You’ve likely heard of PEMF, or pulsed electromagnetic field therapy, by now.
It’s one of the most promising treatment, wellness, and prevention forms to ever hit the the medical device market.
As with anything popular and promising that deviates from the status quo, it automatically invites criticism and skepticism, especially concerning safety.
Such is sometimes warranted, but, in other cases, it can be pure rhetoric.
Is PEMF really safe?
Is PEMF right for you?
We give you the full breakdown on PEMF safety to help you answer all your questions with confidence.
PEMF Research Is Abundant
To answer the above questions, we can look at the vast body of PEMF research that’s already been conducted.
Some such research is by the PEMF industry and brands themselves, but the majority of it is actually independent research from unbiased third-parties.
We can also look to comparative data on technologies using the same core principles as PEMF.
PEMF has established a solid reputation in the medical device industry and amongst clinicians and researchers.
Many have dedicated their time and funds to determine if PEMF is indeed safe and its potential effects.
What you’ll notice first and foremost is that the vast majority of PEMF research shows positive results.
Even with frequent applications and longevity of use, much of the research has been able to conclusively state that PEMF is safe and causes little, if any, potential for harm to the user.
Yet, you may have heard certain questions raised about the legitimacy and safety of PEMF therapy from naysayers.
Is all radiation bad?
Does age influence PEMF safety?
Does PEMF help cancer cells out?
Is PEMF safe for those with seizure disorders?
While there are some precautions, this guide will dispel a lot of the common PEMF myths that may be unnecessarily holding you back from a PEMF device purchase.
PEMF 101
There’s a lot of doom and gloom concerning electromagnetic radiation, right?
The problem comes with inclusivity, and PEMF should definitely not be included in that doom and gloom.
The truth is that you cannot escape electromagnetic radiation.
It’s everywhere, and it impacts every single living organism on earth, which includes humans.
Various and assorted waves from the electromagnetic spectrum impact your body every single day of your life.
Yet, these waves are essential to the comforts and ease of our everyday lives.
Imagine no radios, visible light, gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet light, microwaves, and so forth.
Regardless of how you feel about the above, electromagnetic radiation existed before modern technology.
So, what’s important to understand is that not ALL of these waves are equally detrimental nor beneficial to your health.
Let’s take the sun’s UV radiation into consideration.
It’s importance is mainly in stimulating the body to produce vitamin D.
Sounds mundane until you consider that sunshine vitamin D helps protect against everything from heart disease and osteoporosis to cancers, and it plays a pivotal role in protecting against mental health ailments like depression and insomnia.
As a clinical treatment, electromagnetic radiation has also been used to treat psoriasis, acne, and rickets.
It’s administered in very small doses to be therapeutic.
Otherwise, the risk of prolonged, frequent exposure presents the adverse risk for allergic reactions, skin cancers, and sunburns, which is same reasoning behind wearing sunscreen and other UAV/UAB protections.
Man-made high intensity gamma rays and X-rays can also cause damage to the human body.
Luckily nuclear power plants and the oil and gas industry implement stringent security and safety measures.
X-ray machines at your local hospital or doctor’s office are also considered artificial ionizing forms of electromagnetic radiation.
They, too, are heavily regulated, and the X-ray machine is calibrated to only release a tiny dose of the wave.
As far as natural sources, most humans are limited to ionizing electromagnetic radiation exposure.
Is PEMF Ionizing Radiation?
No.
Many people confuse PEMF devices with ionizing radiation, which is absolutely wrong.
PEMF doesn’t produce any ionizing radiation.
PEMF devices are considered non-ionizing radiation, which means the energy from its waves isn’t strong enough to liberate an atom’s/molecule’s electrons.
PEMF doesn’t alter the genetic material within your cellular DNA.
Note that this doesn’t mean biological changes on a non-mutagenic level aren’t possible.
By heating the skin tissue, burns are always a possibility.
Most of the radiation damage that’s theorized concerning electrical appliances and devices involve long-term, high exposure levels.
Typical household electrics don’t generally emit enough radiation to cause damage.
That’s why they’re deemed extremely low frequency radiation, or ELF.
The same is true of PEMF.
Most mainstream PEMF devices emit radiation with extremely low (ELF) to very low (VLF) frequencies and higher wavelengths.
These are the devices that can fall under the FDA’s approval if they so apply.
The waves range between 30 to 30,000 Hz (0.03 KHz to 30 KHz.)
