Abstract

The scope of clinical applications of PEMF has been remarkably extensive for decades.  Marketing claims of PEMF products are even more extensive.  With the emergence of affordable, highly efficient PEMF in a portable/wearable form factor, individual owners of PEMF have also started to increase sharply in number.  Though PEMF has been listed and in some cases approved (510K) for use by the FDA for a few specific applications, its adoption and clinical use in mainstream medicine remains narrow and very limited.  The primary clinical uses of PEMF have been by practitioners in alternative, integrative, functional, and complimentary medicine and related fields.  The objective of this study is to determine the primary uses, perceptions, and observations of individuals as well as clinicians who actively use PEMF in their clinical practice.

This paper summarizes an open questionnaire administrated to attendees at the meeting of the Academy of Comprehensive Integrative Medicine (ACIM) in November 2019 in Orlando Florida.  There were 421 respondents to the survey.  The survey was administered to registered attendees, was entirely voluntary and uncompensated, and the results were analyzed and presented at the ACIM conference by the author (RG Dennis).

Briefly, the main questions asked were:

#1: What do you use PEMF for? (multiple-select response)

#2: What other uses do you have for PEMF?  (open-ended response)

#3: Do you have any interesting or unusual applications for PEMF? (open-ended response)

#4: What uses of PEMF are you most interested in getting more information about? (select)

#5: Are you interested in any other uses of PEMF that have not been listed? (open)

#6: Do you use PEMF along with any other type of therapy? (ADJUNCTIVE) (select)

#7: Do you have any other adjunctive or synergistic uses for PEMF? (open)

#8: Did you observe synergistic effects? (select)

#9: Which PEMF systems do you have? (select from list)

#10: What other PEMF systems do you use? (those not listed) (open)

#11: Have you tried combining portable (personal) PEMF with whole-body PEMF? (select)

#12: Have you ever observed or experienced adverse effects from the use of PEMF? (select)

#13: Briefly explain any adverse effects you have experienced or observed. (open)

#14: Based on your observations and experience, PEMF is most effective for…? (select)

#15: What applications of PEMF do you think work LEAST WELL or NOT AT ALL? (select)

#16: Are you an individual user or clinician? (select)

#17: Clinical advice: is PEMF best used at home or in a clinic? (select)

#18: For or HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS, what modalities do you combine with PEMF? (open)

The survey was followed by informal discussions and questions, which are also summarized.  These included the perceptions related to PEMF system cost, fraudulent claims, and the use of PEMF as a “last resort” despite the apparent safety and effectiveness of PEMF.

Full detailed responses to the survey are included in the Appendix.

Citation

Dennis R. (2021). PEMF: A survey of clinical and individual uses and perceptions. Journal of Science and Medicine; 3(2):1-46. https://doi.org/10.37714/josam.v2i4.69.

Introduction

The scope of clinical applications of Pulsed Electro-Magnetic Fields (PEMF) has been remarkably extensive for decades, enough so that books have been written on the topic which cite in total ~1000 peer review publications [1-3], though the actual number of publications ranges from ~500 to ~3000, depending upon how PEMF is defined, and the scope of its applications, which can be defined as narrowly as “human clinical applications”, or broadened to include PEMF as often reported only by its more specific clinical designations such as TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation), or by inclusion of PEMF research in veterinary medicine, agriculture (seed and plant stimulation), and industrial bioprocessing. Because electricity and magnetism are bound together as electro-magnetism, a single fundamental physical force, the boundary between purely electrical effects versus electro-magnetic effects in biology can become blurred, especially in the case of electro-magnetic induction, where it is unclear whether the primary effect on the biological system under study is due to induced electrical current, directly due to magnetism, or both. Therefore, depending on the definition of the type of electro-magnetic pulses being studied, and the scope of biological systems to which they are applied, the number of peer-reviewed papers on the topic will number from a minimum of about 500 to a maximum of many thousands.

To achieve even a basic understanding of PEMF requires knowledge in an astonishing range of scientific disciplines, including cell and molecular biology, biophysics, physiology, electrical engineering, advanced physics of electro-magnetism, and clinical medicine. And it touches upon many more fields, too numerous to mention. No one seems to understand PEMF fully, though several PEMF marketers of dubious integrity claim to, perhaps due to the Dunning-Kruger effect. But at the time of this writing, no coherent and comprehensive explanation of the biophysical mechanism of PEMF has been tested and independently verified. This leads to the practical conclusion that, for the time being, perhaps the best way to understand and use PEMF is through its observed clinical uses and effects without the need to understand exactly why it works. It is from that conclusion that surveys of the usage and outcomes of the use of PEMF become one of our best available tools to begin to understand PEMF; through trial, careful observation, and experience.

This seems to have been the tacit policy adopted by regulatory agencies. Without an understanding of the underlying biological mechanisms, PEMF has been FDA listed and in some cases approved (510K) for use for a few specific clinical indications including fracture non-unions and post-operative pain, and also for major depression and certain types of migraine when it is realized that TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) is only one form of PEMF. It has also been approved for clinical use for more than four decades:

"Pulsed electromagnetic field systems with FDA PMA include the EBI Bone Healing System from Electrobiology, Inc., which was first approved in 1979 and indicated for non-unions, failed fusions, and congenital pseudarthroses; and the Cervical-Stim from Orthofix, which was approved in 2004 as an adjunct to cervical fusion surgery in patients at high risk for non-fusion."

Nonetheless, the adoption of PEMF for widespread use in mainstream medicine remains narrow and is generally restricted to use by prescription. As a result, the primary groups employing PEMF on a regular basis for the broadest spectrum of its potential users are clinicians, caregivers, and individuals who are willing to entertain treatment modalities in what has been broadly termed the “alternative” space, though other terms such as “complimentary”, “integrative”, and “functional” medicine have become increasingly popular for reasons both professional and legal [4].

As far back as 2012, almost a third of American adults used these “alternative” healthcare approaches, and their number has been steadily growing. This may be due simply to demand: there are an estimated 7,000 to 10,000 cataloged human diseases and conditions, for which mainstream medicine offers effective treatments only for approximately 500 [5]. These estimates remain hotly debated, especially the precise scope and meaning of terms such as “disease” versus “condition” and “cure” versus “treatment”. Nonetheless, estimates in these ranges are publicly offered by reputable spokespeople for the NIH (Cindy McConnell). However, the numbers could be much larger; the upper bound for diseases and related human conditions being tabulated to be about 70,000 by the ICD-10 [6].

Why has medicine in the modern era only effectively addressed such a small fraction of known human disease? The argument from mainstream medicine has been something to the effect that “sure, there are thousands of diseases for which we have no effective treatment or cure, but these are very rare (known as orphan diseases) and they represent only a tiny fraction of the total number of people afflicted by disease.” The implication is that mainstream medicine has dealt with all of the major diseases and conditions, accounting for the great majority of those afflicted. But does this pass the sniff test?

No. Not at all. Starting at the top, the single largest human health condition in terms of number of adults afflicted on a national and global scale is chronic pain, as illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 1.The numbers of Americans afflicted with the most prevalent serious diseases. Note that the number of sufferers of chronic pain outnumber all sufferers of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, stroke, and dementia, combined. The estimated annual cost to American society of chronic pain due to lost work and costs associated with care and treatment is approximately equal to the annual U.S. defense budget, each accounting for approximately 3% of the US GDP (FY 2016).

