successful. We are the best in the world when battling disease with surgery and drugs. With acute illness, high tech medicine outperforms any alternatives as far as speed of effectiveness.
However, illness in this country has shifted from being predominantly acute to chronic. Degenerative diseases, heart attacks, arteriosclerosis, cancer, stroke, arthritis, hypertension, ulcers, and others, have replaced infectious diseases as our primary health problem.

The newly organized Office of Alternative Medicine at the National Institute of Health is spearheading the exploration of a wide range of alternative approaches. Many of these efforts are aimed at chronic diseases for which conventional allopathic medicine and biochemical solutions have been least effective. Even insurance companies are beginning to reimburse some alternative modalities, because they help them where they hurt…in their pocketbooks.

Dr. James Gordon, a clinical professor in the departments of Psychiatry and Community and Family Medicine at Georgetown Medical School, Director of the Center for Mind-Body Studies in Washington, D.C. and Chairman of the Advisory Council to the NIH Office of Alternative Medicine, stated in an editorial published in the Washington Post that The surgical and pharmacological remedies that modern biomedicine has developed are potent and effective in emergencies, but for most chronic illnesses they are little more than palliative. And all too often, both surgical and pharmacological treatments are used inappropriately, produce significant and deleterious side effects and are overpriced.

Dr. Gordon and many of his colleagues believe that techniques that are fundamental to the healing systems of other cultures should be fully integrated into our own., Alternative approaches, nourished on our own soil yet scorned by the medical establishment, should once again be considered as members of the family of official medicine.

Quantum Physics Redefines Humans

Western medicine’s Newtonian view that sees the body as a chemical soup, operating as a complex biological machine down to the cellular level, is incomplete. The body would be a puddle of chemical soup was it not for an energy and information source that organizes our atoms and molecules into our human form.

Most profound changes in the conception of reality came from Einstein’s Unified Field Theory where all matter is organized energy, and field reality is one of the characteristics of the universe. Quantum physics has shown us that the distinction between matter and energy is lost at the subatomic level. Whether the energy is constelled as a cup, a tree, or a human being, it has a field associated with it. The denser the substance, the less energetic and more rigid the field becomes. We know that all living things have dynamic fields.

Two-time Nobel Prize winner, Linus Pauling, received a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1954 for his discovery of the magnetic properties of hemoglobin in the blood. He found that iron, in addition to its function as the carrier of oxygen, plays an important role in cell metabolism. Since iron and as many as five electrolytic salts in our blood circulate biomagnetically, Magnetic Therapy can beneficially influence the naturally occurring magnetic currents in our bodies.

The growing emphasis on therapeutic use of electromagnetic energy to hasten the healing of bones, to alleviate pain and improve enzyme and vascular activities, attests to the electrical nature of cells. There is increased evidence that electrical field changes at the cellular level occur before structural physiological changes. When constructive changes occur on the cellular level the structural regeneration on the tissue level follows.

Ancient Views of Bio-Energy

Information from ancient Indian literature describes whirling vortices of subtle energies, which they called chakras, which is the word for wheels in Sanskrit. The chakras are then connected to 72,000 fine threads of fluid energy channels. In China and Japan, healing focuses on energy flow. They feel energy. They see other people’s energy. They believe that the health of the body is a result of proper energy flow as well as blood flow.

In general, Eastern medicine recognizes something beyond nerves in our bodies. In fact, it has mapped out an entire energy system consisting of so-called energy channels or meridians, thought to be established early in our development. Structurally, they are comparable to magnetic fields. These energy channels circulate life energy throughout the human body. They are believed to balance the flow of energy. In the case of illness, the intersection of these circulatory channels are thought to become irritated wherein the flow of energy breaks down.

The differences in focus between the two medical systems explains why acupuncture is traditional in China, where it has been practiced successfully for more than 2,000 years, and is considered an alternative or, at best, a complement to other forms of treatment in America.

The Energy Paradigm

The older concept that everything progresses toward decay does not hold with field beliefs. From a field reality, the world grows and changes, it evolves. Prigogine, the Nobel biochemist, showed that when energy was introduced into a system, whether it was motion or vibrations, which substance refined and changed. It did not decay.

The healthy body is a flowing, interactive electrodynamic energy field. Motion is more natural to life than non-motion; things that keep flowing are inherently good. What interferes with flow will have detrimental effects. Energy field medicine is based upon treating illness with the introduction of new energy.

Recently, we have been able to measure human fields separate from mass and describe them as energy patterns, wave s shapes, wave trains, and wave packages or quanta. Physics has found that by periodically introducing energy into chaotic systems they could be pulled back toward order. It follows that because of the resilient nature of the human field energy manipulation techniques such as hands-on healing, subtle energy devices, and body therapies introducing subtle energy into the system will be more effective in preserving health than those geared to chemical or mechanical intervention.

There is an old saying that seeing is believing. It should be changed to believing is seeing. Those researchers and physicians, who believe that the bio-chemical solution is incomplete, are discovering new answers from doctors trained in Eastern medicine, particularly energy field therapy. What they are finding is increasing evidence that the origin of many major diseases begins as field disturbances. Numerous studies are suggesting that many of the problems associated with degenerative diseases, certain types of memory loss or conditions such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome are the result of energy field deficiencies. And, the good news is that extensive testing has shown that Magnetic Field Deficiencies may be like vitamin deficiencies, which means that once the vitamin or magnetic influence is restored, the body functions normally.

The New Science of Healing

Today, all over the world, more and more scientists and physicians are working with magnet therapy. Doctors in both Europe and the United States are obtaining astounding results using electromagnetic fields to treat damage ranging from ulcers to severe burns. Research studies show that magnetic fields predictably accelerate the healing time of soft tissue injuries as well as bones and joints. In Russia, doctors regularly use magnets to speed up healing after surgery, to improve circulation and to strengthen mending bones. Some researchers have used super magnets and electrical therapies on lung and breast cancers. An increasing number of dentists are using magnets to relieve the pain of TMJ and jaw dislocations, as well as headaches and gum disease. In Germany, unsightly keloid scar tissue has been shown to virtually disappear with the application of magnetic foils.

Balancing Our Energy Flow

Therapeutic magnets work on the same principles as acupuncture but without the needles. They fit perfectly into the Eastern concept of Energy Medicine. In the Orient they feel energy. It’s normal. They see other people’s energy. They believe that the health of the body is a result of proper energy flow as well as proper blood flow. By contrast, our Western medical model is a biochemical model. We look at people as biochemical machines. And if there is something wrong, we use some chemicals to fix it. Therefore, while acupuncture is traditional in China, where it has been practiced successfully for more than 2,000 years, it is considered an alternative or, at best, a complementary form of healing in America.

Acupuncture and Magnetic Field Therapy

Acupuncturists use hair-thin needles, gentle finger pressure (acupressure) or in a modern variant, electrodes to stimulate designated points along the body through which healthful qi (pronounced chee) energy is said to flow. Acupuncture has proven effective in relieving arthritis and chronic pain. Without acupuncture, chemical painkillers, that are bad for the liver, are commonly used to treat these problems.

Magnetic Therapy uses magnets instead of needles. These flexible, rubberized, permanently charged magnet pads, cut into a variety of shapes, can be attached to an injury site or an acupuncture site with athletic tape. Magnet therapy, much like acupuncture, reestablishes order in the energy system and allows healing to occur.

Fighting the Aging Process

Every doctor practicing medicine knows the human body was designed to heal itself. Under ideal conditions, each cell is bathed in fluid from which it receives its nutrients and into which it releases its waste products. For any cell to be completely healthy it must constantly be fed nutrients and its waste products must be taken away quickly so it does not become bathed in its own waste. To accomplish this, it is extremely important that the blood and lymph circulation be unobstructed and that the nervous system be free of interference.

Recent studies on aging have concluded that aging is not a natural process. It is due, instead, to our mental attitude and a series of malfunctions in our bodies, which have been allowed to progress without correction, and eventually result in the destruction of cells and organs. The growing consensus among researchers is that the best way to treat aging is to prevent it in the first place.

However, in the course of living, many minor problems will inevitably occur. Obstructions and circulatory problems are very common. Some capillaries are only the diameter of a single blood cell, so our blood must travel in single file. Tension, causing vascular constriction or early arteriosclerosis, can easily produce a 10% decrease in the inside diameter of a capillary which completely stops the flow of blood to the cells.

Out-of-place joints along the spinal column cause interference to nerve function, which in turn causes inadequate stimulation and constriction of the blood vessels. Decreased blood supply follows, setting the stage for cell degeneration and the appearance of pain and other symptoms.

Symptoms of pain and disease surface when conditions cause the capillary pores to dilate allowing the escape of quantities of blood proteins in the area of the cells. This eroding of proteins attracts fluid (inflammation), causing pain, depriving some cells of proper oxygen and nutrients, resulting in malfunctioning cells. If not carried away and disposed of by the lymphatic system, these cells begin to destroy healthy cells.

Alternatively, the combination of increased oxygenation and blood flow is very effective in eliminating these conditions and the accompanying pain. Since most disease is either a function of toxicity or deficiency, improved circulation benefits most aspects of our overall health.

Consequently, many different illnesses can be successfully treated with magnet therapy because every illness is a bioenergetic breakdown of the organism. It is a sign that the cells have been deprived of energy and their defense mechanisms have been weakened. It is the task of magnet therapy to remove the blockages that get in the way of normal functioning and restore the body’s natural balance.

Accelerating the Body’s Natural Healing of Injuries

Our bodies respond in several ways to traumatic injury. The vessels that carry blood from the heart constrict. The supply of blood in the capillaries increases. Next, scavenger cells flock to the area, removing bacteria. While this repair process is going on, the traumatized area immobilizes itself, and painful spasms usually result. What we need then is subtler than pain relief medication, we need a resumption of normal blood flow to promote rapid and complete tissue repair.

Soft Tissue Injuries: Conventional treatment recommends Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation, or R.I.C.E. for short, followed by stimulation therapy such as infrared light, anti-inflammatory drugs, trigger-point injections, microwave diathermy, ultrasound or electrical stimulation which are used to increase blood flow to an area. However, while all of these treatments eventually restore some degree of blood flow, they all require a considerable amount of time to be effective.

But now, the healing time for many sports injuries can be shortened with the use of magnets. A recent study conducted at M.I.T. showed that biomagnetic products increase blood flow. This allows the bodies own healing processes to be accelerated, as increased concentrations of oxygen and other vital nutrients are brought to the cells.

Thus, biomagnets enable anyone who uses them to target a specific body area with great precision and to start stimulating the healing process almost immediately. As a consequence, studies have shown that both hard and soft tissue injuries heal in only a fraction of the time required by other treatments.

Mending Bones: In the U.S. a recent innovation, developed for treating bone breaks that would not heal, involves wrapping the wound on a leg or arm with a coil that emits a low electric current. The procedure has been highly successful and is acceptable in conventional medical circles. However, electricity cannot penetrate bone and the skin further attenuates it. By contrast, magnetic fields penetrate the skin more easily and flow more deeply into the body through skin, fat, nerves and bones to provide greater therapeutic effectiveness.

