PEMF therapy is seeing a surge in popularity in home health and clinical practices alike.
While many therapies and medications boast too many side effects to list, PEMF therapy makes a name for itself as one of the few interventions without a laundry list of possible complications.
Does that mean that PEMF therapy is risk free?
To fully understand what PEMF is and the possible risks this type of therapy presents, you must first understand exactly what the therapy is and how it works.
What Is PEMF Therapy?
Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy is an alternative therapy that uses pulses of energy to communicate with the body and promote healing.
The frequency and wavelengths associated with PEMF are designed to closely mimic those of the earth and the human body.
Doing so ensures as much safety as possible for people who choose to use PEMF.
Over the course of a PEMF session, a PEMF machine will release pulses of electromagnetic energy, which will “jolt” the cells in the body to more effectively communicate with one another, and carry out the functions they are programmed to complete.
It is through increased cellular function and communication that PEMF therapy delivers its healing benefits, as cellular breakdown is often the root of chronic health conditions, prolonged pain, and slow healing.
What Does PEMF Treat—and How?
PEMF therapy is not often used as the frontline of treatment, despite an increasingly solid base of evidence supporting its use.
Instead, PEMF is often used as a supplemental therapy.
In clinical and home settings, PEMF therapy has been used to help with treatment-resistant depression, arthritis and other joint issues, muscle fatigue and injury, tendon injury or strain, chronic pain and inflammation, and open wounds.
All of these ailments have been clinically studied and identified as great candidates for PEMF use.
PEMF is able to target so many different ailments because it is not a singularly focused treatment method.
While some energy therapies will focus on a specific area of the body, such as undergoing acupuncture to stimulate a certain part of the body for healing, PEMF therapy is able to deliver systemic health support, which can cover a wide variety of ailments simultaneously.
This is also one of the reasons PEMF is considered a gentle therapy: the likelihood of experiencing localized discomfort may be less when the intervention is delivered over the body as a whole, rather than targeting a single, small area.
In clinical settings, PEMF machines may have wands to deliver PEMF pulses to one area of the body.
In home settings, PEMF mats may be more common to see, as these allow you to deliver general PEMF pulses with predetermined settings, rather than trying to figure out exactly where to place the wands, and at what setting.
The norm may differ from place to place, however, and at-home PEMF can be delivered with wands, just as clinical PEMF therapy can be delivered through a large mat.
PEMF Side Effects
PEMF therapy is safe and effective, but as is the case with any therapy, there is the possibility of experiencing side effects.
Any side effects at all are rare (coming in at around 5%), with serious side effects coming in at an even lower issue.
That being said, there are some pre-existing conditions that can contribute to a higher incidence of side effects when using PEMF therapy.
Possible condition-induced side effects include the following:
Generalized Discomfort
For some, PEMF therapy delivery offers some degree of discomfort.
That may feel like a general feeling of unease during sessions, or physical feelings of restlessness or nausea.
Typically, discomfort is readily fixed by adjusting the settings of the machine being used, including the length of the session, the wavelength and shape being used, and the frequency and intensity being used.
Generalized discomfort may be linked to existing issues, including an ongoing sensitivity to electricity or EMFs.
These sensitivities are not common, but may require you to forego PEMF altogether or stick to using extremely low settings during therapy sessions.
Cell Growth
Although the proliferation of cells is usually seen as a good thing, cell growth can actually be problematic in some settings, including when someone using PEMF has cancer.
Because cancer cells may respond to the growth-promoting properties of PEMF therapy, healthy cells and cancer cells alike can grow larger.
Cancer has been touted as one of the many ailments that can benefit PEMF therapy, but this may not be the case; PEMF therapy using extremely high wavelengths may be used in clinics to aid in cancer treatment, but can actually hinder the positive effects of cancer treatment if it is not used properly.
If you have cancer, it is best to avoid PEMF altogether—or, if you are determined to use PEMF as a source of health promotion or maintenance, consider using it exclusively under the careful, watchful eye of a medical professional trained in the practice.
Cancer treatment methods typically run counter to the efforts of PEMF devices, and using both in tandem can prove harmful or problematic for individuals actively in treatment.
Impaired Implant Function
PEMF delivers electromagnetic pulses to communicate with your body’s cells and does so with aplomb, but your own energetic frequency is not the only frequency present in your body if you have any type of electrical medical implant.
Cochlear implants, pacemakers, and more can all cease to function properly when PEMF therapy is being used.
In some cases, PEMF therapy can be used without issue or any truly problematic side effects, provided that the area corresponding to the implant is avoided.
In some cases, interference is more frustrating than it is outright hazardous, but in others, interference with a medical implant can be fatal.
If you have a pacemaker or a similarly vital piece of medical equipment implanted in your body, be sure to speak with your doctor before using PEMF therapy.
In these cases, it may also be useful to entrust your PEMF therapy sessions to a professional before venturing out on your own, and administering your own at-home therapy.