This chart is based on data from the following sources:

  1. http://www.painmed.org/PatientCenter/Facts_on_Pain.aspx (archived April 2016)
  2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20797916

The fact is that many of the most prevalent and most severe chronic disease conditions have no effective mainstream treatments or cures. Many of these are life-long, progressive, and debilitating. The amount of human suffering is beyond estimation, not to mention the vast cost to society. It is a troubling fact that mainstream medicine simply marginalizes any approaches contrary to those that are already widely accepted. In so doing, they fail to serve many of the greatest and most pressing unmet human needs. And there is ample evidence, in the form of thousands of peer-reviewed scientific reports, that there are forms of non-mainstream treatments that have great promise for very effectively addressing many of these currently “untreatable” major disease conditions, without observed side effects, without any risk of addiction, and at low cost.

This brings us back to the topic of PEMF. PEMF has been actively studied and reported in peer review for about the past 60 years, resulting in approximately a thousand peer-reviewed scientific papers, which have been summarized in the popular press [1-3]. These books summarize the use of PEMF, which report very positive benefits without observed side effects, for over 40 different general classes of disease and disability, many of which have no safe and effective treatment options. These 40 broad classes of disease represent hundreds to thousands of specific conditions, including more than 200 specific conditions associated with aging. Interestingly, many of the conditions that have been observed to benefit from the use of PEMF are largely different from those that are treated effectively by mainstream medicine. Based on these estimates, there is the potential that the widespread acceptance and proper use of PEMF could approximately double the number of conditions that could be safely and effectively treated.

What exactly is “PEMF”, and does it “work” for the treatment of chronic pain (or anything else)? To begin with and most importantly, PEMF is not just one thing; it represents a vast scope of ways that electro-magnetism can be applied therapeutically. This has been described in a recent paper, where it is determined by modeling that PEMF could be applied in any one of over a quadrillion different ways. This is far more than the number of known chemical species in the universe [7]. So, it is incorrect to assert simply that PEMF in general “works” or “does not work” for any particular medical condition without first defining the specific form of PEMF being employed.

However, when properly applied, many different forms of PEMF have been observed to have great benefits for the reduction of chronic pain. This suggests that the many possible forms of PEMF that are distinguished primarily by regulatory definition and misunderstanding can be grouped into a few different general classes of PEMF waveforms, some of which are generally and broadly effective, whereas others are less so [8].

A recent nursing study surveyed people with chronic pain who had been using a commercially-available portable (personal) PEMF device [9]. The average respondent for this survey had been suffering chronic pain for greater than six months, and as long as a decade or more in many cases. The responses were very positive:

  1. 99% of the participants experienced some pain relief or a good therapeutic outcome
  2. 86% of participants reported decreased use of pharmaceuticals (mostly “pain killers”)
  3. 98% of participants experienced an improvement in their quality of life
  4. 96% of participants experienced increased hope
  5. 95% of participants experienced an increase in functionality

In open discussion/narrative sessions, without prompting, about half of the respondents reported that they experienced prolonged reduction of pain, long after the use of PEMF was discontinued, and about a third of respondents reported that they achieved reduced pain by using low-intensity PEMF daily. These findings are not just relevant to “rare conditions” because chronic pain afflicts about 1 in 3 of all adults, and there are no safe and effective treatments in the mainstream other than “pain blocking” drugs and devices. Such pain-blocking drugs and devices often lead to progressive damage and degeneration, and many have been shown to be neither safe nor effective following widespread use after regulatory approval. Consider opioids, for example.

In this recent nursing study, the benefits of PEMF cannot simply be attributed to the placebo effect. To begin with, the placebo effect might explain as much as 30% to 40%, but not 90% or more. And the typical respondent had reported the use of 26 other treatments and modalities prior to trying PEMF, so there had been ample opportunity for each respondent to find relief through the placebo effect long before ever resorting to the use of PEMF. Rather, it would be reasonable to assume the contrary: that the respondents to this survey were self-selected as people who had demonstrated a persistent resistance to the placebo effect. Nonetheless the vast majority of them found very good and lasting relief from chronic pain through the use of PEMF, even though it had been tried only as a last resort. And nonetheless, many mainstream practitioners consider this and similar observations to be purely “anecdotal”.

To begin to clarify the real-world perceptions and uses of PEMF, this survey was conducted to begin to understand how PEMF is actually employed by individuals and clinicians.

Among the largest unanswered questions relating to therapeutic uses of PEMF are:

  1. who is using it?
  2. what are they using it for?
  3. what type of PEMF are they using? and
  4. how are they using it?

Answering these questions is particularly difficult because the use of PEMF has been largely relegated to the alternative, non-mainstream community, with no standardization, virtually no regulatory oversight, and a Wild-West attitude of price gouging and flagrantly irresponsible and fraudulent claims dominating the PEMF marketplace. Nonetheless, the biological benefit and therapeutic potential of PEMF has been widely observed and published in the peer-reviewed scientific and clinical literature, an increasing number of PEMF devices are gaining regulatory approval in the USA, virtually zero adverse effects of PEMF have been reported, and the use of PEMF as both a primary and adjunctive modality has rapidly been gaining momentum. The intelligent and effective use of PEMF in a clinical and health setting requires a certain level of education and direct experience, but at this point such information remains largely disseminated by word-of-mouth. This survey was developed to help begin to answer some of the key questions about who is using PEMF, and basic questions about how they are using it.

The group surveyed were all attendees at the ACIM 2019 conference in Orlando, Florida. This group was highly self-selected for alternative clinicians, patients, and those applying self-treatment using alternative and integrative modalities. Groups not well represented included veterinarians of all types, mainstream medical practitioners and caregivers, scientists, the general public, and skeptical segments of society.

The individual survey questions and responses largely speak for themselves. The results are summarized graphically in the Results section, with complete survey response data and written comment responses included in the Appendix.

Methods

Prior to and on the first day of the ACIM Conference in Orlando, Florida on November 16, 2019, registered attendees were asked to complete a survey detailing their use of PEMF and their clinical observations. The survey was conducted on-line using surveymonkey.com. Participation was entirely voluntary. No personal identifying information, other than their positive status as registered conference attendees, was collected from any respondent. Any potentially individually identifiable information was removed from all open-ended responses or any other locations where it might have been inadvertently captured. Respondents were not rewarded or compensated for participation. The results of the survey were presented in summary form at the end of the conference, which generated considerable interest.

The survey was made up of 18 questions, some with open-ended responses, others with a “select one or multiple answers” response format.

The results are presented in graphical summary form in the Results section as well as in their complete and raw form in the Appendix. No statistical analysis was performed other than to determine the relative frequency of answers. In most cases, respondents were allowed to check more than one answer if multiple answers were applicable.

Results

The survey was completed by 421 conference attendees. Some respondents skipped some questions. Each question, and the corresponding answers, are summarized below and are provided as raw tabulated data in the Appendix.

Question #1: What do you use PEMF for?

Number of respondents: 421

Response format: 75 possible uses for PEMF, select as many as apply

Average number of uses for PEMF reported per respondent: 6.7

This can be interpreted to mean that the typical respondent uses PEMF for about 6 or 7 different health-related conditions, of the total 75 possible options on the survey that could have been selected.

Figure 2.Top eight responses to the question: “What do you use PEMF for?”

For all responses, see the full list in the Appendix for Question #1

Question #2: What other uses do you have for PEMF? (if NONE type "none")

Response format: Respondents were given empty text response boxes on the survey in which they could submit written, free-form text responses. Identifying information and duplicates were removed and spelling was corrected.

See Appendix for list of answers to this open-ended question

Question #3: Do you have any interesting or unusual applications for PEMF? (if NONE type "none")

Response format: Respondents were given empty text response boxes on the survey in which they could submit written, free-form text responses. Identifying information and duplicates were removed and spelling was corrected.

See Appendix for list of answers to this open-ended question

Question #4: What uses of PEMF are you most interested in getting more information about?

Number of respondents: 413

The typical respondent indicated an interest to learn an average of 14 additional possible uses for PEMF, of the 75 possible uses listed in the survey.