Outside of the U.S. biomagnetic therapy has been used in this way for decades. In Russia, it has been used as special therapy for top athletes to promote soft tissue healing such as tendons and nerve tissue as well as bone fractures and other injuries. Around the world bio-magnets are used on prize thoroughbred racing horses to aid in healing spinal and leg injuries.

Mother Earth’s Magnetism

Scientists have established beyond any doubt that all living cells are electromagnetic in nature. The functioning of the cells and the nervous system of every living being is based on pulsating DC energy. Each individual cell possesses a positive electrical charge at its nucleus and a negative electrical charge on its outer membrane. This polarization allows each cell to function in an orderly and healthy manner.

All living cells are designed to operate optimally against the backdrop of the earth’s natural magnetic field, which supports the biorhythmic balance of all living things. Prior to the beginning of this century, that was the environment for life on this planet.

However, since the industrial revolution and especially since World War II, nearly every human action has involved an electrical appliance and changes to these naturally occurring electromagnetic fields. As a result, we are currently enveloped by sources of electromagnetism that no life form has ever been exposed to before.

Today, sensitive instruments show that man’s mushrooming alternating current (AC) technology is interfering with the earth’s magnetic fields. Noted researchers, including the U.S. Surgeon General, warn of the harmful effects of electric smog from television, radio, radar, electric blankets, water bed heaters, household appliances, power lines and other sources.

Magnetic Field Deficiency: The Cause of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

As cells perform their normal functions, their electromagnetic charge decreases. Under normal conditions, one of the sources of revitalization of these tired cells is the earth’s magnetic field. However, within a typical home, the AC radiation is sufficiently prolific to overpower the earth’s natural magnetic field by as much as 16 times. In today’s modern buildings, the iron and steel alone can deplete the magnetic field by more than one-half.

Many scientists believe that the electro-pollution we face everyday may interfere with our body’s own electromagnetic fields and impair our ability to repair ourselves efficiently, resulting in a host of maladies. In the opinion of these scientists, such maladies can range from headaches and fatigue to tumors, as well as the disruption of both circulatory and digestive systems.

Kyoichi Nakagawa, M.D., Chief of Tokyo’s Isuzu Hospital, one of the world’s foremost authorities on magnetism and its therapeutic effects on the human body, claims that the continuing degradation of the Earth’s magnetic field, by man’s electronic environment, is responsible for Magnetic Deficiency Syndrome (MDS). Its symptoms include stiffness of the shoulders, back and neck, low back pain, chest pains, habitual headache and heaviness of the head, dizziness and insomnia, habitual constipation, and general fatigue for seemingly no specific reason. Other doctors have hypothesized that MDS may well be the cause of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, which does not have a definable cause in Western medicine.

Dr. Nakagawa has used magnet therapy on more than 11,000 patients. The primary complaint of these patients was muscle spasm in the shoulder and neck region. For many of the patients pain was already extending to the head, upper neck and down the back. With magnet therapy he was able to free ninety per cent of his patients from pain.

However, the most exciting news is that evidence from these studies and others appears to indicate that Magnetic Field Deficiency is like a vitamin deficiency, which means that once the vitamin or magnetic influence is restored, the body functions normally.

Perhaps the most important aspect of Magnetic Therapy is that individuals can learn to apply a magnetic pad as easily as they once learned how to apply a band-aid to a cut. It is non-invasive, low cost, appears to have few if any problems and, on the up side, delivers numerous benefits not available in pills and potions. In fact, Magnetic field therapy has proven to be so effective that an increasing number of physicians in this country are beginning to use it where conventional treatment has failed.”

An example of one of the leading pulsed magnetic field consumer products in the industry is the Quantron Resonance System. For information on this device please go to www.quantronmedicine.com. Note: all results and medical claims on this website originate from the research and experience of European doctors and patients. As yet, no medical claims are made or implied concerning use or application in the United States.

The ability to relieve pain is very variable and unpredictable, depending on the source or location of pain and whether it is acute or chronic. Pain mechanisms are complex and have peripheral and central nervous system aspects. Therapies should be tailored to the specifics of the pain process in the individual patient. Psychological issues have a very strong influence on whether and how pain is experienced and whether it will become chronic. Most effective pain management strategies require multiple concurrent approaches, especially for chronic pain. It is rare that a single modality solves the problem.

Static or electromagnetic fields have been used for centuries to control pain and other biologic problems, but scientific evidence of their effect had not been gathered until recently. This review explores the value of magnetic therapy in rehabilitation medicine in terms of static magnetic fields and time varying magnetic fields (electromagnetic). A historical review is given and the discussion covers the areas of scientific criteria, modalities of magnetic therapy, mechanisms of the biologic effects of magnetic fields, and perspectives on the future of magnetic therapy.

In the past few years a new and fundamentally different approach has been increasingly investigated. This includes the use of magnetic fields (MF), produced by both static (permanent) and time-varied (most commonly, pulsed) magnetic fields (PEMFs). Fields of various strengths and frequencies have been evaluated. There is as yet no “gold standard”. The fields selected will vary based on experience, confidence, convenience and cost. Since there does not appear to be any major advantage to any one MF application, largely because of the unpredictability of ascertaining the true underlying source of the pain, regardless of the putative pathology, any approach may be used empirically and treatment adjusted based on the response. After thousands of patient-years of use globally, there very little risk has been found to be associated with MF therapies. The primary precautions relate to implanted electrical devices and pregnancy and seizures with certain kinds of frequency patterns in seizure prone individuals.

Magnetic fields affect pain perception in many different ways. These actions are both direct and indirect. Direct effects of magnetic fields are: neuron firing, calcium ion movement, membrane potentials, endorphin levels, nitric oxide, dopamine levels, acupuncture actions and nerve regeneration. Indirect benefits of magnetic fields on physiologic function are on: circulation, muscle, edema, tissue oxygen, inflammation, healing, prostaglandins, cellular metabolism and cell energy levels.

Most studies on pain use subjective measures to quantitate baseline and outcome values. Subjective perception of pain using a visual analogue scale (VAS) and pain drawings is 95% sensitive and 88% specific for current pain in the neck and shoulders and thoracic spine.

Measured pain intensity (PI) changes with pain relief and satisfaction with pain management. A 5%, 30%, and 57% reduction in PI correlated with “no,” “some/partial,” and “significant/complete” relief. If initial PI scores were moderate/severe pain (NDS > 5), PI had to be reduced by 35% and 84%, to achieve “some/partial” and “significant/complete” relief, respectively. Patients in less pain (NDS < or = 5) needed 25% and 29% reductions in PI. However, relief of pain appears to only partially contribute to overall satisfaction with pain management.

Several authors have reviewed the experience with PEMFs in Eastern Europe and the West. PEMFs have been used extensively in many conditions and medical disciplines. They have been most effective in treating rheumatic disorders. PEMFs produced significant reduction of pain, improvement of spinal functions and reduction of paravertebral spasms. Although PEMFs have been proven to be a very powerful tool, they should always be considered in combination with other therapeutic procedures.

Since the turn of this century, a number of electrotherapeutic, magnetotherapeutic and electromagnetic medical devices have emerged for treating a broad spectrum of trauma, tumors and infections with static and PEMFs. Their acceptance in clinical practice has been very slow in the medical community. Practitioner resistance seems largely based on confusion of the different modalities, the wide variety of frequencies employed (from ELF to microwave) and the general lack of understanding of the biomechanics involved. The current scientific literature indicates that short, periodic exposure to pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) has emerged as the most effective form of electromagnetic therapy.

The ability of PEMFs to affect pain is dependant on the ability of PEMFs to positively affect human physiologic or anatomic systems. Research is showing that the human nervous system is strongly affected by therapeutic PEMFs. Behavioral and physiologic responses of animals to static and extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic fields are affected by the presence of light. Light strengthens the effects of PEMFs.

One of the most reproducible results of weak, extremely low-frequency (ELF) magnetic field (MF) exposure is an effect upon neurologic pain signal processing. PEMFs have been designed for use as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of chronic pain in humans. Recent evidence suggests that PEMFs would also be an effective complement for treating patients suffering from acute pain. Static magnetic field devices with strong gradients have also been shown to have therapeutic potential. Specifically placed static magnets reduce neural action potentials and alleviate spinal mediated pain. The placebo response may explain as much as 40% of an analgesia response. The central nervous system mechanisms responsible for the placebo response are an appropriate target for magnetic therapies. Magnetic field manipulation of cognitive and behavioral processes is seen in animal behavior studies and in humans. This may also be one of the mechanisms of the use of MFs in managing pain.

Some of the mechanisms of PEMF effects

Magnetotherapy is accompanied by an increase in the threshold of pain sensitivity and activation of the anticoagulation system. PEMF treatment stimulates production of opioid peptides; activates mast cells and increases electric capacity of muscular fibers. Long bone fractures that did not unite over 4 months to 4 years are repaired in 87% of cases with 14-16 hr of daily PEMF treatment. Several of these devices are FDA approved. PEMF of 1.5- or 5-mT field strength, proved helpful edema and pain before or after a surgical operation.

PEMF for 15-360 minutes increases amino acid uptake about 45%. PEMF for 2 hour induces changes in transmembrane energy transport enzymes, allowing energy coupling and increased biologic chemical transport work.

The density of pigeons’ brain mu opiate receptors decreases by about 30% and therefore their pain perception. A 2 hr exposure of healthy humans was found to reduce pain perception and decreased pain-related brain signals. Biochemical changes were found in the blood of treated patients that supported the pain reduction benefit.

Normal standing balance is subject to control by the vestibular area of the brain. PEMF couple with muscular processing or upper body nervous tissue functions. 200-uT PEMFs cause a significant improvement in normal standing balance in adult (18-34 year old) humans. Further evidence of the sensitivity of the nervous system on MFs.

Various MFs with different characteristics reduce pain inhibition in various species of animals including land snails, mice, pigeons, as well as humans. 0.5 Hz rotating MF, 60 Hz ELF magnetic fields and even MRI reduces analgesia induced by both exogenous opiates (i.e. morphine) and endogenous opioids (i.e. stress-induced). Reduction in stress-induced analgesia can be obtained not only by exposing animals to a variety of different magnetic fields, but also after a short-term stay in a near-zero magnetic field. This suggests that even for magnetic field, as for other environmental factors (i.e. temperature or gravity), alterations in the normal conditions in which the species has evolved can induce alterations in physiology as well as in behavior.

MFs applied to the head or to an extremity, for from 1 to 60 minutes, with intervals from several minutes to several hours, randomly sequenced with sham exposures allowed study of brain reactions by various objective measures. From these multiyear studies, the brain shows a non-specific initial response. The changes were “modulatory”, meaning that the brain was found to sense EMF exposures vs. sham exposures. The sensory reactions were a weak pain, tickling, pressure, etc. sensations, mediated by the body’s peripheral sensory systems. Reactions could be prevented by local anesthesia of the exposed area. EEGs showed increased low-frequency rhythms, more pronounced when brain damage was present. This explains the common perception of relaxation and sleepiness with MFs. Cell analysis showed that all types of brain cells react to EMFs but astrocytes were most sensitive. They are involved in memory processes and slow wave brain activity.