These ranges have innumerable studies supporting health benefits.
The above ranges do not offer a thermal charge to the body.
The waves simply raise cellular energy.
The health benefits are much akin to a battery being recharged.
The energized cells can do their jobs more effectively and efficiently.
In fact, PEMF is currently showing promising results in the treatment of cancer.
The next thing to distinguish is that non-clinical radiation and PEMF have different delivery, or release, techniques.
With PEMF, the waves are delivered in pulses – most often at a frequency rate of two to 50 per second.
How Does PEMF Compare To MRI Machines?
MRI machines are a great comparison to PEMF in evaluating safety concerns.
The MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, is a long-standing clinical tool that’s widely accepted as safe, even for children and pregnant women.
Most pregnant women can’t, however, have a MRI with contrast, which uses an injectable agent that helps improve the quality of the MRI images.
Over 40 million MRI scans are performed annually across the United States.
They serve as diagnostic measures and provide invaluable insights into a patient’s treatment.
Radiologists use the MRI machine to create anatomically correct pictures that include the physiological mechanisms at work in that particular ‘imaged’ area.
Like PEMF, MRIs have a few contraindications.
MRIs, for example, aren’t very reliable when the patient has an implant.
As mentioned above, the contrast agent, which is often gadolinium, is the reason (not the radiation element) that makes pregnant women ineligible for a contrast MRI.
PEMF does not have this issue since it does not use contrast agents of any sort in its application.
But, due to a lack of evidence on PEMF and pregnancy safety, PEMF is not advisable during pregnancy.
Given what we know about MRIs, you can compare it’s established safety to the lesser known PEMF.
While MRIs use waves in the intensity range of 20,000-60,000 Gauss (2-6 Tesla,) PEMF intensity is between 4,000-6,000 Gauss (0.4-0.6 Tesla.)
In other words, PEMF intensity is lower than what’s already established as safe by MRI devices.
How Does PEMF Compare To rTMS?
PEMF does involve radiation entering your body.
So, it’s only natural that prospective users would want to know if the level of radiation is safe and how it impacts the brain and body.
Looking at repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS,) which has been used since 1985 in the treatment of mood disorders, may help you understand PEMF’s safety.
Aside from the potential risk to those with metal implants in their head, most rTMS patients have experienced little to no side effects.
rTMS does differ from PEMF in that rTMS requires the user to wear earplugs.
It emits very loud sounds. Users also commonly report a temporary twitching and mild headache after using rTMS, neither of which are associated with PEMF.
The real comparison here for safety is with the pulse data.
A 2006 study looked at the side effects of rTMS involving high numbers of magnetic pulses being delivered to healthy young male subjects without existing ailments.
Each received a total of 38,880 magnetic pulsed over an 8-day period, which is considered a rather intensive treatment.
The study noted no side effects. (3)
In a 2009 study, we can see more lengthy applications for the data.
This study occurred over the course of 12 months, and it involved the majority of participants undergoing rTMS in either 70 or 60 different sessions.
They received a total of either 72,000 pulses or 420,000 pulses, and none of the participants in either group experienced any side effects (4.)
What about age?
Does it matter in PEMF safety?
The above study also had a 75-year-old participant.
He received 130 sessions over 26 months ( 156,000 pulses,) and there were no side effects noted.
On the other end of the age spectrum, a study involving newborn rats subjected the rodents to magnetic pulses with no side effects; in fact, their brains developed with an enhanced cortex (5.)
Is PEMF Safe For Epileptics?
Does PEMF trigger seizures?
Many with seizures worry about the triggering effects with PEMF and even MRI AND rTMS.
Data shows that the MRI and rTMS triggering a seizure is actually very rare.
In most instances, such occurrences aren’t even attributed to the technological processes.
The trigger is actually thought to be the stress and trauma perception on the patients’ end.
We can easily uphold the same theory related to PEMF devices, but it should be noted that PEMF devices are much smaller in size and scale.
After all, most are designed to be used in the home setting.
So, patients aren’t likely to have the same fearful approach to an intimidating machine to self-trigger a seizure.
Science has specifically looked at PEMF in establishing safety for the epileptic community.
What the American Epilepsy Society found is quite positive.
Not only did they attest to the unlikelihood of pulsed radiation causing seizures, they found that it could even be used as a treatment for seizures (6).
Other studies are echoing such findings. Some have looked at EEGs for epilepsy and partial seizure sufferers undergoing treatments like rTMS.