Figure 3.Top seven responses to the question: “What uses of PEMF are you most interested in getting more information about?”, showing only those responses for which at least 35% of respondents answered affirmatively.

For all responses, see the full list in the Appendix for Question #4.

Question #5: Are you INTERESTED in any other uses of PEMF that have not been listed in Question #4?

Number of respondents: 392

See Appendix for list of answers to this open-ended question.

Question #6: Do you use PEMF along with any other type of therapy? (ADJUNCTIVE)

Number of respondents: 365

The typical respondent uses PEMF adjunctively with an average of 4.3 other modalities.

Figure 4.Responses to the question: “Do you use PEMF along with any other type of therapy? (ADJUNCTIVE)”

See Appendix for the complete list of tabulated answers.

Question #7: Do you have any other adjunctive or synergistic uses for PEMF?

Number of respondents: 365

See Appendix for list of answers to this open-ended question.

Question #8: Synergistic effects: Did the use of PEMF change the effectiveness of the other treatments?

Alternatively: Do you observe any synergistic effects?

Number of respondents: 365

Figure 5.Responses to the question: “Do you observe any synergistic effects?”

For all responses, see the full list in the Appendix for Question #8

Question #9: Which PEMF systems do you have?

Number of respondents: 409

Figure 6.Responses to the question: “Which PEMF system(s) do you have?”

For the full table of responses, see the Appendix for Question #9.

Question #10: What other PEMF systems do you use? (those not listed in the previous question)

Number of respondents: 396

See Appendix for list of answers to this open-ended question.

Question #11: Have you tried combining portable (personal) PEMF with whole-body PEMF?

Number of respondents: 407

Figure 7.Responses to the question: “Have you tried combining portable (personal) PEMF with whole-body PEMF?”

For the tabulated list of responses, see the Appendix for Question #11.

Question #12: Have you ever observed or experienced adverse effects from the use of PEMF?

Number of respondents: 407

Figure 8.Responses to the question: “Have you ever observed or experienced adverse effects from the use of PEMF?”

For the tabulated of responses, see the Appendix for Question #12.

Question #13: Briefly explain any adverse effects you have experienced or observed.

Number of respondents: 392

See Appendix for a complete list of answers to this open-ended question.

Question #14: Based on your observations and experience, PEMF is most effective for which conditions?

Number of respondents: 362

Figure 9.Responses to the question: “Based on your observations and experience, PEMF is most effective for which conditions?”

For the full list of tabulated responses, see the Appendix for Question #14

Question #15: What applications of PEMF do you think work LEAST WELL or NOT AT ALL?

Number of respondents: 319

Figure 10.Top six responses to the question: “What applications of PEMF do you think work LEAST WELL or NOT AT ALL”

For the full table of responses, see the Appendix for Question #15.

Question #16: Are you an individual user or clinician?

Number of respondents: 413

Figure 11.Responses to the question: “Are you an individual or clinician?”

For the tabulated responses, see the Appendix for Question #16.

Question #17: Clinical advice: is PEMF best used at home or in a clinic?

Number of respondents: 369

Figure 12.Responses to the question: “If you are a clinician, do you advise that PEMF is best used at home or in a clinic?”, excluding the majority of respondents who answered “I am not a clinician”.

For the complete list of tabulated responses, see the Appendix for Question #17.

Question #18: If you are a CLINICIAN or HEALTH CARE PROVIDER, what modalities do you combine with PEMF?

List as many as apply to your practice.

Number of respondents: 369

See Appendix for a complete list of answers to this open-ended question.

This completes the formal survey responses. Following the formal survey, additional information was gathered informally and analyzed. These questions focused on perceptions of the use of PEMF, the PEMF market in general, and barriers to entry. These will be briefly discussed in the next section.

Discussion

Turning first to the informal discussions elicited by the survey during the final days of the ACIM meeting, when the survey was complete, several patterns emerged. During follow-up discussions, people offered many opinions and insights into their use, or reluctance to use, PEMF in their practice or for their own health. While not included in the formal survey, their answers and comments were collected, and several additional patterns became apparent.

Individual (non-clinical) respondents stated that the largest barriers to their personal use of PEMF was the excessive price of the large, “whole-body” clinical PEMF systems. Though most report excellent results after having been treated with a large or high-power clinical PEMF system, the cost associated with the treatments (typically $100 or more for each treatment) as well as the cost to own the system were prohibitive, and many people were actively seeking alternatives to PEMF for this reason. A second barrier has been the questionable claims that are very prevalent throughout the PEMF market. Fraudulent claims of both clinical effects as well as the underlying mechanisms of PEMF are common, and among educated potential users of PEMF, these have the effect of sharply reducing the perceived credibility of PEMF technology overall.

In addition, for both individual as well as clinical users of PEMF, many reported that they were put off by the high-pressure, almost cult-like sales practices of some of the more prominent PEMF manufacturers.

Perceived product quality has also been a problem. For individual users in particular, there is the widespread perception that portable, personal PEMF is much less effective than larger high-power clinical PEMF systems. This is the case because many of the portable PEMF systems were not built to generate PEMF waveforms that are biologically effective, and are based on the simplistic and crude prototype systems from the early to mid-1960’s, so their clinical effectiveness would be expected to be less than the larger clinical systems. These attitudes are likely to change with the increasing availability of modern, highly-effective, low-cost portable (personal) PEMF systems with demonstrated benefit for the reduction of inflammation [10], tissue regeneration [8] and pain [9].

In general, there was not a great deal of clinical interest expressed for the use of portable PEMF as an integral component of their PEMF treatment toolkit, apparently because it is thought that the availability of portable PEMF systems would undermine the demand for (and therefore the profitability of) larger, much more expensive clinical PEMF systems that many clinics have already invested in. Nonetheless, the convenience and effectiveness of portable (personal) PEMF systems is clear on the basis of the fact that most clinicians surveyed in this study own and regularly use portable PEMF, even though they have free personal access to their larger clinical systems, while at the same time not incorporating these modern, effective, convenient, and affordable PEMF systems into their clinical practice.

Clinical users had the primary barriers that it was unclear which PEMF system would give the best clinical benefit, and that the investment in the larger systems was too high to simply buy several systems to test them clinically just to select the most effective one. A lack of reliable information on the optimal clinical applications for PEMF was also a barrier.

Perhaps the most important finding during the post-survey discussions was that as a general rule, the use of PEMF has often been reserved as a “treatment of last resort”, typically for people with the most advanced and difficult cases and those that are least responsive or most refractory to other treatment modalities. This has been a persistent problem, and is somewhat difficult to understand, because PEMF has been reported to be very beneficial for a wide array of conditions, many of which are very serious and have no effective treatment options, and PEMF appears to have virtually zero reports of adverse effects [1,2]. Nonetheless, PEMF does not even register among the top 10 most common complimentary health approaches among adults [4].

In light of the repeated observation that, when properly designed and used, PEMF can be applied to great effect on many refractory conditions, it is entirely non-invasive, can be inexpensive, and appears to be entirely safe with no evidence of long-term adverse effects, it is reasonable to suggest that PEMF should be considered an early intervention, not an effort of last resort. All too often, the use of PEMF is reserved for the final stages of progressive disease and advanced disability, and often only after permanent damage has been done by a series of irreversible and ineffective procedures, such as the surgeries leading to failed back syndrome. Even under these most unfavorable and advanced conditions, PEMF is widely observed to benefit those in greatest distress. Often marginalized as “only the placebo effect”, it seems reasonable to conclude that if the sufferer were subject to placebo, they would have done so prior to the eventual use of PEMF. With this in mind, one final post-survey question that was posed informally during the ACIM meeting was “How many interventions were attempted prior to the use of PEMF?”