The benefits of PEMF use may last considerably longer than the time of use. In rats, a single exposure produces pain reduction both immediately after treatment and at 24 hrs after treatment. The analgesic effect is still observed at 7th and 14th day of repeated treatment and even up to 14 days after the last treatment.

PEMFs promote healing of soft tissue injuries by reducing edema and increasing resorption of hematomas. Low frequency PEMFs reduce edema primarily during treatment sessions. PEMFs at very high frequencies (PRFs) for 20-30 minutes cause edema decreases lasting several hours. PRFs induce vasoconstriction at the injury site. They displace negatively charged plasma proteins found in traumatized tissue. This increases lymphatic flow, an additional factor in reducing edema.

In rats exposed for 20 min daily on 3 successive days to PEMFs of 50 mG, the pain threshold increased progressively over the 3 days. The pain threshold following the third magnetic field exposure was significantly greater than those associated with morphine and other treatments. Brain injured and normal rats both showed a 63% increase in mean pain. PEMFs may be very helpful in patients with closed head injuries. The mechanism probably involves the longer acting endorphins rather than enkephalins.

Chronic pain is often a result of aberrantly functioning small neural networks involved in self-perpetuated neurogenic inflammation. High intensity pulsed magnetic stimulation (HIPMS) noninvasively depolarizes neurons and can facilitate recovery following injury. Patients suffering from posttraumatic or postoperative low-back pain, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, peripheral neuropathy, thoracic outlet syndrome and endometriosis had pain relief. Up to ten,10-min exposures to 1.17 T at a rate of 45 pulses/minute were applied to the areas of maximal pain for 6 treatments. One patient became pain free after 4 HIPMS treatments. All patients reported some pain relief. Maximum pain relief occurred 3 hr after treatment. Two patients had complete pain relief and 3 had partial pain relief that lasted for 4 months. The others had pain relief that lasted for 8-72 hours.

Even weak AC magnetic fields affect pain perception and pain-related EEG changes in humans. A 2 hour exposure to 0.2-0.7G ELF magnetic fields caused a significant decrease in pain-related EEG patterns.

Pain relief mechanisms vary by the type of stimulus used. For example, needling to the pain-producing muscle, application of a static magnetic field or external qigong or needling to an acupuncture point all reduce pain but by different mechanisms. Pain could be induced by reduction of circulation in muscle and reduced by recovery of circulation. Pain mediating substances are accumulated in a muscle under reduced circulation and reversed with restoration of circulation. This is why chronic muscle tension is a frequent cause of chronic pain. The effect of a static magnetic field or external qigong is mediated by enhanced release of acetylcholine as a result of activation of the cholinergic vasodilator nerve endings in a muscle artery. Needling an acupuncture point is probably induced by a somato-autonomic reflex through the brain, in the anterior hypothalamus.

In normal subjects, a magnetic stimulus over the cerebellum reduces the size of responses evoked by cortical stimulation. Suppression of motor cortical excitability is reduced or absent in patients with a lesion in the cerebellum or cerebellar nerve pathways. Magnetic stimulation over the cerebellum produces the same effect as electrical stimulation, even in ataxic patients and may be useful for the pain associated with muscle spasticity.

Clinical benefits

In diabetic neuropathy, PEMF treatment every day for about 12 minutes, improves pain, paresthesias and vibration sensation and increases muscular strength in 85% of patients compared to controls.

One author reported that, of treated patients followed for 2-60 months, better results happened in patients with post-herpetic pain and those simultaneously suffering from neck and low back pain.

Chronic pain is often accompanied with or results from decreased circulation or perfusion to the affected tissues, for example, cardiac angina or intermittent claudication. PEMFs have been shown to improve circulation. Skin infrared radiation increases due to immediate vasodilation with low frequency fields and increased cerebral blood perfusion in animals. Pain syndromes due to muscle tension and neuralgias improve.

The results of the treatment depend not only on the parameters of the fields but also on the individual sensitivity of the person. The most effective results in clinical use were found with extremely ultra low frequency PEMFs.

Back, neck and shoulder pain

Chronic low back pain affects approximately 15% of the United States (US) population during their lifetime, with 93 million lost work days and a cost of more than $5 billion per year. Lumbar arthritis is a very common cause of back pain. 35-40 mT PEMFs, for 20 minutes daily for 20-25 days for back pain gives relief or elimination of pain, improves results from other rehabilitation and improves secondary neurologic symptoms. Continuous use over the treatment episode works best, in about 90-95% of the time. Control patients only show a 30% improvement.

PEMF of 5 to 15 G, from 7 Hz to 4 kHz used at the site of pain and related trigger points for 20 to 45 minutes also helps. Some patients remain pain free 6 months after treatment. Some return to jobs they had been unable to perform. Short term effects are thought due to decrease in cortisol and noradrenaline and an increase serotonin, endorphins and enkephalins. Longer term effects may be due to CNS and/or peripheral nervous system biochemical and neuronal effects in which correction of pain messages occurs and the pain is not just masked as in the case of medication.

Back pain or whiplash syndrome treated PEMF twice a day for two weeks along with usual pain medications relieves pain in 8 days vs. 12 days in the controls. Headache is halved in the PEMF group and neck and shoulder/arm pain improved by one third versus just medications alone.

Permanent magnetic therapy can also be useful in reducing chronic muscular low back pain. Treatment with a flexible permanent magnetic pad for 21 days reduces pain 6 times more than placebo. This has been effective for herniated lumbar discs, spondylosis, radiculopathy, sciatica and arthritis. Pain relief is sometimes experienced as early as 10 minutes or in some cases takes as long as 14 days.

Low-power pulsed short wave 27 Hz diathermy has successfully treated persistent neck pain and improved mobility. The neck pains lasted longer than 8 wk and did respond to at least 1 course of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. A miniaturized, 9V battery-operated, diathermy generator was fitted into a soft cervical collar. Treatment is for 3-6 weeks, 8 hr daily. Analgesics can be used as needed and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. 75% of patients improve in range of motion and pain within 3 wk of treatment.

For neck pain, PEMFs may have more benefit, compared to physical therapy, for both pain and mobility.

Other pain applications

High frequency PEMF of 10-15 single treatments every other day either eliminates or improves, even at 2 weeks following therapy, 80% of patients with pelvic inflammatory disease, 89% with back pain, 40% with endometriosis, 80% with postoperative pain, and 83% with lower abdominal pain of unknown cause.

In dentistry, PEMFs have also been found only slightly useful in treating dental pain, jaw muscle spasms and swelling during wisdom tooth extraction with a high frequency system. As is often seen in pain studies, a placebo response is high, 30-40% of the time. In periodontal disease bone resorption may be severe enough to require bone grafting. Grafting is followed by moderate pain peaking several hours afterwards. Repeated PEMF exposure for two weeks eliminates pain within a week. Even single PEMF exposure to the face for 30 minutes of a 5mT field and conservative treatment produces much lower pain scores vs. controls.

Pelvic pain of gynecological origin was also found to be benefited by a different high voltage, high frequency system. This includes ruptured ovarian cysts, postoperative pelvic hematomas, chronic urinary tract infection, uterine fibrosis, dyspareunia, endometriosis and dysmenorrhea. Treatment times vary from 15 to 30 minutes on subsequent or alternate days. 90% of patients experience marked, rapid relief from pain with pain subsiding within 1-3 days. Most of these patients don’t require supplementary analgesics.

Post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), a very common and painful condition, which is often medically-resistant, responds to PEMF for 20-30 minutes daily for 19 treatments over 34 days. The PEMF is a 4-16 Hz and 0.6-T samarium/cobalt magnet system surrounded by spiral coil pads with a maximum 0.1-T pulse at 8 Hz pasted on the pain/paresthesia areas or over the spinal column or limbs. Treatments continue until symptoms improve or an adverse side effect occurred. PEMF therapy is effective in 80%. No pain was made worse. This treatment approach shows that treatment for pain problems may either be localized to the pain or done over the spinal column or limbs, away from the pain.

PEMFs applied to the inner thighs for at least 2 wk is effective short-term therapy for migraine. Greater reduction of headache activity is achievable with longer exposure. PEMF using a high frequency signal to the inner thigh femoral artery area for 1 hr/day, 5 day/wk, for 2 weeks decreases headache. One month after a treatment course, 73% of patients report decreased headache activity vs. only half of those receiving placebo treatment. Another 2-wk of treatment after the 1-month follow-up gives an additional 88% decrease in headache activity. If there is no additional treatment after an initial course 72% still show a benefit. Placebo patients getting active treatment afterwards report much better additional improvement in headache.

Patients suffering from headache treated with a PEMF after failing acupuncture and medications, applied to the whole body, 20 min/day for 15 days get effective relief of migraine, tension and cervical headaches at about one month after treatment. They have at least a 50% reduction in frequency or intensity of the headaches and reduction in analgesic drug use. Poor results are seen in cluster and posttraumatic headache.

Chronic pain frequently presented by postpolio patients can be relieved by application of magnetic fields applied directly over trigger points using 300 to 500 G static magnets for 45 minutes.

Orthopedic or musculoskeletal uses

The use of PEMFs is rapidly increasing and extending to soft tissue from its first applications to hard tissue. EMF in current orthopedic clinical practice is used to treat delayed and non-union fractures, rotator cuff tendinitis, spinal fusions and avascular necrosis, all of which can be very painful. Clinically relevant response to the PEMF is generally not always immediate, requiring daily treatment for several months in the case of non-union fractures. PEMF signals induce maximum electric fields in the mV/cm range at frequencies below 5 kHz. Pulse radiofrequency fields (PRF) consist of bursts of sinusoidal waves in the short wave band, usually in the 14-30 MHz range. PRF induces fields in the V/cm range. PRF signals have higher field strengths than PEMFs. PRF signals have low frequency bursts nearly equivalent in size to PEMFs. This means that PRF signals have a broader band. PRF applications are best for reduction of pain and edema. The tissue inflammation that accompanies the majority of traumatic and chronic injuries is essential to the healing process, however the body often over-responds and the resulting edema causes delayed healing and pain. For soft tissue and musculoskeletal injuries and post-surgical, post-traumatic and chronic wounds, reduction of edema is thus a major therapeutic goal to accelerate healing and associated pain. Double-blind clinical studies have now been reported for chronic wound repair, acute ankle sprains, and acute whiplash injuries. PRFs accelerated reduction of edema in acute ankle sprains by 5-fold. Response to MFs is during or immediately after treatment of acute injuries. Responses are significantly slower for bone repair. The voltage changes induced by PRF at binding sites in macromolecules affect ion binding kinetics with resultant modulation of biochemical cascades relevant to the inflammatory stages of tissue repair.