No EEG changes were noted in any of the studies we examined.
PEMF’s success is based on its ability to energize cells.
This by its very nature helps promote cellular survival and the cell’s ability to thrive, not weaken.
Does PEMF Help Cancer Cells?
Of course, even the most positive of findings must have a naysayer, right?
PEMF and cancer cells is a good example.
Because of PEMF’s known ability to help in cellular success, some make the hypothesis that PEMF promotes cancer cells just as healthy cells.
Studies contradict this very unfounded hypothesis.
How?
Countless studies on PubMed and other sources have repeatedly concluded that PEMF can inhibit cancer cells from growing and thriving.
It’s called apoptosis.
The PEMF treatment basically selectively helps good cells and destroys the bad cells.
Always Use Medical Devices With Caution
It’s clear that the scientific data supports PEMF as a safe medical device.
However, that doesn’t mean that all should through caution to the wind.
Certain individuals will most certainly want to speak with their primary care physician before using PEMF.
Based on the evidence above, anyone with an implant will want to carefully discuss the use of PEMF with their doctor.
In most cases, the doctor will likely advise anyone with an electrical implant, such as a hearing device, drug delivery pump, pacemaker, or such to never apply the PEMF device near the implant.
Doing so could disrupt the implant’s function, which would be highly dangerous.
Together, you and your doctor can decide if using a PEMF device in other areas would adversely impact the implant.
While there’s no data showing that PEMF negatively impacts non-electrical implants, such as replacement joints or stents, it would be prudent to discuss any possible implications with your doctor before using PEMF.
Your doctor will likely advise holding off on PEMF if your implant is new since the nerve stimulation of PEMF could cause pain around the new implant.
Most doctors also recommend sticking with low to moderate PEMF intensity devices since science shows that higher intestines are not any better.
See our guide on the best intensity ranges to learn more, and we break down each of the most popular PEMF brands on our other pages to help you pick the right PEMF device for your specific needs.
For silicone implants, such as breast implants, you wouldn’t want to use PEMF devices with high frequencies or high intensities.
Anything over 100 Hz could deteriorate the implant and cause leakage.
PEMF use during pregnancy hasn’t been highly studied.
What little evidence is available isn’t enough to support risk nor safety.
Most doctors are likely to recommend pausing or delaying PEMF until after pregnancy due to the lack of evidence.
What Is Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity?
In addition to the above precautions, anyone with a hypersensitivity should use PEMF with extreme caution or avoid it.
Modern technology has diversified electromagnetic field (EMF) sources greatly.
Some individuals appear to be hypertensive to EMF.
They report a variety of non-specific symptoms ranging from digestive and dermatological disturbances to neurasthenic symptoms.
It can be mild or so severe that lifestyle changes to EMF exposures are the only way to function.
Experts have termed this electromagnetic hypersensitivity, or EHS.
So, while scientific evidence supports PEMF in clinical applications, it’s always possible to suffer from EHS.
It continues to perplex the scientific and medical communities as to why some individuals are hypersensitive to any form of EMF.
In fact, many experts question if EHS is even a legitimate diagnosis.
Since PEMF is adjustable to extremely low intensities and frequencies, it may not affect hypersensitivity issues.
Still, it’s only prudent to advise PEMF prospects of EHS potential existence and the need to discuss PEMF devices with a medical professional if hypersensitivity is suspect.
In cases where hypersensitivity is a possibility, it may be best to locate a PEMF provider at a clinic, gym, or spa to try out low-intensity, low-frequency treatment for several sessions before purchasing an at-home PEMF device for private use.
PEMF Is Safe But Don’t Ignore Precautions
Few things in life can claim 100% safety. With that said, the vast amount of data supporting PEMF’s general safety is a rare find in the medical device niche.
Think of the long list of side effects and precautions that accompany most oral prescription drugs – you won’t find science issuing such long, frightening lists with PEMF.
Instead, you’ve learned that PEMF offers a variety of health benefits due to its cellular function.
Use our guide to learn more about how PEMF has been researched in almost every health ailment imaginable, including cancer, bone/tissue healing, mental health, circulation, and so forth.
Keep in mind that many researching PEMF are doing so because of its ability to deliver low /no side effect therapeutic results akin to other treatment options with an extensive list of negatives and side effects.
The best part of PEMF is its vast pool of potential users in both the wellness and disease-specific categories.
Aside from the few precautions listed above, almost anyone can take advantage of PEMF.