The question itself was sobering to those who were asked. Most offered an initial response similar to “I had never thought of it that way…”. Upon reflection, most respondents said they had tried between two and five mainstream treatments, followed by a larger number of alternative approaches, before finally employing PEMF. Most often, the delayed adoption of PEMF was attributed to (1) a lack knowledge, (2) lack of availability, (3) high cost, and (4) a general fear of electromagnetism.

Turning now to the formal survey results, several patterns become clear. When surveying the various health and clinical applications of PEMF (Question #1), the typical respondent identified 6 or 7 conditions to which they regularly applied PEMF. The eight most frequently cited uses are shown in Figure 2. These include, in rank order, injury recovery (58%), chronic pain (47%), general health (37%), joint injury and arthritis (31%), acute pain (30%), inflammation (29%), self-hacking (24%), and tissue healing and regeneration (24%). While these categories have a fair amount of overlap, they nonetheless represent a very large number of specific clinical conditions with the afflicted numbering in the billions globally that are directly suffering with some of the most pressing health issues we face, such as chronic pain and a broad range of diseases of aging.

Though about 75 different conditions were listed for Question #1, the open-ended follow-on question (#2) allowed respondents to write in the conditions they also applied PEMF to, if those conditions were not listed in Question #1. While some responses were simply repeated from Question #1, many were not listed. This clearly indicates the very wide range of health conditions to which PEMF is regularly applied.

Question #3 follows on from the first two questions, asking for interesting or unusual applications for PEMF. While there were again some repeats, there were many that were interesting and unexpected, many involving brain health and related degenerative conditions, many veterinary applications, many that were purely experimental, and a few that were simply practical health challenges that are often just overlooked (such as jet lag).

Question #4 asked whether the respondent had an interest in learning about the use of PEMF for any other applications for which they had not tried PEMF. The most frequent responses are shown in Figure 3, and generally map well with the responses in Figure 2, so it is clear that people have an interest in learning about the potential for the use of PEMF in many of the same most pressing health concerns of society, whether or not they had yet had the opportunity to try PEMF with any of these applications.

Following on this same line of questioning, #5 allowed open-ended answers for the respondents to express their interest in literally any possible use for PEMF. Once again, the scope of interests spanned a very wide range of potential applications as listed in the Appendix.

The use of PEMF as an adjunctive modality was clear from the answers to Question #6, the typical respondent indicating that they regularly use PEMF adjunctively with an average of 4.3 different modalities, the most popular being nutritional supplements, infra-red light therapy, chiropractic, massage, and grounding, as shown in Figure 4. Additional adjunctive and synergistic uses for PEMF were submitted for Question #7, and are listed in the appropriate section of the Appendix.

When asked about the synergistic effects of PEMF with other modalities (Question #8, Figure 5), only 31% of respondents indicated no synergy, whereas 62% of respondents rated the synergy as yielding “much better” or at least “somewhat better” results. Only 1% reported reduced effectiveness when PEMF was used adjunctively with other modalities.

When asked about the types of PEMF systems that respondents have (Questions 9 and 10, Figure 6), there was a clear bias toward Micro-Pulse ICES systems (the product offered by the author), but this bias does not reflect the actual percentage of use of Micro-Pulse ICES-PEMF systems in the overall PEMF market. Therefore, to avoid this bias, excluding the top three systems (Micro-Pulse models A9, M1, and C5), a predictable rank-order of the most common and popular PEMF systems emerges. The actual percentage of users for each of these systems is tabulated in detail in the Appendix (see questions 9 and 10).

Most people have not tried combining the effects of large, whole-body PEMF systems with concurrent use of portable (personal) PEMF. Figure 7 shows that 83% of respondents had never done so. However, about 16% of the 407 respondents to this question had done so, and of those, more than 2/3 found that the combined use of large clinical PEMF concurrently with portable (personal) PEMF resulted in outcomes that were “somewhat better” to “much better” than the use of only large clinical PEMF or portable PEMF systems alone.

In answer to the question: “Have you ever observed or experienced adverse effects from the use of PEMF?”, 79% of respondents said they had never observed adverse effects of PEMF (Figure 8). The remaining 21 % had observed adverse effects, but only temporary adverse effects, and of those, only 2% were considered major temporary adverse effects. There were no reported permanent adverse effects. This corroborates the observation in the Introduction section that the scientific and clinical literature, taken as a whole, is essentially devoid of reports of any serious or permanent adverse effects of PEMF treatment. Brief descriptions of the adverse effects observed by respondents to this survey are given in the Appendix, in the tabulated answers to Question #13.

When asked which conditions PEMF was most effective for (Figure 9), most (40%) responded “injury recovery”, followed by chronic and acute pain. Some respondents (16%) indicated that they had formulated the opinion based upon their experience that PEMF was “helpful for just about everything”.

Turning this question around, when asked “What applications of PEMF do you think work LEAST WELL or NOT AT ALL” (Figure 10), the most common response (46%) was to contradict the question itself by asserting “NONE; PEMF seems to work pretty well for everything”. However, 13% maintained that PEMF worked poorly or not at all for anything. This large percentage was unexpected for this option, and may have been due to the question being poorly worded and misunderstood. However, following this, there were a fairly long list of conditions where some people had observed PEMF to be ineffective, all of these occurring only 5% of the time or less. This could be due to individual variability, improper use of PEMF, or the inadvertent use of an ineffective PEMF system.

Figure 11 indicates that 86% of respondents to this survey were individual users of PEMF, while the remaining 14% were clinicians who used PEMF on their clients, themselves, or both.

In response to the question: “If you are a clinician, do you advise that PEMF is best used at home or in a clinic?”, the most common answer was “I am not a clinician”. Excluding these, the remaining answers are shown in Figure 12. About half of clinicians would recommend the use of PEMF at home, with or without the concurrent use of in-clinic PEMF, and only a very small number would recommend the use of PEMF with no other treatment modalities.

The final question on the survey was to ask what other treatment modalities they use concurrently with PEMF, and these open-ended answers are tabulated in the Appendix.

Summary and Conclusions

Considering the answers to the formal survey as well as the informally gathered information following the survey, the general trends are that PEMF has benefits that have been observed for a very broad range of applications, most common among these being injury recovery and pain, while having no observed serious and permanent adverse effects. PEMF is used widely both by clinicians and individuals for an average of 6 or 7 different health-related conditions, and as an adjunctive modality for many other alternative and mainstream approaches. About 2/3 of the time, people report that PEMF has synergistic effects when combined with other modalities, including the combined occasional use of large clinical with daily use of portable (personal) PEMF.

Statement of Potential Conflict of Interest

The author of this report (R.G. Dennis) declares both a scientific and a commercial interest in ICES®-PEMF technology: He is owner of Micro-Pulse LLC (manufacturer of the technology), holds several patents for ICES®-PEMF technology and receives royalty payments from NASA-Johnson Space Center for the commercial licensing of this technology, which he developed in its initial form (TVEMF) as a consultant for NASA in the mid-1990’s.