High strength repetitive magnetic stimulation (rMS) has been found to relieve musculoskeletal pain. Specific diagnoses were painful shoulder with abnormal supraspinatus tendon, tennis elbow, ulnar compression syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome, semilunar bone injury, traumatic amputation neuroma of the median nerve, persistent muscle spasm of the upper and lower back, inner hamstring tendinitis, patellofemoral arthrosis, osteochondral lesion of the heel and posterior tibial tendinitis. Patients receive rMS for 40 minutes. Mean pain intensity is 59% lower vs. 14% for controls. Patients with amputation neuroma and patellofemoral arthritis obtain no benefit. Those with upper back muscle spasms, rotator cuff injury and osteochondral heel lesions showed more than 85% decrease in pain, even after a single rMS session. Pain relief persists for several days. None have worsening of their pain.

Osteoarthritis (OA) affects about 40 million people in the USA. OA of the knee is a leading cause of disability in the elderly. Medical management is often ineffective and creates additional side-effect risks. The QRS has been in use for about 20 years in Europe. The QRS applied 8 min twice a day for 6 weeks improves knee function and walking ability significantly. Pain, general condition and well-being also improve. Medication use decreases and plasma fibrinogen decreases 14%, C-reactive protein ( a sign of inflammation) drops 35% and the blood sedimentation rate 19%. The QRS has also been found effective in degenerative arthritis, pain syndrome and inflammatory joint disorders. Sleep disturbances often contribute to increased pain perception. The QRS has also been found to improve sleep. 68% report good/very good results. Even after one year follow-up, 85% claim a continuing benefit in pain reduction. Medication consumption decreases from 39% at 8 weeks to 88% after 8 weeks.

Even strengths lower than the QRS may also treat knee pain in osteoarthritis. Treatment for eight 6-min sessions over a 2-wk period may give a 46% decrease in pain vs. an average 8% in the placebo group, sustained at the same level even two weeks after treatment.

A 50 Hz pulsed magnetic field sinusoidal, 0.035 Tesla field PEMF for 15 min for 15 treatment sessions improves hip arthritis pain in 86% of patients. Average mobility without pain improved markedly.

Post-traumatic Sudeck-Leriche syndrome (late stage reflex sympathetic dystrophy – RSD) is very painful pain and largely untreatable by other approaches. Ten 30-minute PEMF sessions of 50 Hz followed by a further 10 sessions at 100 Hz plus physiotherapy and medication reduced edema and pain at 10 days. There is no further improvement at 20 days.

Neuropathic pain syndrome (NPS) patients benefit from pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) treatment. Patients with severe left-sided sciatica and back pain, neuropathic pain in the anterior chest wall had been taking oral medications and had received repeated injections of local anesthetic agents and steroids with poor results. The patients treated with an invasive PRF applied to the related lumbar dorsal root ganglion for 2 minutes or the spinal roots of the thoracic T2-T4 dermatomes experience significant pain relief.

Even chronic musculoskeletal pain treated with MFs for only three days, once per day can eliminate and/or maintain chronic musculoskeletal pain.

A static magnetic foil placed in a molded insole for the relief of heel pain was used for 4 weeks to treat heel pain. 60% of patients in the treatment and sham groups reported improvement. There was no significant difference in the improvement on a foot function index. A molded insole alone was effective after 4 weeks. The magnetic foil offered no advantage over the plain insole, in this study. This study like others with low numbers of patients, may not have had a large enough sample. Placebo reactions in pain studies can be large and differences in benefit may be harder to detect. In addition, since magnetic foils produce fairly weak fields, placement against tissue becomes important, as does consideration of the depth into the body of the target lesion or tissue. Magnetic fields drop off in strength very rapidly from the surface.

Even small, battery-operated PEMF devices with very weak field strengths have been benefit musculoskeletal disorders. Because of the low strength used treatment at the site of pain may need to last between 11 to 132 days, between 2 times per week, 4 hours each or, if needed, continuous use. Use at night could be near the head, e.g., beneath the pillow, to facilitate sleep. Pain scale scores are significantly better in the majority of cases. Conditions that can be considered are arthritis, lupus erythematosus, chronic neck pain, epicondylitis, femoropatellar degeneration, fracture of the lower leg and Sudeck’s atrophy.

240 patients treated with PEMFs in a conservative orthopedic practice had decreased pain, increased functionality and increased point pressure thresholds, disappearance of swelling and pathological skin coloration, less need for orthopedic devices and less reaction to changes in the weather. Treatments are daily for an hour. Conditions treated are: rheumatic illnesses, delayed healing process in bones and pseudo-arthritis, including those with infections, fractures, aseptic necrosis, loosened protheses, venous and arterial circulation, reflex sympathetic dystrophy all stages, osteo-chondritis dissecans, osteomyelitis and sprains and strains and bruises. The success rate approaches 80%. Even X-rays may show improvement. cartilage/bone tissue may reform, including the joint margin. About 60% of loosened hip protheses have subjective relief of pain and walk better, without a cane. Perthes’ disease rarely completely reforms the articular head of the hip.

Summary

PEMFs of various kinds and strengths have been found to have good results in a wide array of painful conditions. There is little risk when compared to the potential invasiveness of other therapies and the risk of toxicity, addiction and complications from medications. Clearly more research is needed to elaborate mechanisms and optimal treatment parameters. Many studies that have been reported here have been controlled trials and many have been double blind placebo. Medical practitioners are becoming gradually aware of the potential of MFs to successfully treat or significantly benefit the myriad of problems presented to them.

To learn about one of the most researched and earliest pulsed
electromagnetic consumer systems available, go to www.quantronmedicine.com.

The earth is a giant magnet, the soil and rocks are magnetized and there are strong magnetic fields in the atmosphere. Human biology, which developed over the eons and even now matures in this natural magnetic environment, is totally dependent on it. Magnetic fields have been found by accident over the centuries, to help people. Magnetized rocks were reputed to be used by Hippocrates, the Father of Western Medicine, to relieve headaches. The Chinese wrote about how to use magnetic stones on acupuncture points in 200 BC. D’Arsonval in the 1700’s in France discovered that pulsed electric magnetic fields stimulate the body. In the 1970’s and 80’s in the west, scientists began to study the magnetic fields produced by the body itself. The new field was called bioelectromagnetics. We now know definitely that the body itself is a large electromagnet. We also know the body produces electric fields.

Ask any engineer and you will be told that where there is electricity there is a magnetic field. You will also be told that when a magnet moves past an object capable of reacting electrically, you will generate electricity. The opposite is also true. When an object capable of reacting electrically is moved past a magnet, electricity will also be generated. What this means is that when the body, which is very magnetically active, interacts with specific medically designed magnetic fields, tiny therapeutically beneficial electric charges are generated.

What does mean to you? It means that you will see magnetic fields as a form of energy medicine, being used more and more in the future to heal problems that medicines can’t or haven’t been able to do. Most medicines are used to relieve symptoms but don’t remove or heal the cause of the problem. They usually don’t help the tissues heal themselves. Most medicines were developed to deal with problems far along in their course. They can be very effective at this stage but often carry significant risks. Doctors and consumers must continuously weigh the potential risks and benefits. The risks of these medicines are greater than the benefits for preventing problems or when the problems are very early in their development. If this is so, what alternatives do we have?

Let’s take an example. When you have a skin infection, and damage has already been done to the tissues, antibiotics will typically be prescribed to halt the spread of the bacteria. The antibiotics don’t heal the infection; they only stop the bacteria from multiplying further and doing more damage. The infection has progressed because the body wasn’t able to handle it completely by itself. When the bacteria stop growing the body then has a fighting chance to heal the tissues and kill the remaining bacteria. What does medicine do to help the body to heal? Most of the time, nothing. The doctor relies on the body doing the rest of the job by itself. What can you do to speed recovery and assure better repair? Traditionally, herbals, vitamins and minerals, rest, good nutrition, acupuncture and physical therapies will help. Also, now medical magnetic fields can be used.

Medical magnetic fields have been found in extensive research in Europe, in humans and all kinds of animal species, to have many positive actions in the body. The medical magnetic fields work by stimulating the acupuncture system, the immune system of the body, improving circulation and oxygen levels in tissues, relaxing muscles, stimulating tissue healing, healing fractures and strengthening bones faster, decreasing nerve irritability, removing swelling, decreasing clotting and improving cell metabolism. Some very strong medical magnetic fields can actually stimulate muscles and nerves – used for incontinence, rebuilding muscles, nerves and depression.

How can something do all these seemingly different actions? The primary reason is because medical magnetic fields affect many molecular actions in the body and the movement of various ions, including calcium, and also increase nitric oxide, recently awarded the title of the molecule of the decade. Calcium ions are not just in bones. They are involved in a large number of cellular chemical processes, too numerous to list here.

What kinds of medical magnetic fields can people use to get these benefits? Medical magnetic fields are produced by both permanent (static) magnets and pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF’s). There have been many popular stories about permanent magnets and many are now available commercially – from various wraps, mattresses, shoe inserts, bracelets, pads and so on. Important distinctions among them are how much of the body they cover, the true strength of the magnet, the configuration of the field, flexibility and usefulness and length of time to be used. Some have more research available on them than others. These magnets have to be stronger than the earth’s field. Since the field of a magnet drops off in strength very rapidly, consideration has to be given to the strength of the magnet and the depth in the body of the tissue to be treated.

PEMFs are produced by special machines that generate specific electromagnetic signals found to have beneficial medical effects. Important distinctions among them are how much of the body they cover, the strength and configuration of the field(s), flexibility and usefulness, length of time to be used, frequencies and waveforms. PEMFs can produce actions in the body even with fields that are much weaker than the earth’s. Many of the actions from PEMFs can be usually be expected to happen faster than with static magnets. Also, PEMFs have actions that static or permanent magnets don’t have. These wave-like or resonance fields act like “throwing pebbles in a pond”. The action continues long after the field is removed. Low frequency, low strength PEMFs were the first magnetic devices to be approved by the FDA in the 1980’s. The first were for healing fractures that didn’t unite. New higher strength ones are used to stimulate muscles and nerves. Others are very high frequency and have been used to decrease pain, swelling and heal wounds.

Static magnets and PEMFs can be used together. Since PEMFs are used for short durations, 8 to 30 minutes typically, additional benefit may be obtained by using static magnets in between PEMF sessions, including over acupuncture points. Clearly, static magnets shouldn’t be used at the same time as a PEMF session.

Medical magnetic fields are very safe. Even the strongest magnetic fields, generated by MRI machines, have been found to be safe, except for very limited circumstances. Do not use medical magnetic fields, except under expert advice, when people have implanted electrical devices, like pacemakers and defibrillators. They are not advised to be used in pregnancy either, since safety has not been conclusively established. Low strength PEMFs are even safe with metallic implants, like hip and knee replacements.

To summarize, more and more medical care in the near future will include medical magnetic fields in all sorts of applications to heal the body. They will be used in conjunction with conventional medicine and other complementary health techniques. Many medical magnetic fields will be able to be applied by people themselves with or without direction or order by a physician or other practitioner. This is possible today because there is increasing information about this new technology and more equipment is becoming readily available at affordable prices.

