Alternative therapies have been taking the world by storm.
Increasing numbers of treatment-resistant conditions, chronic health issues, and ongoing pain disorders have encouraged people to seek out alternatives to Western medicine and pharmaceutical intervention.
Therapies such as PEMF and TENS fuse age-old healing ideas and concepts with modern convenience and technology, to create a powerful and safe form of intervention.
What Is PEMF Therapy?
PEMF therapy is a type of energy therapy that uses electromagnetic pulses (also called non-ionizing or safe radiation) to deliver energy signatures that support the body’s natural healing abilities and pathways.
PEMF therapy began thousands of years ago through magnetic stimulation and related therapies, and is a cousin, of sorts, to other energy healing modalities, such as acupuncture and acupressure.
PEMF therapy is often practiced in a clinical setting, from a designated therapist, but can also be utilized at home, through at-home PEMF machines designed for portability and easy use.
These machines often use mats, rather than focused electrodes or wands, and typically come with pre-programmed settings for greater ease of use.
Typical Uses and Benefits
PEMF therapy has been used in numerous applications, ranging from the healing of an animal’s joint injury, to mental health support for individuals currently undergoing treatment for cancer. The many potential benefits and uses for PEMF therapy include:
- Depression treatment. Depression is a mental health issue that plagues increasing numbers of people worldwide, with some estimates suggesting that as many as 1 in 10 people will experience a depressive episode in their lifetime. Of those, some will suffer from treatment-resistant depression, or depression that does not respond to typical treatment methods such as pharmaceutical intervention and talk therapy. In these cases, PEMF therapy showed a reduction of depressive symptoms.
- Inflammation reduction. PEMF therapy can ease inflammation, which can support all-over wellness, and lend itself to faster recovery from illness, and decreased pain in areas associated with pain, such as the joints in arthritis, or sore muscles associated with prolonged exercise. PEMF therapy can alleviate inflammation and corresponding pain successfully, as many clinical trials can attest.
- Improved wound healing. Numerous studies have also shown that wound healing time is sped up by PEMF therapy. Because open wounds are susceptible to secondary infections and additional concerns, many people are eager to improve their healing time in any way possible. PEMF has been used in hospitals and other clinical settings to improve wound healing, thus reducing the likelihood of developing additional infections.
- Sped up post-surgical recovery. Similarly, hospitals and clinics have used PEMF therapy to move along post-surgical recovery. Many of the life-threatening illnesses and infections contracted in hospital settings come from infected surgical sites and secondary infections. PEMF can help improve surgical recovery, thereby reducing the likelihood of coming down with an additional illness or infection.
- General malaise. Many people use PEMF to target chronic and unidentified issues, such as ongoing fatigue, feelings of disinterest, and other symptoms without a specific identifier or cause.
Although these are not the only benefits associated with PEMF therapy, the uses identified above are the most common maladies associated with PEMF therapy, particularly in clinical settings and other healthcare offices.
Potential Drawbacks
Fortunately, the drawbacks of PEMF therapy are few and far between; unlike some other electromagnetic frequencies, the wavelengths and frequencies associated with PEMF have not been linked to any major health issues, and have consistently been linked to improved health.
Although there are no major health effects associated with PEMF therapy, some users have reported discomfort at extremely high frequencies.
These frequencies are not typical of home machines, and are still not known to cause cellular damage, but can induce some feelings of discomfort.
The cost of PEMF therapy can also be a potential detractor; although increasing bodies of evidence are showing just how valuable PEMF therapy can be, insurance companies may not recognize the therapy as a viable treatment option to be covered by insurance or reimbursed, so treatment sessions and machines may have to come out of pocket.
This does not have to be prohibitive, as clinics may have sliding scales and special packages, and PEMF machine manufacturers may have payment plans, but some have considered the price of the therapy a potential drawback.
What Is TENS Therapy?
TENS therapy is an alternative therapy designed to alleviate pain.
TENS stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation, and describes the manner in which electrical currents are delivered to the human body.
The term “transcutaneous” means “to be applied across the depth of the skin,” and describes the placement of an electrode on the surface of the skin to deliver a current directly to the body’s nerves to block the perception of pain, whether through interfering with pain receptors, or increasing endorphin levels.
Typical Uses and Benefits
TENS therapy is primarily used to ease pain, with the majority of its clinical application focusing on alleviating the pain associated with various conditions. The most common ailments targeted by TENS include:
- Arthritic pain. Arthritic pain can be caused by autoimmunity, age, or the breakdown of joint components, and is often worse in damp weather and as people age. TENS can be helpful in alleviating the pain associated with arthritis, though it may not target the source of the pain, itself.
- Tendonitis is a painful type of inflammation, which plagues tendons in the body. TENS can soothe some of the pain associated with tendonitis.
- Fibromyalgia can be a difficult condition to treat, because it is associated with chronic symptoms without a distinctive trigger or source. Fibromyalgia can cause burning sensations, flare-ups of pain, and other uncomfortable sensations that can be targeted by TENS to provide relief.
- Chronic pain in bones or joins. TENS can be applied to bones and joints to offer relief from pain associated with many different sources of discomfort, and is one of the most common reasons for seeking TENS treatment.