Blood Flow Issues
PEMF therapy has been known to provide improved circulatory effects to people who utilize the therapy, which can be problematic for anyone who is on blood thinning medication, is prone to clots, or is otherwise impaired or harmed by increased circulation.
People who are taking blood thinning medications can experience adverse reactions when using PEMF therapy, and individuals who have blood clots may find their clots traveling in an unsafe trajectory, such as moving toward the heart or brain.
Consequently, anyone who struggles with blood issues should first check with their doctor before starting a PEMF therapy regimen.
Decreased Blood Pressure
Decreased blood pressure is often considered one of the potential boons of using PEMF therapy, but it can cause discomfort and unpleasant side effects, as well.
When using PEMF therapy for inflammation or blood pressure issues, extra precautions may need to be taken to make sure that no harm follows.
People who have a long history of high blood pressure or the elderly may be particularly susceptible to issues with this particular side effect, as they may not be accustomed to the feelings associated with lower blood pressure, and may feel faint and subsequently fall if they are not careful.
If you have a long-term history of high blood pressure, be sure to take extra care when moving after a PEMF session, to avoid any potentially triggering low blood pressure issues.
Increased or Impaired Uptake of Nutrients
PEMF therapy improves communication between cells, which can aid the body in more effectively breaking down food and taking up nutrients in the metabolic process.
Typically, this would suggest an improved function and would be an ideal side effect, but the presence of medication and supplements can make an increased nutrient intake tantamount to an increased dose of medication or supplements.
As a consequence, anyone who is taking a regular medication or supplement is potentially at risk for increased nutrient uptake, which can interfere with dosages given for some medications or supplements that have been recommended by your doctor.
Having an ongoing prescription does not preclude you from using PEMF, but does suggest that a visit to or discussion with your doctor about any potential interactions between PEMF and medication is in order.
Altering frequency or intensity can help mitigate any issues.
Improved Nerve Function
PEMF therapy has shown some promise as a treatment for damaged nerves.
While few would argue that repaired nerves are problematic enough to be called a side effect, there are people whose nerves have been damaged due to chronic pain or illness.
Healing those nerves could result in the return of that pain, which could be harmful for people using PEMF.
If you have nerve damage, neuropathy, or any other form of nerve issue, PEMF therapy may not be impossible to use, but may need to be engaged with carefully, to monitor any increasing symptoms of pain or improved nerve function.
Under the watchful eye of a doctor, ongoing attempts to heal nerves can be wonderful.
Repaired nerves can eventually lead to diminished pain. In the meantime, though, pain and sensitivity can increase, which can lead to a cascade of other issues best worked through with a professional.
Sensitive Skin Reactions
People with sensitive skin may experience a tingling or warming sensation in response to targeted PEMF therapy.
PEMF therapy is typically considered a therapy without any particular sensation, but can have a gentle irritating effect on someone with highly sensitive skin or a strong sensitivity to energy.
Typically, when sensitivity is reported, symptoms dissipate within minutes of discontinuing therapy.
While the sensation may be uncomfortable, it is not known to last for a prolonged period, or trespass into chronic discomfort.
Adjusting machine settings and lessening therapy duration can also help limit or remove discomfort.
Disrupted Pregnancy
Pregnancy is often considered a pre-existing condition, because finding pregnancy safety studies is difficult, if not impossible.
PEMF therapy is the same: there are no documented instances of issues with pregnancy and PEMF, but because testing on pregnant women is unethical, there are also no safety studies indicating the safety of using PEMF during pregnancy, without risking mother or child.
PEMF has been used as a way to ease some of the pain and discomfort associated with labor and delivery, and has been used for post-partum recovery, but should not be used while a woman is pregnant, to eliminate the risk of harming the fetus.
A practitioner can be consulted for PEMF usage during labor and delivery.
PEMF: Side Effects and Risks
PEMF therapy is a low-risk therapy modality, and is not usually associated with danger or harm.
In fact, one of the prevailing explanations of PEMF details that PEMF therapy exposes people to fewer EMFs than the average thunderstorm.
Nevertheless, there are some instances in which caution must be exercised.
These instances typically include pre-existing conditions and improved bodily function in the midst of other chronic or hidden health concerns.
Even if pre-existing conditions are present, PEMF therapy is not necessarily off the table.
Instead, in the case of pre-existing conditions, PEMF therapy should be used cautiously and only after a discussion with a healthcare provider, to make sure no adverse events occur.
Some of the conditions PEMF can help treat can include one or more of the aforementioned conditions, making it vital to have a working relationship with healthcare providers before starting any new type of therapy.
Deciding whether or not PEMF therapy is right for you, should you have symptoms or a diagnosis of any of the conditions above, is left up to you: some doctors will consider the potential risks associated with PEMF low enough to advice proceeding, while others will want to hold off until a more suitable intervention is found.
If you want to try PEMF therapy, but are worried about potential side effects, rest assured: in typical individuals, PEMF therapy is among the safest interventions out there. With few side effects, even fewer risks, and plenty to gain, speak with your healthcare team to determine if PEMF therapy might be right for you.