An example of one of the leading pulsed magnetic field consumer products in the industry is the Quantron Resonance System. For information on this device please go to www.quantronmedicine.com. Note: all results and medical claims on this website originate from the research and experience of European doctors and patients. As yet, no medical claims are made or implied concerning use or application in the United States.

]]> 15872 https://healthy.net/2000/12/06/migraines/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=migraines Wed, 06 Dec 2000 13:28:02 +0000 https://healthy.net/2000/12/06/migraines/ Migraines


This frequently debilitating, recurring problem, more common in women, can
often be helped by complementary health care approaches. The prognosis
for migraine headaches is favorable if your doctor takes the time to perform
a thorough assessment and helps you learn to avoid migraine triggers, along
with developing an individualized program for you which addresses the underlying
biochemical factors in your system which increase the likelihood of migraines.
With proper understanding of your nutritional status, your hormonal status,
the stressors in our life, and your personal history with migraine (including
therapies tried), your “alternative” health care provider will
be able to develop a course of metabolic therapy for you. If you have frequent
and severe migraines it is important to “rule-out” certain conditions.
Make sure your doctor assures you that you don’t have any of the following:

• Brain tumor.
  
  
• Hemangioma.
  
  
• Carotid aneurysm.
  
  
• Meniere’s disease.
  
  
• Seizure disease.

Conventional medicine frequently cannot provide relief for your mjigraines.
So, you’re turned to a good resource for exploring other options. Whatever
method you choose, please stick with it for a minimum of three months.
It is critical to give a new therapy a chance to work.



What kind of Physical Medicine can you use to help migraines?

The breath is a good place to start changing any old pattern. Try doing
relaxation breathing, with consciously slow, deep, even breaths, at some
regular time during the day, every day. Also, regular aerobic exercise
is known to decrease the frequency of migraines. Choose an aerobic activity
that’s fun for you, such as hiking, Nordic track, volleyball, or whatever,
and do it 3 times a week for at least 20 minutes.



Hydrotherapy, described at length in the Introduction to Modalities section,
can be very helpful with migraines. Here are some key concepts:

• apply cold wet packs to head, forehead and back of neck. This creates
  constriction of the blood vessels and reduces the rushing of blood into
  the head, which is frequently a cause of migraines.

  
  

• rub finger tips on head, especially around the temples and the nape
  of the neck, after dipping them in ice water.

  
  

• soak feet in a hot foot bath with apple cider vinegar and peppermint,
  to draw blood down to the feet, cleanse the blood and cool it down (with
  the mint).

  
  

• for a severe headache, alternate applications of hot and cold wet,
  wrung out towels to the head and face. Always end with cold.

  
  

• hot hip bath, to draw the blood down from the head.

  
  

• alternating hot and cold hip baths

  
  

• ice pack to head

  
  

• some folks get instant relief by taking a cool enema, because often
  migraines are created by toxic wate build-up in the digestive tract.

Also, make sure your spine is in alignment, especially the cervical, or
upper 7, vertebrae. Check with your local osteopath, naturopath or chiropractor.
Some folks find relief from the use of therapeutic ultrasound to the neck
area. Others use a micro-current device called TENS (“transcutaneous
electrical nerve stimulator”) which applies a tiny frequency to the
affected nerves, causing conduction to be blocked and pain to be relieved.
TENS units are also believed to stimulate the production of endorphins,
the body’s own natural painkillers. This unit is widely used in doctors’
offices, but can easily be used at home. Your doctor may be able to rent
or lend you a TENS unit, or help to to purchase one.



Can Herbal Medicine Provide Relief From Migraines?

Plant medicine has been used for as long as man has begun to fashion tools
from his natural surroundings. Many plants have particular biochemical
properties, usually alkaloids (so called because they render the system
less acid, and more alkaline), which can contol pain, as well as many other
therapeutic effects. Medicinal plants which have analgesic (pain-killing)
action can be toxic, sometimes at what would seem a small dose. Please
consult with a qualified herbalist, naturopath or botanically trained pharmacist
before experimenting with the following plant drugs:

• Atropa belladonna (the active ingridient, atropine, can be toxic
  in not very high doses) is useful for cerebral congestion, occipital or
  dull frontal ache with malaise, cool skin, mental sluggishness, and unpleasant
  dreams.

  
  

• Bryonia alba (White Bryony, can be toxic) for a frontal migraine,
  with pain around the eye sockets, for right-sided headache, tenderness on
  pressure, and made worse with any motion.

  
  

• Cimicifuga racemosa (Black cohosh) is good for congestive migraines,
  such as from colds, rheumatism, menstruation.

  
  

• Cnicus benedictus: (Blessed Thistle) is specific for strenthing the
  function of the liver. This botanical is useful for migraines due to hepatic
  problems, such as with a history of hepatitis or alcoholism.

  
  

• Gelsemium sempervirens (Yellow Jasmine, which may be toxic in high
  doses) is for migraines with acute excessive cerebral bloodflow, which
  presents with restlessness and excitability.
  
  
  
  
• Lavandula officinalis: (Lavender flower) is great for calming the
  nervous system. It works through the sense of smell. Rubbing a little
  lavender oil on yourr temples, or dropping some in the bath water can be
  extremely soothing. For the migraine associated with depression or poor
  digestion.

  
  

• Melilotus officinalis: (Melilot flower) for migraines with no known
  cause which come on in the cold and leave the entire head sore and tender
  to the touch.

  
  

• Nepeta cataria: (Catnip) for a nervous headache, because it acts
  as a sedative for both cats and humans!

  
  

• Passiflora incarnata: (Passion flower) is for the migraine due to
  an attack of nervousness, which presents with great fatigue and where the
  head feels “full.”

  
  

• Piscidia erythrina (Jamaican dogwood, can be toxic) for all kinds
  of head pain.

  
  

• Rosmarinus officinalis: (Rosemary) for the migraine associated with
  hypertension (high blood pressure).

  
  

• Salix spp.. (Willow, both black and white) for the inflammatory migraine.
  This is the plant from which aspirin (acetyl salicylic acid) was first
  derived, and like aspirin it reduces pain and inflammation.

  
  

• Scutellaria lateriflora: (Skullcap) is a sweet-tasting nerve soothing
  medical plant.

  
  

• Tanacetum parthenium (Feverfew) is for the migraine which improves
  with warm applications. This is a common garden plant and many people with
  chronic migraines can prevent them by eating two or three of the Feverfew
  leaves every day.

  
  

• Valeriana spp. (Valerian root), similar biochemically to valium,
  this plant is both sedative and stimulating and works well for the migraine
  due to nervous excitability.

  
  

• Viscum flavescens, album (Mistletoe. Beware, this plant is toxic
  in quite small doses) reduces the increased flow of blood to the brain typical
  of migraine states and works well for frequent headache with flushing of
  the face.

A terrific herbal tea formula to detoxify the system (often the only treatment
needed to prevent or reduce migraines) is:

1 part Chamomile

1 part Hops

1/2 part Skullcap

1/2 part Catnip

1/2 part Oatstraw

1/4 part Peppermint leaf

Your local herbalist can mix up this blend for you, or you can order it
ready-made from Frontier Herbs (1-800-669-3275). Brew one heaping tablespoon
to 1 cup just boiling water. Steep for 3-5 minutes then drink with a touch
of honey 2-3 times daily.



Can Diet and Nutrition Be Used Effectively To Help Migraines?

Yes, absolutely. It may be helpful to begin with a short (5-7 day) therapeutic
fast to rid the body of toxins. Some specific nutritional ideas are:

• if headache is in left side, squirt carrot juice into left nostril;
  if on right side, squirt into right nostril, if both sides affected, squirt
  into both nostrils

  
  

• drink lemon juice and 1/2 tbsp. baking soda mixed in glass of water.
  This will help balance the pH of your blood and flush out digestive wastes.
  

  
  

• With a 2 p.m. headache or evening headache try to increase potassium-rich
  foods such as various seaweeds (dulse, kelp), sunflower seeds, wheat germ,
  almonds, raising, parsley, dates, yams, soybeans, garlic and spinach.

  
  

• Take a teaspoon of honey in warm water each morning before eating.

Foods to avoid are:

• any food that causes a bad physical reaction, whether it be the migraine
  itself, or fatigue, or indigestion. Try to pay attention to your food intolerances,
  and ingest these culprit foods sparingly.

  
  

• spicy foods, alcohol, excess stimulation, coffee, caffeine, chocolate,
  fried foods, stimulating foods.

Sometimes diet alone is not enough. This is where supplementation with
specific vitamins, minerals or amino acids may be necessary, at least at
first, to bring your metabolism into balance so that you reduce the possibility
for the onset of a migraine. Here is a list of supplements which may help
you; but please consult with a qualified nutritionist or naturopathic physician
first:

• Vitamin B-complex inejcted into the muscle (IM) every 2-10 days
  
  
  
• omega-3 fatty acids (e.g. raw flax or linseed oil, 1 T daily)
  
  
• omega-6 fatty acids, found in fish, and olive oil
  
  
• Vitamin B3 , 500 mg at the onset of the migraine
  
  
• Magnesium 400-800 mg daily, as a muscle and nerve relaxant
  
  
• Quercetin , a concentrated bioflavonoid which will help with vascular
  tone so that the neck veins are less likely to become engorged with blood,
  500 mg/day

How Can Homeopathy Help Migraines?

Homeopathy is a form of “energy” medicine, which like Traditional
Chinese Medicine uses substances to stimulate your own innate power to heal.
Homeopathic medicine is often touted as the “medicine of the 20th
century” by its proponents because it uses miniscule doses of plants,
minerals or animal parts to produce “remedies” with very little
resultant environmental damage. The following remedies may be considered:

• Aconitum napellus for a headache that is hard to describe; comes
  with great violence: wild, tearing and burning in brain, scalp; with fear,
  fever and anguish; fullness, throbbing in left forehead and strong beats
  in right side by fits; skull feels constricted by the feeling of a band
  around the forehead.

  
  

• Anthracinum for a headache that feels as if a hot, searing pain was
  passing through head; for the migraine which creates dullness, confusion,
  dizziness, or loss of consciousness.

  
  

• Apis mellifica for a migraine which is primarily localized in the
  occiput, with occasional sharp shrieks; pains like bee-stings; no thirst,
  easy sweating; this migraine is worse from heat and a warm room; better
  in a cold room, in cold air, and with cold applications.

  
  

• Argent metallicum for the migraine that comes on at noon along with
  other troubles; pressing, burning pain in skull; the pain gets gradually
  more violent and then suddenly ceases.

  
  

• Argent nitricum for the migraine that includes an all-over ache and
  fatigue; plus a feeling of expansion, as if the head were enormously enlarged;
  the patient wants cold air, cold drinks, cold things; craves sweets; is
  beset by strange notions and impulses.

  
  

• Arnica montana for burning in head, the patient feels as though the
  brain were hot but the rest of body feels cool; a migraine with aching pains
  over eyes, radiating to the temples; pain shoots through the head from coughing,
  sneezing; or a migraine from injuries to the head, such as a concussion.

