Are you or your loved ones struggling with anxiety or depression? Have you tried conventional treatment methods that aren’t helping? It’s high time to consider pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy to relieve depression and anxiety symptoms.
Before continuing with the effect of PEMF therapy on anxiety and depression, let’s see how the statistical reports on anxiety and depression paint a bleak picture.
Key statistics
- According to the Centers for Disease Control, an increase in mental health issues such as anxiety and depression has been associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. From August 2020 to February 2021, the percentage of adults with anxiety and depression in the U.S. rose from 36.4% to 41.5%. The percentage of adults who didn’t receive mental health treatment rose from 9.2% to 11.7%.
- According to a report by the American Depression and Anxiety Association, anxiety is the most common mental health disorder, affecting 40 million adults in the U.S. every year. Anxiety and depression are interlinked. People with anxiety are more likely to experience depression and vice versa. Half of those with depression were also diagnosed with anxiety.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that depression is a common disorder and a leading cause of disability worldwide. Depression affects more women than men and can lead to suicide in either sex.
Did you know?
People with anxiety and depression can become exhausted or sad, experience irregular sleep patterns, and feel hopeless and empty. On top of that, they can undergo physical symptoms such as headaches, chronic pain, and digestive issues.
PEMF therapy may prove to be a better alternative than some of the other current treatment methods for depression and anxiety.
There are several anxiety apps to improve mental health as well. However, apps alone may not be enough.
Usually, antidepressant/anti-anxiety medications, hormonal replacement therapy, intravenous ketamine administration, psychotherapy, and cognitive-behavioral therapies are recommended to treat anxiety and depression. However, it may take more months or years to achieve significant improvement in mental wellbeing.
You should have access to therapeutic options that provide immediate relief, but they are limited in number.
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) can effectively provide moderate to long-term relief for 85 percent of patients with depression. Still, this therapy has a few complications, including the use of anesthesia and the possibility of acute memory loss.
Fortunately, PEMF therapy proves to be a safe and promising alternative offering quick recovery without any adverse complications.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) uses stimuli approaching neuronal level. Hence, it requires several TMS sessions in a clinical setting. Although the use of PEMF fields in humans is lower than TMS, you don’t have to visit any clinic to receive the treatment.
So, let us examine PEMF therapy and its benefits in detail.
What is PEMF therapy?
Pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy uses electromagnetic fields to revive our body’s natural healing mechanism and promote cellular health.
PEMF devices come in varied strengths and sizes. The PEMF coils in these devices generate an electromagnetic field. You do not need to fear that the electricity might enter your body, as it only goes through the coil.
This Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved therapy is very safe as it generates low-frequency EMF, between 50 to 60 Hz. You may not believe it, but mobile phones generate much higher frequencies, between 450 to 2,700 Hz, according to a WHO report.
What are the health benefits of PEMF therapy?
PEMF therapy is very safe and effective in improving your overall quality of life for a prolonged duration without any adverse complications.
The health benefits of PEMF therapy include:
- Improves cellular health, communication, and function
- Promotes quick recovery
- Reduces pain, inflammation, and swelling
- Boosts immunity
- Fixes hormonal imbalances
- Promotes quicker healing and recovery
- Increases metabolism and oxygenation
- Removes cellular wastes effectively
- Restores damaged tissues
- Increases nutritional absorption
- Improves bone structure, density, and functions
- Heals wounds and fractures
- Maintains a proper balance between antioxidants and free radicals
- Regenerates brain function
- Enables one to better manage stress, sleep disorders, and mood fluctuations
However, you should not use PEMF devices if you are pregnant or have an electrical medical implant.
How does PEMF therapy lessen anxiety and depression?
“Better sleep means better health.” Addressing sleep issues has a huge impact on anxiety and depression. This is where PEMF therapy really helps.
PEMF therapy can imitate the brain’s natural rhythm at rest and train the brain to follow that rhythm. Thus, it can promote deep sleep.
It can address the hormonal and chemical imbalances associated with anxiety and depression issues by penetrating deeply and directly into the brain.
PEMF affects the glucose metabolism of brain regions linked to anxiety and depression. Moreover, it can change the neuron networks and their electrical activities, altering the brain part that controls mood.
Moreover, electromagnetic charge deficiency, low cellular voltage in the brain, and a lack of adequate sleep can cause various mental issues such as anxiety and depression. As mentioned already, you may experience chronic pain as well.
In that case, the electromagnetic field generated by the PEMF device promotes pain relief and the healthy functioning of cells.
Is there any scientific evidence to demonstrate the efficacy of PEMF therapy on anxiety and depression?
A 2010 research study reported that transcranial PEMF treatment was superior to placebo treatment in patients with treatment-resistant depression.
Furthermore, a 2020 8-week study revealed that transcranial PEMF therapy can augment the antidepressant effects of ongoing pharmacotherapy.
A 2014 study performed at Harvard University showed that there was more than 10% significant improvement in patients with depression by undergoing PEMF therapy for 20 minutes.
In a 2013 clinical trial, applying PEMF therapy for 9 minutes generated changes in brain EEG. Hence it can decrease higher EEG frequencies observed in patients with anxiety.
A 2019 12-week clinical trial on PEMF can effectively treat anxiety, depression, pain, and quality of life with a significant improvement compared to hot pack and TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation).
Takeaway
Compared to all other conventional treatments, PEMF therapy is simple, safe, and effective. You should consider PEMF therapy if you or your loved ones are still suffering from depression or anxiety, especially if you didn’t find any improvement in earlier treatments.
About the Author: Larry Langdon, Founder of Sentient Element PEMF Devices, has 30+ years of experience innovating cutting-edge technologies for Boeing, National Semiconductor, Intel, Microsoft, and classified projects requiring special clearance for high-level applications. Utilizing his B.S. in electrical engineering, he has extensive experience in software, hardware, integration, instrumentation, product testing, and embedded designs, including the first FDA-approved defibrillator.
Photo by Michael Mims on Unsplash
The opinions and views expressed in any guest blog post do not necessarily reflect those of www.rtor.org or its sponsor, Laurel House, Inc. The author and www.rtor.org have no affiliations with any products or services mentioned in the article or linked to therein. Guest Authors may have affiliations to products mentioned or linked to in their author bios.
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