Appendix: Detailed survey response data

Question #1

What do you use PEMF for? (select as many as you want)

Answer Choices Responses
Injury Recovery (58%) 58.23% 244
Pain - Chronic (> 6 months) (47%) 47.26% 198
General Health (37%) 36.99% 155
Joint Injury, Arthritis (31%) 31.26% 131
Pain - Acute (< 6 months) (30%) 30.31% 127
Anti-Inflammatory response (29%) 29.12% 122
Self-Hacking (24%) 24.11% 101
Healing and Regeneration (24%) 24.11% 101
Sleep, Circadian 15.75% 66
Bone Injury 14.56% 61
Gastro-Intestinal - IBS, Motility, Leaky Gut, Gastric Ulcers 14.56% 61
Psychological and Cognitive Function 13.13% 55
Surgery - Wound Recovery 13.13% 55
Stem Cell Stimulation/Therapy 12.89% 54
Dental, Oral 12.65% 53
Nerves and Conductivity 12.17% 51
Vagus Nerve 11.93% 50
Performance Enhancement 11.69% 49
Brain Injury / Stroke 11.22% 47
Metabolism, Cell Function, ATP and Mitochondria 11.22% 47
Depression 10.02% 42
Eye - Vision, Cataracts, Glaucoma, Macular Degeneration 9.79% 41
Stress Management 9.31% 39
Anxiety, Panic, PTSD 8.83% 37
Migraine 8.59% 36
Brain / CNS Degeneration or Disease 8.59% 36
Chronic Fatigue (CFS) 8.35% 35
Anti-Edema/swelling 8.35% 35
Circulation, Red Blood Cells 8.11% 34
Detoxification 7.88% 33
Liver 7.88% 33
Digital Acupuncture 7.40% 31
Ears - Hearing, Tinnitus, Vestibular 6.21% 26
Osteoporosis and Osteopenia 5.73% 24
Kidney 5.49% 23
Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH) 5.49% 23
Anti-Spasm 4.53% 19
Lung / Pulmonary 4.53% 19
Pelvic Dysfunction/Pain 4.53% 19
Surgery - Implants, Meshoma, Artificial Joints 4.30% 18
Skin - Eczema, Dermatitis, Fungal Infections, Psoriasis 4.30% 18
Lyme 4.30% 18
Cancer: Primary Effects 4.30% 18
Paraplegia and Spinal Injury 4.06% 17
Adhesions 4.06% 17
Urogenital - Erectile, Enuresis and Incontinence, VVA 3.82% 16
Immunology 3.82% 16
Growth Factors and Nitric Oxide (NO) 3.82% 16
Structured Water 3.58% 15
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) 3.58% 15
Cancer: Secondary Effects, Recovery from Treatment 3.58% 15
Tremor 3.34% 14
Face, Lips, Cheeks, Nose 3.34% 14
Scalp - Hair Growth, Wounds, Other 3.34% 14
I have not used PEMF yet 3.10% 13
Vascular Disease 3.10% 13
Skin - Infection, Burns, Lesions, Fistula 3.10% 13
Alkaline Balance 2.86% 12
Heart Disease and Hypertension 2.86% 12
Diabetes Type 2 2.86% 12
Shingles 2.63% 11
Chemo - Recovery 2.39% 10
Antiseptic: Antibacterial, Antifungal, Antiviral 2.15% 9
Keloid 1.91% 8
Anti-Coagulant 1.67% 7
Obesity, Metabolic Disease 1.67% 7
Diabetes Type 1 1.43% 6
Addiction 1.19% 5
Surgery - Finger, Toe or Limb Reattachment 1.19% 5
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) 1.19% 5
Pancreatic Conditions 1.19% 5
Neuromyelitis (NMO) 0.72% 3
Diabetic Ulcers 0.48% 2
Other Diabetic Complications 0.48% 2
Smoking Cessation 0.24% 1
Scleroderma or Progressive system sclerosis (PSS) 0.24% 1
Answered 419
Skipped 2
Table 1. Question #1

Question #2

What other uses do you have for PEMF?  (if NONE type "none")

kill the Herpes virus, as well as kill certain parasites
Alzheimer's
apparent rejuvenation of urinary tract
Anti-amyloid plaque build-up studies
Arthritic issues
arthritis
Arthritis
Arthritis in my neck, Healing a 40-year-old muscle injury where my triceps jumps out of the ulnar notch
assist my dogs in healing wounds and joint issues, anti-aging
Assist w/ Frequency Specific Microcurrent (FSM)
Back ache and sleep
Back pain
Back pain sciatica
Back problems when sleeping due to Spondylolisthesis
Balancing bioenergy field
Blood brain flow and oxygenation
Blood circulation
Blood clot
Bone bruise, hip pain, knee pain, elbow pain
bone fractures and ligament repairs
BPH
Brain and thyroid stimulation
Brain fog or difficulty doing brain work during day
brain wave entrainment,
Brain, inflammation
Breast enlargement
broken bones
Canine arthritis
carpal tunnel (undiagnosed) - 30 years at a keyboard
Celiac
Cerebellum for balance, frozen shoulder
Circulation issues
cognitive enhancement
COPD mold infection - lungs
counteracting effects of EMF
Self-experiment about finding other uses
Dealing with jet lag
Deep sleep, meditation, visioning, creativity, pets
de-stressing before bedtimewarmth in the cold and indoors (Chi Energy)sinus pain, de-congestion (improves breathing)tooth and gum paindigestion aidimprove concentrationhelping dog with spinal stenosis
Dog who had liver issues
Dog's back spasms
Dupuytren Fibromyalgia
Dysautonomia
Ease intermittent lower back pain
endometriosis
energy medicine
Enhance learning? – self experiments
Equine therapy
Fatigue
Fatigue recovery
pet pain and arthritis
General Health Maintenanceinflammation controlback pain reduction
Gout
Gums
Hashimoto’s/hypothyroidism
head trauma, focus, dissociation, headaches
Headache
Headaches
help constipation
detox
Helping with Alzheimer’s/dementia
Hemorrhoids
Hormone Balance
Hypnic headaches as result of assaults
hip pain
whiplashmigrainesspinal arthritislowering muscle & body acidity
improved cognitive performancestress reduction - theta then delta pattern
brain stimulation
“At least for 20 or more conditions…”
neuropathy
paincirculationinflammation issues
pain -- within seconds, it's usually gone.
fibromyalgia
joint circulation
Increasing circulation for chemo-neuropathy
Gastro-intestinal inflammation
Inverse Piezoelectric Effect on the Body
insomnia
IVDD (disc disease)
Joint pain
Knee pain
Self-experiment to explore cutting edge treatments
Libido
Ligament injuries
Low Back Pain
low grade chronic inflammation
lower back
lower back pain related to injury several years ago
lumbar disc herniation with sciatica pain
Lymphatic Drainage/Circulation
to generate positive vibes into room
Matrix Repatterning
Meditation enhancement
Meditation and hypnosis
Meditation/brain-wave entrainment
Migraines
Mild hip osteoarthritis
muscle pain and inflammation
dog - herniated disc
Nerve regeneration Neurogenic symptoms of lower back stenosis - it calms nerves and reduces swelling
Neuroinflammation
Neurological Diseases Recovery
neuropathy
Neuropathy
Occasional knee painimprove circulation in feet
support adrenal fatigue/stress/weakness recovery from very old L5 disc herniation
ovarian cyst, gall bladder & spleen issues
Overall general health
Pain from EDS/Joint Hypermobility Syndromeinflammation in neck and spine
Parkinson's
PEMF gives me hope
Peripheral neuropathy
pet therapy for various chronic issues
plantar fasciitis
Plantar Fasciitis and granulomas lungs
post concussive syndrome, long term residuals
preventative - on my back when on long drives to prevent pain
pre-workout / exercise / yoga for strength & flexibility
Prostate Hypertrophy
Pulled Muscles
use after shingles & TDMP injections to reduce the pain hand injury: the pain never came back and there was no bruising
Really anything, too many applications to count or list
Reduction of TMJ/TMD pain.
Tissue regeneration
Restless Leg Syndrome
right hip arthrosis/pain
sarcopenia
Sciatica
Sciaticasinuses
rectal inflammation
SIBO and Lupus
sleep
Sleep, mitochondrial impact
Sleep, Thyroid to feel warmer
chest painheadachesjoint painall forms of inflammation
Stimulate F3 & F4 for autism
telomere increase, increase cell voltage, biological age 20, actual age 73
tendonitis
Theta Brain Wave states for learning
Thyroid
Thyroid
To help clear parasitic overgrowthTraumatic Brain InjuryChronic pain in upper back, shoulders, neck and lower back from car accident
Increase energy and well-being
Total well being
circulation, oxygenation, lymph system movement, and cellular detox routines
Table 2. Question #2