- Nerve pain. Nerve pain is among the most difficult types of pain to treat, as nerves may not respond to traditional pain medications as thoroughly as muscle or joint pain. Nerve pain is among the more common reasons to seek out TENS therapy.
- Pain associated with childbirth and postpartum recovery. Childbirth and postpartum recovery can both cause a significant amount of pain, with some limits as to the pharmaceutical intervention that is allowed for the health and safety of mother and child. TENS can bridge this gap, and bring relief to women who are in the process of giving birth, or who have experienced a surge of pain postpartum.
While the above-mentioned conditions are not the only conditions treated by TENS, they do offer a clear picture of the types of maladies TENS therapy covers—all of them related to pain.
Rather than seeking to alleviate the conditions themselves, TENS focuses on treating the pain-based symptoms of a condition, in order to provide relief.
Potential Drawbacks
There are some conditions that prohibit the use of TENS therapy. These conditions may be medical conditions, or simply precautionary conditions, and include the following:
- Electronic implantations. Pacemakers, cochlear implants, and other electronic devices implanted in the body can interact negatively with TENS therapy, and may fail to function properly, placing your health in danger. Avoid TENS therapy if any electronic devices are currently implanted within your body’s tissues.
- Although there is not a strong history of pregnancy complications or disruptions, there are also no long-term safety studies linking pregnancy and TENS therapy. The absence of proven safety protocols for pregnant patients makes TENS a potentially hazardous pain intervention for women who are pregnant.
- Epilepsy and other seizure disorders may respond negatively to TENS therapy if electrodes are placed on or near the head. Anyone with epilepsy should take great caution to apply the therapy only to areas below the head, neck, and shoulders, to avoid potential seizure triggers.
- Hemorrhages or bleeding disorders. TENS therapy is has been shown to increase circulation, which can be problematic for people who have clotting or bleeding disorders, or a hemorrhage, as increasing circulation could increase wound bleeding and dislodge clots.
- Heart disease. Although TENS can be used for patients who have heart disease, these individuals should avoid using the therapy at the chest or above, as doing so could aggravate symptoms of heart disease and cause complications.
While some of the above-mentioned conditions may be prime targets for PEMF therapy, they can actually prove problematic for TENS therapy, and can cause complications.
Before enlisting the help of a TENS therapy practitioner, speak with your doctor and make sure you are properly cleared for this particular pain intervention.
Main Similarities and Differences Between PEMF and TENS
The most significant difference between these two types of energy healing are their purpose: TENS therapy is specifically designed for pain relief, while PEMF is intended to be used as a means of improving or speeding the healing process.
The fundamental application of the two therapies is quite different, just as a long-term care protocol such as a diet change for diabetes differs greatly from using an aspirin to relieve a headache.
Both are important therapies, with great results, but they target very different processes and medical issues.
The manner in which the therapy is applied is also different.
TENS therapy relies on electrical impulses applied to the body to stimulate and influence nerves, while PEMF therapy relies on electromagnetic pulses to interact with the body’s own energetic impulses.
TENS requires direct contact with a patient’s skin via wands or electrodes placed on the area that is being treated, while PEMF can be transmitted via a mat or other large-scale device, and can “find” the area in need of aid without contact directly on the area.
Although both machines use a machine to deliver a type of pulse or current, the precise type of energy being delivered is quite different.
Electrical currents are the currents responsible for bringing light into a home, or delivering electricity to a business, while the frequencies involved in PEMF therapy are far more akin to the energy measured and identified in the human body, the soil of the earth, and all living things.
TENS and PEMF machines can be used in clinical settings, or may be used at home.
While PEMF therapy is most often delivered while a patient is sitting or resting, TENS is most commonly utilized when an individual is active, whether that is walking on a treadmill in a clinic, or moving around to finish chores at home.
Which Therapy Is Right For You?
Although PEMF therapy and TENS therapy both offer benefits for people seeking health and support, the conditions each type of therapy focuses on is different, making them ideal for different people and different situations.
PEMF therapy is used both as an acute treatment for pain, inflammation, wound healing, and recovery, and a long-term treatment for chronic issues, such as chronic depression, inflammation, and slow healing. TENS, conversely, is largely situated for pain relief, and is best used to target specific areas of pain or discomfort.
The mode of delivery can also play a role in deciding which therapy is best for you; if you are largely bedridden or struggle with movement, PEMF therapy is a better option.
If you are able to move about freely, TENS can provide a wonderful source of pain relief.
Turning to an alternative therapy in the face of chronic illness and long-term pain can feel like a final attempt to find relief, but doctors and other Western medicine practitioners are more often turning to alternative therapies like PEMF and TENS to deliver low-risk, high-gain therapy solutions for patients who need additional help or support in healing and reducing pain.
People who have struggled with ingoing pain issues, whether from chronic illness or a recent injury, would likely be the best candidates for TENS therapy, provided that they do not have any pre-existing conditions that prohibit the use of TENS.
People with chronic health issues as a whole, or who have struggled with chronic pain and have issues preventing them from using TENS will be better served by using PEMF therapy as their primary intervention source.