  
  

• Arsenicum album for periodic headache every other day, every 4th
  day, 7th, l4th; very congestive headache; chilly; the patient desires the
  body warm and the head cold; the head throbs, the patient complains of a
  burning feeling accompanied by restlessness and anxiety; has a slight thirst
  but drinks often, in sips and is worse after midnight.

  
  

• Belladonna for a migraine that presents with great violence, comes
  and departs suddenly, lasts indefinitely; congestion; throbbing in brain,
  violent throbbing and cutting stabs; worse from jerking motion (walking,
  going upstairs), stooping; bursting pain as if brain was pressed out; worse
  from noise, light, lying; better with pressure, drawing head back.

  
  

• Bryonia is the remedy to treat the patient who is worse from from
  any motion, cannot bear any disturbance, mental or physical; bursting or
  splitting or heavy crushing headache; fronto-occipital headache; irritable,
  thirsty; dry lips and mouth; worse from straining at stool.

  
  

• Calcarea carbonica has a headache picture of icy coldness in and
  on head, on vertex; heaviness in forehead; tearing headache above eyes down
  to nose; head numb as if wearing a cap; cold, damp feet; worse from milk.

  
  

• Cedronis is the remedy for attacks of headache which occur with clockwork
  regularity; sick headache every other day at 11a.m.

  
  

• Chamomilla for the congestive migraine with pressing, bursting pain,
  worse from thinking about it; the patient is irritable, capricious, oversensitive
  to pain; one side of the face is red, the other pale.

  
  

• Cinchona is also for congestive headache; the patient’s extremities
  are covered with cold sweat; feels a stitching pain from temple to temple;
  fluid loss, such as hemorrhages bring on this migraine; worse from draft,
  open air, sun, touch; better with hard pressure.

  
  

• Cocculus indicus has a headache which feels as if the skull would
  burst; the headache makes them feel unwell, and presents with vertigo;
  thought or smell of food nauseates; pulsating pains, vertex, temples, occiput
  or nape; worse from eating, drinking, sleeping; better with rest indoors;
  the least jarring movement is unbearable.

  
  

• Crotalus cascavella for the feeling that the skull compresses brain
  like an iron helmet; that something alive walks in a circle in the head;
  that a red-hot iron is stuck into vertex; pain lancinating to the right
  temple; this patient wakes up with a migraine; great excitement causes
  a migraine with nosebleed; icy feet and great coldness; has peculiar hallucinations.

  
  

• Epiphegus for the headache which presents when you are”tired
  out”; better with good sleep; constantly wants to spit.

  
  

• Eupatorium perfoliatum for a terrible sick headache on waking which
  lasts all day; pain in occiput; must use hands to raise head; pain is throbbing,
  shooting, darting, thumping.

  
  

• Gelsemium is another remedy for a congestive headache; most violent
  in occiput; headache due to nervous tension, presents with nausea in the
  temples and over eyes; worse from vomiting; better with copious urination;
  the patient want to lie bolstered up in bed.

  
  

• Glonoinum (which is homeopathic nitroglycerine) is for the migraine
  that feels like an upward rush of blood; waves of terrible bursting, pulsating
  head pain; worse from bending head backward and from sunstroke, worse from
  having haircut; the patient holds head with both hands.

  
  

• Heloderma is the remedy for a very violent headache, pressure as
  if the skull too full, as if a tumor is forming and pressing inside skull;
  burning in brain, or sensation of a cold band around the head; intense arctic
  coldness, as if being frozen to death from within outwards.

  
  

• Iris versicolor is one of the best prescriptions for headache due
  to stomach or liver problems; always begins with blur in front of the eyes;
  this migraine may cause nausea and vomiting, burning of the tongue, throat,
  esophagus and stomach; profuse secretion of ropy saliva; or vomiting spells
  every month or 6 weeks.

  
  

• Lachesis treats the violent congestive migraine with vomiting and
  loss of sight; throbbing, bursting, sun headache (chronic), better with
  pressure on vertex, sleeps into headache (dreads to sleep); better with
  any discharge, worse from suppressing discharges (such as using antihistamines).
  Usually a left sided migraine.

  
  

• Mercurius solubilis is for a migraine that makes the head feel full,
  with a bursting feeling; as if the head were constricted by a band, as if
  in a vice, worse at night; the headache is most painful around the nose
  and eyes; worse from cold, damp, draft, cold or warm room; dirty feeling,
  offensive taste on tongue and in mouth; offensive sweat.

  
  

• Natrum muriaticum is one of the best remedies for chronic headache;
  dreadful pain, bursting, compressing as if in a vice; may start at 10-11a.m.
  until 3p.m. or into the evening; periodic, every day or 3rd or 4th day,
  better with sleep (dark and quiet); the patient feels relief from sweating.
  

  
  

• Nux vomica has a headache connected with gastric, hepatic, abdominal
  or hemorrhoidal troubles; migraine comes on waking, or rising, after eating,
  in open air, on moving eyes; headache of sedentary persons, after coffee;
  the patient is oversensitive and touchy; better with head wrapped up, covered,
  lying down, with warmth and heat.

  
  

• Phosphorus is the remedy for aa migraine which is congestive and
  throbbing, worse from heat, motion, lying down, better with rest. The patient
  is chilly and worse from cold but wants cold drinks in the stomach and cold
  applications to the head; craves ice; this migraine is particularly voilent
  when the patient is hungry; violent neuralgic pain (darting, tearing, shooting
  ), periodic headache with stiffness of face and jaws; worse from noise and
  light.

  
  

• Psorinum patients are always hungry during the migraine; they may
  present with a symptom picture in which the headache alternates with a hacking
  cough; if this patient goes without a meal, they may develop a full-blown
  migraine which feels full at the vertex as if the brain would burst out;
  especially in the morning, it feels as if there is no room in forehead for
  brain; better with after washing and eating.

  
  

• Pulsatilla is the remedy for a throbbing congestive headache; when
  the head is hot, and the patient feels better with cold applications or
  slowly walking in open air; the onset of the migraine may be connected with
  menses and overeating; the patient is thirstless, weeps esaily, has moods
  swings, is better with motion, worse from heat.

  
  

• Rhus toxicodendron (homeopathic poison ivy) is the remedy for the
  migraine which makes the patient feel stupefied, intoxicated; as though
  there were a weight in head; the patient feels that when stooping a weight
  falls forward into forehead drawing the head down; she must hold her head
  up straight to relieve this strange feeling; on waking and opening eyes
  she gets violent headaches; in children this migraine may come on from being
  cold or damp, or wetting their bed.

  
  

• Sanguinaria is for a sick headache; pain starts the occiput, spreads
  over head to right eye, with nausea and vomiting; a migraine comes on every
  3rd or 7th day; sun headache; from morning to night, increasing all day,
  with nausea, chills, vomiting of bile; better with lying down in the dark,
  sleep; the palms and soles feel as though they were on fire.

  
  

• Sepia for the migraine, particuarly in a woman, which may be described
  as nervous, bilious (due to indigestion or heartburn), periodic, or violent;
  better with lying and quiet, often cured by sleep, violent motion (such
  as energetic dancing), long walks in open air; worse from stooping, coughing,
  jarring, light, thinking, smell of food.

  
  

• Silica for a chronic sick headache with nausea, even vomiting; begins
  nape of the neck, goes forward over vertex to eyes, especially right eye;
  better with pressure, lying down, wrapping head up warmly, heat, profuse
  urination; the patient is chilly, sweats much on their face and feet.

  
  

• Spigelia is the sun-induced migraine which starts every morning with
  sunrise, gets worse till noon, gradually decreases till sunset; even on
  cloudy days; pain from occiput to eyes, especially left; worse from all
  movements, noise jar; intolerable pains in eyeballs, eyes feel too large
  for their sockets.

  
  

• Sulphur migraines make the patient feel they’re burning everywhere;
  there may be a “tight hat” sensation; better with head uncovered;
  throbbing; periodic sick headache; once a week or every 2 weeks with characteristic
  seven day aggravation; Sunday headache; worse from motion, eating, drinking;
  patient is hungry when they wake up and “starving” by l0 a.m.

  
  

• Thuja occidentalis feels as if a nail were driven into vertex, severe
  stitches in left temporal region; boring, pressing in head; pulsating in
  temples; hthe patient is not inclined to speak; they have a dull, stupefying
  headache, better with bending head back, worse from stooping, tea and onions;
  this remedy has cured the most severe and chronic headaches which come on
  after getting vaccinated.

  
  

• Veratrum album for when the head feels as if packed in ice; feels
  as if a sheet of ice lies on the vertex and occiput; neuralgic headache
  of great violence; violent pains drive the patient to despair, they collapse
  with nervous fatigue, maybe they faint or break out in a cold sweat.

Can Acupuncture Provide Relief From Migraines?

Another form of “energy” medicine is the ancient scientific art
of acupuncture. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a 3000+ year old
system of diagnosis and therapeutics which works primarily in stimulating
the body’s natural “vital force” (known as Qi – pronounced chee).
There are several areas of TCM, including diet and nutrition, acupuncture
and moxibustion (a stick of compressed mugwort which is burned and held
close to the body to insert Qi into the area of distress), Qi Gong (slow
breath and movement exercises) and medicinal herbs. Chinese medicinal
herbs to be considered to prevent or perhaps even remedy migraines are listed
below. Please consult with a qualified acupuncturist (certified from the
NCCA) or Chinese herbalist. The following selection of Chinese herbal combinations,
brewed into the “soup” medicine, may be selected for you:

• Pinellia and Gastrodia C. (Ban Xia Bai Zhu Tian Ma Tang): Spleen
  Qi Xu (Deficiency) with Spleen Distressed by Dampness: chronic headache
  with dizziness, cold extremities and vomiting

  
  

• Minor Bupleurum F. (Xiao Chai Hu Tang): Liver Qi Stagnation.

  
  

• Cnidium and Tea F. (Chuan Xiong Cha Tiao San): Wind: headache in
  any part of the head with fever an chills, dizziness, nasal congestion

  
  

• Evodia C. (Wu Zhu Yu Tang) plus cnidium (chuan xiong) and ginger
  (gan jiang): Stomach Deficient and Cold: dry heaves or spitting of clear
  fluids with vertex headache

  
  

• Bupleurum and Peony F. (Jia Wei Xiao Yao San or Dan Zhi Xiao Yao
  San): Liver Qi Stagnation with Spleen Qi Xu (Deficiency) and Heat.