Question # 3

Do you have any interesting or unusual applications?  (if NONE type "none")

Under the madras (laying part) during night
Active neurofeedback
ALZALSParkinson'sPTSDTBICTEOpioid Addition
Alzheimer's
Alzheimer'sFloaters in eyesCat gut issues
Use near brachial plexus for vagus nerve stimulation sleep
Amyloid plaque clearingdelta wave induction via PNS
Ankle Replacement - Bone Stimulation
Anything related to improved functioning
Autism
autism
self-hacking: consciousness
Bone bruise, hip pain, elbow pain, sleep,
Brain neuromodulation guided by EEG and QEEG analysis
Carpal tunnel
Adjunct therapy: combination with near-infrared (LLLT/photo biomodulation)
cure all: I use it for all health-related issues
self-hacking: meridians, or dystonia, thyroid issues, histamine response to food
Dental pain, infections
CRPS
Dog liver issues
Dog’s arthritis & back pain
double inguinal hernia
Double stack on thyroid
ED
EHLERS-DANLOS connective tissue disorder
Eye dryness
Fibromyalgia pain
Post-surgical bone growth and pain reduction
For my dog: pain and mobility issues
For puffy eyes
Mid-day brain fatigue
inflammatory eye disease adjunct to experimental stem cell therapy
Guitar practice: self-hacking improvement of performance
Healing a ligament tear for my horse
electromagnetically-assisted lymphatic drainage massage
I placed electrodes at the base of my skull every night to help with muscle pain
I successfully cured a vascular necrosis from some 25 years ago
I tried regrowing a decayed tooth. It went extremely well.
I use it every night for 2 hours on my face over gums that tend to become inflamed
I use it for general healing
I use it to get deeper and more restorative sleep
I use over meridian points to target areas of pain instead of directly over area of painuse gamma setting and go into altered state of consciousness
Self-hacking - create a helmet to put it in my brain to see if I can hack my intelligence
Inverse Piezoelectric Effect heals things rapidly faster than passive healing
It aborts an ocular migraine every time for me - place it on my neck below ear on the opposite side of the visual distortion
Self-experiment: reduce eye floaters
I've found less intensity is better for me
Jet lag. It really helps!broken elbow recovery
Accelerated recovery after ear surgery rib injury
low grade chronic inflammation
Lungs are scarred, this helpsTMJ
macular degeneration - drusen slightly reduced. Eye feels stronger
Meditation
Post-stroke; it calms the overactive side of the brain and improves therapy
Neurogenesis
that when used it on my full back it improves my mood somehowvagus nerve stimulation results
follow up from prostate cancer surgery (removal). PSA rising so trying it for that
horse with a broken pelvis and leg injury
Open wound caused by tumors
Optic nerve regeneration from glaucoma
Ovarian cysts
peripheral neuropathy
Pineal Gland Stimulation
PEMF cured my spondylolistheses while restoring the nerve to my left leg after surgery for a ruptured L4-L5 disk
polymyalgia
improve liver circulation due to liver disease
prevention of prostate cancer recurrence
Recovery and relaxation
Regeneration of Dentin
Scoliosis
Self-made head harness for treatment of optic neuropathy
Self-hacked follower
Significant wound healing
Treat bad circulation
Structured water
tension related headache
Testicle pain. Asthma
Testosterone levels (testicular application)
Thyroid to feel warmer
TMJ locking/spasm; resolution of dental cavity pain; increase of Restless Leg Syndrome symptom onset from 5 minutes after lying down to 1 hour (after 2 treatments, expecting more results with further treatment)
trying to increase neuromuscular coordination for throwing hammer in track and field
self-experiments on tooth care
Use on brain targeting hypothalamus
Use the probes directly on the bone-on-bone hip & knee
Use theta for about 10 mins at night before sleep
Use to treat Parkinson’s disease
Using it along with microcurrent and photonic glasses (biofeedback) to slow dementia
Was considering wrist emf blood irradiation for general health
When I used it for lower back pain, it didn't decrease the back pain, but I felt energy rush up the base of the spine.
Wound healing
wrapped around the head
plant growth in agriculture and fish (trout)
Table 3. Question #3

Question #4

What uses of PEMF are you most interested in getting more information about?

Answer Choices Responses
Stem Cell Stimulation/Therapy 40% 166
General Health 40% 165
Injury Recovery 39% 161
Pain - Chronic (more than 6 months) 39% 160
Self-Hacking 37% 154
Anti-Inflammatory response 37% 154
Healing and Regeneration of Tissue 36% 150
Sleep, Circadian 33% 138
Eye - Vision, Cataracts, Glaucoma, Macular Degen 33% 138
Joint Injury, Arthritis 32% 133
Vagus Nerve 31% 128
Ears - Hearing, Tinnitus, Vestibular 31% 126
Metabolism, Cell Function, ATP and Mitochondria 29% 119
Pain - Acute (less than 6 months) 28% 115
Psychological and Cognitive Function 27% 113
Anxiety, Panic, PTSD 27% 111
Depression 27% 110
Detoxification 26% 108
Dental, Oral 26% 107
Brain Injury / Stroke 26% 106
Gastro-Intestinal - IBS, Motility, Leaky Gut, Gastric Ulcers 25% 105
Performance Enhancement 25% 103
Brain / CNS Degeneration or Disease 25% 103
Structured Water 24% 100
Digital Acupuncture 23% 95
Growth Factors and Nitric Oxide (NO) 23% 94
Chronic Fatigue (CFS) 23% 93
Stress Management 22% 89
Nerves and Conductivity 22% 89
Cancer: Primary Effects 21% 85
Heart Disease and Hypertension 20% 83
Surgery - Wound Recovery 20% 83
Skin - Eczema, Dermatitis, Fungal Infections, Psoriasis 20% 82
Liver 19% 80
Circulation, Red Blood Cells 19% 79
Immunology 19% 79
Scalp - Hair Growth, Wounds, Other 19% 78
Antiseptic: Antibacterial, Antifungal, Antiviral 18% 74
Vascular Disease 18% 73
Alkaline Balance 17% 71
Kidney 17% 71
Cancer: Secondary Effects, Recovery from Treatment 17% 71
Osteoporosis and Osteopenia 17% 70
Lyme 17% 70
Bone Injury 16% 67
Obesity, Metabolic Disease 15% 62
Diabetes Type 2 15% 61
Migraine 14% 59
Lung / Pulmonary 14% 57
Face, Lips, Cheeks, Nose 14% 56
Urogenital - Erectile, Enuresis and Incontinence, VVA 13% 55
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) 13% 54
Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH) 13% 54
Anti-Edema/swelling 13% 54
Skin - Infection, Burns, Lesions, Fistula 12% 50
Adhesions 11% 46
Shingles 11% 44
Pancreatic Conditions 11% 44
Paraplegia and Spinal Injury 10% 43
Chemo - Recovery 10% 42
Addiction 9% 39
Surgery - Implants, Meshoma, Artificial Joints 9% 39
Diabetes Type 1 9% 37
Tremor 8% 35
Anti-Spasm 8% 32
Pelvic Dysfunction/Pain 7% 30
Other Diabetic Complications 7% 27
Surgery - Finger, Toe or Limb Reattachment 6% 26
Keloid 6% 26
Anti-Coagulant 6% 26
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) 6% 25
Diabetic Ulcers 5% 19
Smoking Cessation 4% 18
Neuromyelitis (NMO) 4% 18
Scleroderma or Progressive system sclerosis (PSS) 4% 16
Answered 413
Skipped 8
Table 4. Question #4

