Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF therapy)

BigFairy

Ouch. Thanks for sharing i guess.

JerryToo

I did some research on the Web and found a home unit which is not portable like the one I used and has to be plugged in to house power. Check out the prices for this device that is manufactured in Israel. It seems to be a good size company and they claim to have sold a lot of these devices to hospitals and physicians.

With these prices it would not be affordable unless one had insurance coverage for it. I don't know if this type of thing is approved by any insurance plan in the U.S. Evidently they don't require an Rx because I requested and got the price list and order sheet.

I have exed out the name of the company in case that would violate any forum rules.

***********************************
QTY Home Systems Price

xxxxxxx Home System
Complete with 14” x 14” therapy pad and 24” x 63” mattress

$3,275.00
____________________________________
Professional Systems Price

xxxxxxx Universal Therapy unit
Order at least one applicator with the unit

$3,295.00

xxxxxx Comprehensive Therapy unit
Order at least one applicator with the unit
Professional software and USB cable for PC / Laptop included

$4,595.00
Applicator: Therapy pad 20” x 28” $495.00
Applicator: Full body mattress 26” x 71” $695.00
Applicator: High Energy Coil - Type A 8” x 8” $450.00
Applicator: Very high Energy Coil - Type B 8” x 8” $630.00
Option: Switch box for 2 applicators $195.00
Option: XP upgrade to future PC model factory installed $250.00

Shipment & handling (choose ONE shipping option)
DHL courier USA & Canada $140.00
DHL courier Rest of World $190.00

Pombetom

Here are two other published references for PEMF effects that I didn't see in previous posts (apologies if I missed them). One uses a rat model; the other is in vitro work on signal transduction.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...ubmed_RVDocSum

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...ubmed_RVDocSum

Cheers

JerryToo

I wonder why PEMI therapy is not used more often. Especially in bone fractures in elderly patients. Is it because it is not well known or is it because insurance companies are refusing to pay for it?

Pombetom

My understanding is that some physicians are not convinced of the scientific validity of PEMF therapy. My personal opinion is that this is related to the relative lack of scientific rigor in a lot of the early literature.

With respect to insurance reimbursement, I think that most insurers will reimburse if a device is used according to FDA guidelines, but I am not an expert in insurance reimbursement. PEMF treatment is FDA-approved for the treatment of an established nonunion acquired secondary to trauma, excluding vertebrae and all flat bones where the width of the nonunion defect is less than one-half the width of the bone to be treated. A nonunion is considered to be established when the fracture site shows no visible progressive signs of healing.

One device is indicated as an adjunct to cervical fusion surgery in patients at high risk for nonfusion.

Proton Soup

yeah, rat studies are hardly confidence-inspiring. there are a ton of weight-loss supplements that have entered the market after positive results in murines. but they almost all do either jack squat in humans, or require quantities that are cost-prohibitive to be effective.

JerryToo

Are you suggesting that PEMF therapy is a scam like weight loss claims?
Did you read my experience above with PEMF?

After 10 months of no healing I have no doubt to the effectiveness of the unit which showed healing starting just a few weeks after using the unit. I sincerely doubt the leg bones would have ever healed if not for this therapy. While it may not work on everyone in some case it may be the only hope.

Proton Soup

no, i'm not saying it's a scam, and yes i read your anecdote. but until there are more actual studies(not anecdotes) on actual humans, it will be hard to convince the medical establishment.

still, i do not begrudge you of the freedom to try alternative therapies if they're not known to be harmful. i get my own relief from some things that aren't mainstream. just realize, most things outside the mainstream don't help most people.

2BTWN1

Sometimes empirical evidence cannot be disputed despite the limitations of our current paradigm. The applications of pEMF in both home health care and medical practice is here to stay. It's effects on biological systems are as real as the observed relationships between the elements of nature. Whether you observe the phenomena from a micro- or macroscopic level; the universe is energy. However, it is the forces that are the tapestry of life. I work with "humans" on a daily basis....with symptoms of cough to cancer. All patients can benefit from pEMF therapy. But there is one variable in the field of pEMF as well as other medical applications that commonly creates dissonance like that which is sprinkled throughout these threads. -DOSAGE-

JerryToo

2BTWN1 said->> "The applications of pEMF in both home health care and medical practice is here to stay."

Since becoming more interested in PEMF therapy as a result of this thread I have found that indeed this therapy is becoming more mainstream among orthopaedists, especially for elderly patients with bone fractures that are not responding to converntional treatment. Since the 8 years I was first prescribed PEMF therapy it has gone from being rare with little information to well known among doctors (at least in Florida). And insurance does pay for it from the information I obtained from several doctors.

Ivan Seeking

While I appreciate your personal experience and welcome the input, it is anecdotal and not something that can be used to further a scientific discussion. Only peer-reviewed studies published in mainstream journals can be used to make an argument. It seems pretty clear to me that there are both credible and scam devices out there. The key is to consider the field strength and frequencies.

You don't need FDA approval for a device that doesn't do anything. And that seems to be the distinction: Some of the devices sold, such as the one referenced in the op, use field strengths and frequencies approximating what we find all around us - hence no FDA approval required. The devices referenced in the scientific literature have magnetic fields up to or more than 1000 times stronger. I have seen NO evidence from peer-reviewed studies showing that devices with a low field strength - approximating the naturally occurring fields already all around us - have any medical value.

JerryToo

Are you suggesting that I should not have posted my personal experiences with a PEMF unit prescribed by a doctor in this forum?

IMO there is enough scientific evidence out there now that shows PEMF works.

[inappropriate link deleted by Ivan]

Plus, there are many people (along with their doctors) who also have personal experience with this therapy. It's certainly more scientifically settled than global warming.

Ivan Seeking

I said that one anecdotal account is not scientific evidence. When you objected by asking if the poster had read what you said, you were implying that your experience counts as proof of something, when it doesn't.

You linked a site that is not appropriate as a reference. Please read the posting guidelines before making anymore posts.

I also have stated several times now that there are a range of claims being made. Some appear to be credible and others not. Try reading the thread.