  
  

• Tang Kuei, Evodia and Ginger C. (Dang Gui Si Ni Jia Wu Zhu Yu Sheng
  Jiang Tang): Xue Xu (Blood Deficiency) and Yang Xu (Deficiency) with Internal:weak
  constitution, cold extremeties, nausea and vomiting, extremely thin pulse

  
  

• Coptis and Rhubarb C. (Xie Xin Tang); Niu Huang Jiang Ya Wan (patent):
  Liver Yang Rising: flushed face, red eyes, dark urine, constipation, greasy
  yellow tongue coat

  
  

• Chuan Qiong Cha Tiao Wan (patent): Wind-Cold; headache in these locations:
  sides of head (Xiao Yang), top of head (Jue Yin), forehead (Yang Ming),
  back of head, neck/upper back (Tai Yang)

  
  

• Tian Ma Wan (patent): Wind-Cold with Xue (Blood) Stagnation

  
  

• Ci Wu Jia Pian (patent): Qi Xu (Deficiency) with Kidney Jing Xu (Essence
  Deficiency)

  
  

• Cnidium 9 (patent): Xue (Blood) Stagnation

  
  

• Uncaria 6 (patent) plus Salvia Shou Wu (patent): Hypertensive headache

The Chinese often eat a fish head soup with Gastrodia and Ligusticum (available
in most good Chinese restaurants) for chronic migraines. There are also
many acupoints useful for treating migraines. One of the most famous points
is located in the fleshy web of the thumbs (Large Intestine 4). In fact,
you can squeeze this area to stimulate a bowel movement (which in itself
will help relieve the migraine) and to reduce the pain of a migraine, especially
if is presents in the lower face. For the migraine which focuses on the
eyes and upper face, a point 2 inches up from the wrist (Triple Warmer 5)
will curtail pain, and so will a point below the base of the big toe (Liver
3). For migaiens which come on more frequently with the change of seasons,
a very effective point is called “Wind Gate” (Gall Bladder 20),
located at the top of the neck, just below the hairline on either side of
the thick muscles which run up from the back. These points can also be
effectively pressed for relief. Some people find great relief from putting
two tennis balls inside an old stocking and tying them together. You can
then lie on your back on the floor, preferably in a dark and quiet room,
with the tennis balls pressing into the top of the neck. Your local acupuncturist
will give you a constitutional work-up, looking at your tongue and feeling
your pulses, before deciding on the correct point combination to remedy
your migraine.

What About Using Guided Imagery or Meditation For Migraine Relief?

Migraines, obviously, are located in the head, and therefore both affect
and are affected by your mental condition. Many people find a psychological
approach to relaxation the very best way to handle migraines. Consider
the following metaphors and correlations between the migraine and your mental/emotional
wellbeing. Perhaps some of these ideas will provide insight as to buried
sources of stress which continue to create physical problems. Knowing yourself,
and acting responsibly upon that knowledge, is an important key to restoring
balance and vitality.

• You may feel that something has to be accomplished or achieved or
  some goal reached. This sense of need may create a migraine which doesn’t
  relax until after the effort is exerted.
  

  
  

• Perhaps your migraine is because you dislike against being driven;
  you’re resisting the flow of life.

  
  

• Migraine headaches are often involved with anger.

  
  

• Chronic pain syndrome develops as a result of having chronically
  negative attitudes and/or unconscious emotional response mechanisms that
  keep a person continually in stress. Chronic attitude problems are so much
  a part of a person’s self-image that he or she does not recognize them as
  separate from the personality. Nothing is more difficult to identify than
  our assumed ‘natural’ ways of being in the world that are essentially patterns
  we have developed to help us cope. Certain body parts suceptible to chronic
  negative patterns include the spine, the stomach (as in ulcers), and the
  head (tension and migraine headaches).

  
  

• Perhaps you have sexual fears. This migraine can usually be relieved
  by masturbation.

  
  

• Migraine, according to some psychology researchers, is always a
  displacement of sexuality into the head. Whereas sufferers from tension
  headaches are trying to separate their heads from their bodies, migraine
  patients are transferring one particular bodily theme, sexuality, into their
  heads and trying to live it out at this level instead. Sexual expression
  exists on both of the possible poles: either patients have banished their
  sexuality from their lives (“I don’t want to have anything to do with
  such things”), or they are anxious to impress on everybody what a marvelous
  sex life they have.

  
  

• Physiologically, a migraine attack is in some ways like an orgasm
  in the head, as tension reverts to relaxation (dilation of the blood vessels)
  at climax. Sometimes several orgasms are necessary for relaxation to set
  in and the attack to come to an end. It is also relevant that digestive
  disturbances and constipation are high on the list of migraine patients’
  side-symptoms; in other words such people are ‘closed up’ at the lower level.
  Married couples tend to use their ‘migraines’ as an excuse for not having
  sex.

Are There Any Subtle Energy Medicine Techniques Effective For Migraines?

Flower essences, popularized earlier this century by the British physician
Edward Bach, are especially helpful for migraines induced by some kind of
emotional upset. The following may be considered, although it will probably
be more effective for you to consult with someone trained in the use of
flower essences:

• cerato
  
  
• centaury
  
  
• holly
  
  
• red chestnut
  
  
• hornbeam
  
  
• white chestnut
  
  
• scleranthus
  
  
• gentian
  
  
• oak
  
  
• aloe vera
  
  
• angelica
  
  
• bleeding heart
  
  
• chaparrel
  
  
• vine
  
  
• mimulus
  
  
• water violet
  
  
• pine
  
  
• cherry plum, or
  
  
• rescue remedy which is the widely used combination flower essence
  formula useful for any symptom caused by emotional trauma. Works great
  for kids who get minor scrapes and bruises, but cry hysterically because
  they are startled, or want attention. Comes in a creme or droplet (weak
  alcohol tincture) form.

A newer form of vibrational medicine is the use of sound for healing. Some
health care providers with specail training can determine “missing”
tones from the patient’s voice, and then use a machine to produce the missing
tone, thus filling in the harmonic spectrum of the patient’s major form
of expression (the voice), thus restoring balance and vitality, and presumably
helping relieve any symptoms of distress. A qualified sound therapist may
help reduce or eliminate your migraines.



Color, either by wearing clothes of certain colors, or placing claer plastic
colored gels over light sources in your environment, can reduce all sorts
of physical, mental and emotional ailments. In particular, for migraines,
the following colors should be considered. During the migraine:

• purple raises the threshold of pain and is soporific if directed
  towards the face, throat and chest.

  
  

• scarlet can raise blood pressure via three effects: vascoconstrictor,
  raises heart rate, calms the kidneys. Be careful, however, because migraines
  are more usually associated with higher blood flow. For those with migraines
  due to decreased blood flow, scarlet may be effectively directed towards
  the face may for relief.

• lemon (helps to dissolve blood clots) and yellow (acts on the motor
  nerves, thereby helping to energize muscles; acts on the lymphatic system
  as it is a mild tissue stimulant) for 2 weeks, then

  
  

• lemon and orange (as decongestants) for 4 weeks

  
  

• this is repeated for as long as is necessary

• blue over the liver for 5 minutes

  
  

• blue on the face

• Ruby
  
  
• Cat’s Eye
  
  
• Sapphire
  
  
• Amethyst
  
  
• Sugulite

The Device and Method

All EDSDs share the same basic design and functional use. The core is an ohm meter which delivers 10-12 microamperes of direct current at 1-1.25 volts. Since the ionization potential of hydrogen atoms is 1.36 volts, this is perfectly safe. In most devices the meter is calibrated to read from 0 to 100 so that the standard skin resistance of 100 kilo-ohms reads 50. Zero represents infinite resistance and 100 indicates zero resistance at this electrical potential. Some devices read from 0 to 200 and 100 indicates normal skin resistance (14,15).
The testing probe is an insulated body with a tip of brass or silver connected to the positive side of the circuit. This, held by the operator, is pressed firmly on the patient’s skin at the measurement point. A brass hand electrode is held by the patient and connected to the negative side of the circuit. A metal plate, for medicine testing, is inserted between the EDSD and the patient’s hand electrode (Figure 1).