Question #5

Are you INTERESTED in any other uses of PEMF that have not been listed in Question #4?

osteo arthritis
acute / recurrent otitis media (ear infections) in children
All uses really
All uses! Anything self-hacking, medicaluses with lymph nodes and meridiansadjunct with RIFE
All, but especially cancer
Altered state, mind performance
Always interested in alternative medicine
Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer's
Parkinson’sALS
Anti-Aging
AnxietyDepressionneuronal plasticity
Any and all possible applications
Arthritis in elderlypoor circulation and water retention in feet
Autism
Autoimmune conditionsgenerally interested in all uses.
Beauty treatment
Bone healing
Brain enhancement, longevity
brain function, nerve growth
Brain retraining
Brain stimulation
broken bones
pain reduction during surgery
Adjunct for exosomes
cardiac conduction problems
cell voltage increases, stem cell increases, telomere increase
chi-Energy improve blood-flow and keep me warm.
Cognitive Dementia Alzheimer Dupuytren
adult growth (taller?)
dental implants
Dupuytren's contractureCarpal tunnel
Effect on Hs-CRP blood test
EMF
Eyesight improvement
FatigueCirculationcold feetbruising
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgiafatigue
for dogs with health issues
for POTS syndrome symptoms
Hair growth
Headaches
Healing
Hemicrania Continua
use with Frequency Specific Microcurrent Systems
I would like to understand which device helps the brain
I'm interested in everything
I'm sure when the issues arise, I will try a use
vascular disease suppress hunger
Increasing oxygen in brain function for brains that are very low in energy
inter-planetary travel
IVDD (disc disease)
Jet lag. Also entering deep sleep quickly
Leaky gut
Lifestyle Medicine, preventative Medicine
longevity
Lower back pain
Lymph system movement/detox
male dog incontinence after spay in an older dog
Men's ED
motor tics, Tourette’s
multiple chemical sensitivity
Muscle release
Muscle trigger points
Myopia reversaldental regenerationfertility, enhanced pregnancy
Neurological and CNS inflammation
Neurological issues
neuropathy
Neuroplasticity
Osteitis in elephants toes/ tb
Osteoarthritis
pain control
Parkinson disease
PEMF vs LLLT comparison studies
Penis health
Periodontal disease
Plant growth, animal and fish growth
post-traumatic hypopituitarism (non-impact TBI induced)
Preventing Jet Lag and issues with air travel
Rheumatoid arthritis
Scars in lungsCervical pain, cervogenic migraines
Scoliosis
Sleep
specific modulation of frequency ~ 250hz
Stem cells according to what Robert O. Becker did.
tendon healing
Thyroid
Gut health
thyroiditis
Tissue recovery
Slow the process of aging
brain problems that might be helped
use for knee joint and rotator cuff (shoulder)
Whiplash
slow wave sleep
pineal gland stimulation
osteoporosis and blood pressure
Table 5. Question #5

Question #6

Do you use PEMF along with any other type of therapy? (ADJUNCTIVE)

Answer Choices Responses
Nutritional Supplements 70.41% 257
Infra-Red Light 45.48% 166
Chiropractic 27.12% 99
Massage 26.85% 98
Grounding 23.01% 84
Other PEMF systems: whole body + portable 22.74% 83
Other electronic systems: RIFE, micro-current, bioresonance 22.47% 82
Massage 19.18% 70
Acupuncture 18.90% 69
Detox 18.63% 68
Laser 16.71% 61
Ozone Therapy 16.44% 60
Aromatherapy 15.89% 58
Visible Light therapy 15.62% 57
Naturopathy 15.34% 56
Inversion, Traction 8.77% 32
Solid Magnets 8.49% 31
Oxygen Therapy 8.22% 30
Gems/Crystals 6.85% 25
Stem Cell Injections 6.58% 24
Hyperbaric Oxygen (HBOT) 6.30% 23
Surgery 4.93% 18
Chelation 4.38% 16
Answered 365
Skipped 56
Table 6. Question #6

Question #7

Do you have any other adjunctive or synergistic uses for PEMF?

acupressure
acupressure, kinesiology
Amethyst BioMat (not sure if I can use PEMF at same time (?)
Antiaging
Arpwave neurotherapy
binural beats, meditation, Pilates rehab movements
bone growth supplements: D3, MK7, Calcuim
Bowen therapy and PEMF together
Brainwave Entrainment with an integrated sound and light stimulation device
C60 BuckyballsL-Serine (Alzheimer’s prevention)Concentrace (maintain alkalinity)Remag (magnesium)Potassium Citrate (alkalinity)
CES - tACS, tDCS, tRNS
chi-Energy
CO2 baths (dry and wet).
Cosmotic and Scenar
Dry Needling
EEG Neurofeedback
ehf
Emotion Code/Body Code has suggested use to correct imbalances.
Equiscope
Essential Oils
exercise
Exercise (HIIT being one of them)
exercise, physio & hydrotherapy
Far infrared mat
fasting, time restricted eating
Feldenkrais Method
FSM frequency specific microcurrent
Lipogems stem cell procedure
heating pad ginger tea/Chamomile tea for anti-inflammation
Homeopathy
hydrogen/brown's gas
Infra-red light
IV vitamin C high dosecolonic cleanseUV blood irradiation
laser acupunctureRIFE treatment
Manual therapyCryotherapy“brain mirroring” device by Cereset
Massage
meditation (lowers inflammation via nf-kb) + alfa wave ices
meditation brain entrainment
MEHRAN KESHE: Plasma, GANS, can be VERY effective for pain, injuries
Mild HBOT while using portable PEMF (Micro-Pulse A9)
FSM
NAET acupressure “gate points” (major meridian trigger/massage points)D-Ribose supplementationProtandium SupplementationDiatomaceous Earth (silicon) supplementation
Nano Vi
Neigong
Neurofeedback
Neurofeedback - matrix repatterning- DHA fish oil - wild salmon
LED and laser photo biomodulation on brain, body and acupuncture points.
OT-PT
Photo modulation
Physical Therapy Exercises
Physical therapy, chiroparctic
Prolotherapy and Platelet-Rich-Plasma injections
PRP
rebounding on a mini trampolinehealthy diet
sauna
SE-5
Shamanic energy work
Structured water
Teeth Regeneration and accelerated tooth growth
Tensor rings and related copper tools
ultrasound
audio visual entrainment brain device
CO2 baths and inhalation
Wahls
Whole body vibration training or gravity resistance training (Hypervibe)
Wim Hoff Diet
Portable PEMF + large PEMF pad
Inversion Table + PEMF for back pain
Table 7. Question #7

Question #8

Synergistic effects: Did the use of PEMF change the effectiveness of the other treatments?

Answer Choices Responses
No, the effectiveness does not seem to be changed by adding the use of PEMF 31% 111
Yes, and the results were MUCH BETTER than using just the other treatment alone 32% 114
Yes, and the results were SOMEWHAT BETTER than using just the other treatment alone 30% 108
Yes, and the results were ABOUT THE SAME AS using just the other treatment alone 6% 21
Yes, but the results were NOT AS GOOD AS using just the other treatment alone 1% 2
Answered 356
Skipped 65
Table 8. Question #8

Question # 9

Which PEMF system(s) do you have?