Figure 1. A simple schematic diagram of an EDSD. Training in the use of the probe is essential (3). Point location must be accurate, and the probe must be applied at the correct angle. Appropriate pressure must be applied during measurement which may take as long as 60 seconds. This pressure can be from 600 to 2000 PSI depending on tip design and may create a temporary dimple. It may be slightly uncomfortable but should not be painful. Moistening the probe tip and the hand electrode ensures good electrical contact. Repeated measurements, the time taken for each and the time between them affects readings (16) (Figures 2 and 3). Figure 2. Photograph of a point measurement. Figure 3. Photograph of a patient during a four quadrants measurement. Measuring involves two components, the initial reading, which is generally the highest, and what is known as the indicator drop (ID), a gradual fall in the original reading. An initial reading of aproximately 50, followed by little or no ID is considered to be “balanced.” Initial readings over 60 may indicate inflammation of the connected system. Readings below 45 may indicate degeneration. When an ID is present it is considered to provide the most important information as an indi-cator of system disease. Using “medicine testing,” the ID can be used to define the cause of imbalance (Figure 4). Figure 4. Five examples of typical readings taken with the EDSD. There are 850 measurement points (4) on the body, but most mea-surements use points along 40 meridians on the hands and feet, gen-erally located between the diaphysis and capitulum of the phalanx, metacarpal or metatarsal bones (Figure 5). Figure 5. Examples of measurement point locations on the right foot. Voll discovered new meridians, new measuring points and new functions of existing points, although his understanding and use of meridians was generally in agreement with Chinese tradition. His “new” meridians relate to joints, skin, fibrous and fatty tissues, se-rous membranes, pyramidal and autonomic nervous systems, lymph system, capillary circulation and allergic reactions. Branch points, many of which were discovered by Voll, help in pin-pointing the exact location of abnormal function. For example, the branch points on the two heart meridians, one on each hand, include all the heart valves, the conduction system and coronary arteries. By combining readings from different points, a more exact definition of the affected tissue is possible. The EDST begins with examination of whole-body energy levels represented in 4 quadrants, hand-to-hand, foot-to-foot, right hand-to-foot and left hand-to-foot, using brass tube hand and brass plate foot electrodes. The probe is then used at the control measurement points (CMP) to determine the general condition of a meridian. Branch points are checked if there is a positive reading at the CMP or if symptoms suggest it, regardless of CMP readings. When an ID oc-curs, various reagents can be tested by placing them one by one on the test plate in the circuit in an effort to restore balance by abolish-ing the ID. Each reagent sample is sealed in a glass container. Selection of test reagents is based on medical knowledge and experience and may require a combination. Reagents that abolish the ID may be found to be appropriate as a medication or as a nutritional supplement. No change suggests ineffective choice, while an increased ID suggests that the choice would be harmful. For example, in a diabetic, a proper dose of insulin would improve or abolish the ID, whereas refined sugar would increase it. Medicine testing is controversial but may be the most promising aspect of the EDSS (12,13,17). Voll, who discovered the phenomenon, used it in conjunction with homeopathy and its effectiveness in testing homeopathic remedies has been published (16,18). They are particularly useful reagents since they are prepared in various dilutions which increases the likelihood of finding an appropriate “resonance,” to be discussed below. This kind of procedure has been shown to be effective in testing herbal and allopathic drugs (18,19) and is successful in testing for allergy (20,21), the presence of environmental xenobiotics like insecticides (22) and the effect of biologically active substances. Theoretical Basis and Holistic Approach The EDSS is based on electromagnetic physics and quantum mechanics and this is well documented (23-25). Bio-energy, bio-information and harmonic resonance represent the biophysical foundation of its use. All living creatures generate energy containing biological information which flows in specific tracks throughout the organism. The cell mass in a given organ creates informational energy when the organ functions, giving rise to resonance. There is therefore a direct relationship between quality of organ function and the energy generated. The initial reading in the EDST measures the energy generated by the connected system. The form and time elapsed in the ID and its manipulation through medicine testing represent the information contained. If system function is normal there will be electrical equilibrium between the EDSD generated voltage and the system. There will be no ID. On the other hand, if the system cannot maintain equilibrium, resistance will increase and there will be an ID. During medicine testing, it is the informational energy in the reagent that causes equilibrium to be established, thus abolishing the ID. Bio-energy and its relationship with acupuncture points and meridians has been confirmed (26-28). Areas of increased electrical conductivity on the skin are known to correspond with them (29-32) and scintillation scanning of radioactive tracers injected at acupuncture points reveals patterns of energy flow separate from blood and lymph circulation (33). A definite relationship has been shown to exist between a meridian and its associated system and other bio-energetic relationships have been found to exist between the exterior and interior of the body (34-38). Bio-information research is new, but all matter has its own unique vibratory signal (39). It is possible to record the vibrational information of a given substance in water and use the water for treatment (40,41), information which can also be carried by photon and electron beams (42). Storage and transport of this information is almost certainly biophysical rather than biochemical, though its exact nature is still uncertain. Theories include L-fields (43) and biophoton emission (44). A plausible mechanism for medicine testing has been suggested (45) based upon quasi phase matching, or resonance, between the test system and the reagent. Chen (personal communication) has suggested that all biological systems communicate through similar quantum-mechanical processes. It has been suggested that resonance energy of this nature is dispersed throughout the body so that resonance of one organ has a profound influence on function of other organs and systems. Thus, every system influences and is influenced by other systems. Any organ dysfunction affects the whole body and this always needs consideration in therapy. As an analogy, one violinist in a large orchestra playing out of tune will make the whole violin section sound bad. Should the other violinists in the section decide to play out of tune with their colleague, the section will then be in tune with each other, but not with the orchestra, causing maladjustments by musicians in other sections. This generally does not happen in an orchestra because all its musicians know what harmonic values they need to produce in relationship to each other and constantly adjust. Constant adjustment, or “tuning,” in the body maintains the harmony of normal function. Disease is induced by a lack of harmony, and abnormal function in any part of the body affects the whole organism, sometimes resulting in secondary dysfunction. This is particularly true of degenerative diseases such as AIDS and cancer. Mainstream medicine emphasizes structure and function, rarely addressing the electro-chemical mechanisms affecting the whole organism. For this reason it is usually incapable of effectively treating such conditions. The EDSS addresses whole body function because the bio-information read by the EDSD provides factual data which reflect on the condition of every part of the body. Using a computer, these data can be stored and analyzed, permitting repeated evaluations over time and even across generations. Current Research We have completed over 20 studies using the EDSS, 8 of which are translated into English. In the first study, 11 patients receiving treatment in a family practice were observed. Conditions seen included peptic ulcer, appendicitis, chronic chorea, and cancer of the colon, breast and uterus. In every case, readings taken with EDSD matched standard diagnostic tests (46). In another study, allergy symptoms were assessed by standard diagnostic methods. Testing with EDST correlated closely with accepted criteria, particularly the food rechallenge test, considered the most reliable method of testing for food allergies (20). After further refinement of the EDST and standardization of the EDSD, data from 483 healthy individuals were studied (47). Quadrant measurements, which assess general biologic energy, did relate to age and sex. Point measurement did not, not particularly surprising since they represent energy and balance in a specific system at the time of measurement. Little or no variation due to these two variables would be expected. We have studied chronic fatigue syndrome (48), and pesticide exposure (22). Measurement readings at points representing circulation improved significantly after half an hour of chi-kung meditation exercise (49). We have reported on two major studies in diabetes mellitus (50,51) and one on hypertension (52). It was clearly shown that it was possible to differentiate normal from abnormal organ and system function by measuring bioenergy at a few specific points. EDST as a Screening Tool It is possible to control sensitivity and specificity for screening purposes. In the hypertension study (52), readings were taken on all 428 subjects at the 40 CMPs and 24 branch points. A logistic regression model was used to analyze the measurements. Readings at 10 points were found to be affected by hypertension much more than the other points, most of which were on the pericardium meridian. These 10 points were then used to create a screening model for hypertension and the data originally collected were reassessed using this model. If a positive reading were defined as an ID of only 2 or more, more positive tests would indicate screening relatively high sensitivity and low specificity. If only IDs of at least 5 or more were considered positive, screening specificity would increase and sensitivity decrease. The range of possible results of various combinations of screening criteria is defined with a statistical value called the cutoff value. When the cut-off value of the hypertension screening mode is 0.53, the correction rate is 73.42%, sensitivity 47.93X, specificity 89.23% and odd value is 7.62. Any cut-off value, that is any point along the x-axis, could be selected (Figure 6), thus determining specificity and sensitivity. Figure 6. Possible screening results attained using an EDSD based hypertension screening process. Although increased specificity results in false negative readings and increased sensitivity increases false positives, the flexibility offered by this system is invaluable, particularly when medical resources are at a minimum. Integration of Holistic and Modern Medicine As we have said, many diseases can only be understood and properly treated by analysis of the whole patient. Although traditional and modern methods are used together by many physicians, the two methods have never been fully integrated. This is possible with the EDSS because it is historically connected to Chinese medical tradition which shares similarities with traditional medicine as practiced throughout the world. It is also truly modern and has a scientific foundation, is computerized, and produces data that are quantifiable and reproducible. Based on advanced physics, it is arguably more modern than the mechanistic and biochemical models that dominate current medical thought. At our clinic, a comprehensive method of studying new patients has been developed. Quadrant measurements determine the general balance of the whole body, and CMP measurements determine the balance of the 20 meridians. Medicine testing is used to determine the cause of any imbalanced meridians. The aging process is monitored by measuring the levels of contaminants in the body, the free radicals or homotoxins in Reckeweg’s homotoxological theory (53). Emotional states and moods are monitored by measuring the electrodermal reaction to floral essence samples. This assessment takes approximately 2 hours, giving body/mind information and environmental effects all at the same time, offering a complete picture of the patient. By selecting the best components from holistic and allopathic methodology perhaps the question of matter versus energy might be settled as an approach to treatment. Acknowledgments The author would like to thank Professors Kuo-Gen Chen and BinHsin Yang, and Dr. F.M.K. Lam Jr. for technical assistance; also Christopher Chalfant for his help in editing. This research was made possible with the support of the Foundations for East-West Medicine, Taipei and Honolulu. * Dr. Julia J. Tsuei received her medical education in China, Taiwan and the United States, and is a diplomat of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She has participated in family planning and maternal-child health activities in the WHO and USAID and is a past professor at the University of New York and the University of Hawaii. She currently is at National Yangming University, Taiwan, where she established the Graduate Institute of Traditional Medicine in the School of Medicine. She established the foundations for East-West Medicine in Taipei and Honolulu in 1989, to research the integration of traditional and contemporary medicine. Julia J. Tsuei, MD, FACOG, National Yangming University, School of Medicine, Graduate Institute of Traditional Medicine, #155 Li-Noon Rd., Sec. 2 Shihpai, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C. References 1. Bell-Krotoski J. Advances in sensibility evaluation. Hand Clin 1991,7:527-46. 2. Kaptchuk TJ. The Web That Has No Weaver: Understanding Chinese Medicine. New York, Congdon and Weed, 1983. 3. Kenyon JN. Modern Techniques of Acupuncture: A Practical Scientific Guide to ElectroAcupuncture, Vol. I. New York, Thorsons Publishers Inc., 1983. 4. Voll R: The 850 Eav Measurement Points of the Meridians And Vessels Including The Secondary Vessels. Uelzen, Germany, Medizinisch Literarische Verlagsgesellschaft, 1983. 5. Voll R. Topographic Positions of the Measurement Points in Electroacupuncture, Illustrated vol. I. Uelzen, Germany, Medizinisch Literarische Verlagsgesellschaft, 1976. 6. Voll R. Topographic Positions of the Measurement Points in Electroacupuncture, Textual vol. Uelzen, Germany, Medizinisch Literarische Verlagsgesellschaft, 1977. 7. Voll R. Topographic Positions of the Measurement Points in Electroacupuncture, Illustrated vol. II. Uelzen, Germany, Medizinisch Literarische Verlagsgesellschaft, 1977. 8. Voll R. Topographic Positions of the Measurement Points in Electroacupuncture, Textual and Illustrated vol. III. Uelzen, Germany, Medizinisch Literarische Verlagsgesellschaft, 1978. 9. Voll R. 1st Supplement to the Four Volumes on the Topographic Positions of the Measurement Points in Electroacupuncture (EAV). Uelzen, Germany, Medizinisch Lite rari sche Verl agsge sell sch aft, 1 9 78. 10. Voll R. Measurement Points of the Electroacupuncture According to Voll on the Hands and Feet. Uelzen, Germany, Medizinisch Literarische Verlagsgesellschaft, 1982. 11. Voll R. 2nd Supplement: EAV-Measurement Points for the Eye and Its Protective and Auxiliary Organs-New Base Therapy for the Treatment of Diseases of the Eye. Uelzen, Germany, Medizinisch Literarische Verlagsgesellschaft, 1983. 12. Leonhardt H. Fundamentals of Electroacupuncture According to Voll. Uelzen, Germany, Medizi nisch Literari sche Verl agsgesell sch aft, 1 98 0 . 13. Voll R. Twenty years of electroacupuncture diagnosis in Germany: a progressive report. Am J Acupunct 1975;3:7-17 14. Tiller WA. On the evolution of electrodermal diagnostic treatment instruments. J of Advancement in Med 1988;1:41-72. 15. Tsuei JJ, Lam Jr. F and Zhao Z. Studies in bioenergetic correlations-bioenergetic regulatory measurement instruments and devices. Am J Acupunct 1988;16:345349. 16. van Wijk R. Wiegant F. Homeopathic Remedies and Pressure-induced Changes in the Galvanic Resistance of the Skin. Utrecht, State University Utrecht, 1989. 17. Baker DW. 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There are some variations in the construction and performance of EDSDs, but all share the same basic design (Fig. 3). The core of the EDSD is an ohm meter designed to deliver approximately 10-12 microamperes of direct electrical current at 1-1.25 volts, a perfectly safe amount. (The ionization potential of hydrogen atoms is 1.36 volts; only at this level and above could any physical damage occur.) On the majority of the devices the meter is calibrated to read from 0 to 100 such that the standard skin resistance of 100 kilo-ohms reads 50. The minimum value of zero represents infinite resistance (no electrical conductivity), and the maximum value of 100 indicates zero resistance at the given voltage and amperage. Some of the devices use a range of 0 to 200, with 100 being normal skin resistance. [12]

Figure 3: A simple schematic diagram of an EDSD