Answer Choices Responses
A9 - Micro-Pulse ICES 57.95% 237
M1 - Micro-Pulse ICES 37.16% 152
C5 - Micro-Pulse ICES 9.29% 38
Earth Pulse 6.85% 28
Sota Magnetic Pulser 6.11% 25
IMRS 5.13% 21
B5 - Micro-Pulse ICES 4.89% 20
I do not have any of the systems listed above 3.91% 16
BEMER 3.42% 14
SomaPulse 2.44% 10
QRS 2.44% 10
Micro-Pulse Legacy system (AllevaWave, WeHealPlus) 1.96% 8
Parameds/Curatron (whole body) 1.47% 6
FlexPulse 1.22% 5
OMI 1.22% 5
PEMF8000, PER2000, MagnaPulse 1.22% 5
PEMF-120 (whole body) 0.98% 4
Electro Meds 0.73% 3
DIY - PEMF (driven by smart phone, etc.) 0.73% 3
Almag 0.73% 3
BioBalance (whole body) 0.73% 3
TMS: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (various brands) 0.49% 2
TeslaFit (whole body) 0.49% 2
MagnaWave 0.24% 1
Harmony USB 0.24% 1
Pulsed Harmonix (whole body) 0.24% 1
Healthy Wave, Healthy Lines, etc. 0.24% 1
EPAD 0.00% 0
Medithera (whole body) 0.00% 0
Amp Coil 0.00% 0
PureLife (e.g. PL-3000) 0.00% 0
NovoPulse 0.00% 0
Answered 409
Skipped 12
Table 9. Question #9

Question #10

What other PEMF systems do you use? (those not listed in the previous question)

A9bQRS
actipatch
Alpha-Stim for POTS symptoms
BEMER
Bemer, IMRS, Magnawave
Bemer, qrs, earth pulse, Mira mate, empulse, bio Medici, deta Eli’s
Bio-Mat - True Rife - Tesla Energy Lights - photo modulation
bob beck hand made
omnium1
Centrurion coil and blanket
Centurion
Curatron 2000
Curatron HT2000
Currently none - alpha stim in past
DeltaSleeper (SR1)
DIY
Dr Jerry Tennant, BC Ophthalmologist, Biomodulater (mfr Avazzia), micro-current; Biotransducer (a PEMF device regulated by Biomodulator)
Dr. Becker pulser
earth pulse
EMProbe (very old model, 75Hz sinusoidal)
facial PEMF (Russian); prostate PENF (Russian)
Fauna equine system and activity-med equine system
frequency specific micro current
Frequency Specific Microcurrent and Magnasphere
High powered frequency adjustable
magnetic massager (ProMagnet.com)
tech mag 2000
Biomag equipment. www.biomag.co.uk
Ices DigiCeutical M2
'magneter', an east european whole-body mat
iMRS
IMRS & OMI
Acupulse MyopulseARP Wave (too costly, not very effective IMO)
Micro-Pulse M1 two channel microcurrent
Lenyo bio-regulation (BRT) devices, wellnesspemf.com devices
MagnaCharger X1
Magnafield Pemf
MagnaFix MV103
magnopro
MAS Multi
MAS sport-multi, MAS powerline, Magnopro, elecsystems magnetotron,
MatrixPulse
MicroPulse
miHealth
MIM-2
Mome
NES MiHealth
Neurofield X3000 Plus, Lenysosis (entry level whole body)
Nordmedtec PMT3006
NRG PRO
OMI
Omnium1
Omron electro therapy device
ORIN
oska pulse , e- cell, painsolv, ams medisend
Osteopad from Tom Valone.
PEMF/RIFE: Resonant Light PERL
PFG2z, P3Pro (from Pulsed Technologies)
Photon Genius and Photon Genie
Pulse Centers - Pulse XL Pro
Pulse for Lifr
Resonant Light PERL M+ & PoGen 3
Rife and vieLight
Sedona Pro
SomniResonance
Sota pulser
SOTA, pain relief, spooky2, magnapulse, pulse, home made grey hound pemf,
Spooky2
Tennant Biomodulator
Tennant Biomodulator, Biotransducer, Hand Grips
TENS
UltiCare LT-99, PEMF DCM 3500
Medithera (but sold because of better results with ICES)
Whole body at Optimal Health Stem cell and wellness institute
Table 10. Question #10

Question #1 1

Have you tried combining portable (personal) PEMF with whole-body PEMF?

Answer Choices Responses
No, I have never tried using both whole-body and focal (portable) PEMF together 83% 339
Yes, and the results were MUCH BETTER than using just one alone 6% 26
Yes, and the results were SOMEWHAT BETTER than using just one alone 5% 21
Yes, and the results were ABOUT THE SAME AS using just one alone 5% 21
Yes, and the results were NOT AS GOOD AS using just one alone 0% 0
Answered 407
Skipped 14
Table 11. Question #11

Question #1 2

Have you ever observed or experienced adverse effects from the use of PEMF?

Answer Choices Responses
Yes, minor effects that were temporary 18.58% 76
Yes, minor effects that were permanent 0.00% 0
Yes, major effects that were temporary 2.20% 9
Yes, major effects that were permanent 0.00% 0
No known side effects 78.97% 323
Answered 409
Skipped 12
Table 12. Question #12

Question #13

Briefly explain any adverse effects you have experienced or observed

using the somapulse for no more than 15 min, I felt a whole-body agitation/arousal that I had never felt before. The closest comparison was as if I had taken a great excess of caffeine. Sometimes I would go to sleep with the somapulse on my knee and I would wake up in a whole body sweat which never happens otherwise. I am not sure, but I think that when that happens I also had more dramatic improvements in knee pain and inflammation. When using PEMF on my head I have had pressure in the area the next day (not headache) and sometimes mild headache.
When looking sharply side to side, notice pixilated colors and slight dizziness
A9: if I run too long the area begins to have a slight numbness which goes away very quickly
Achy feeling for a while after treatment
After injury of arthritic knee, use of PEMF caused temporary higher level of pain.
Bad mood
Brain fog with a9 unit when treating head (intensity probably too high)
On high intensity: Brain fog, confusion from use on head
Brief headaches that would be from too much power, temporary and go away quickly, lowering power always solves the issue
caused a boil to form in my inner thigh
Complete dysregulation of my CNS
Cramp in calf magnified when local PEMF was applied - attempted different settings but cramp still intensified with local application of M1
Crazy dream, thought it was real life, when I accidentally feel asleep with it on my cheeks. Wider pores on cheek post usage.
did high powered PEMF on my gut, went into massive cramps and pain for 3 days, could barely get out of bed.
Dizziness (temporary)
dizziness-I think it was because I was not hydrated enough. this happened when I used the IMRS Mat for 8 min at 25%
Micro-Pulse model A9: Early on I could not tolerate a higher power level and it took weeks or months before I was more comfortable with it (started with Low-Med and took weeks/months until I could use High/Extra High). Also, over energizing the structured water under the A9 protocol for too long with too little liquid made it uncomfortable and electrical tasting.
Experimenting with the different protocols on my head and theta with coils placed above ears produced severe nausea. I typically stick to the B5-C5 protocol for brain fog and soft tissue/injury healing.
extreme pain on application to the neck at different times also several times on the hip/knee. Upon stopping the treatment, the pain abated & and a few hours later I was able to reapply to the same area with a positive result using portable e-cell & oska pulse units
temporary fatigue and nausea
Had shingles 1yr ago. Used M1 Omni 8 just below ribs (had turned gut in this area). Developed shingles in that area - even though I had Shingrex. Unusual area for shingles. Could be coincidental. Took anti-viral within 2 days. Shingles lasted 6 weeks. Single event.
head/neck pain at the base of my head
headache and general detox symptoms
Headache when using on head
Headache, brain fog
headache/brain inflammation, fatigue/sleepy, using a9a
I am in a constant clearing mode so even if I am detoxing it is nothing major to me on my quest to get well. I think the M1 is amazing
I had increased swelling from breast tissue where there was a lump. it went down the next day. It was shortly after I had bought my first PEMF, and I think I was too ambitious with the cancer patient and exposed her for too long.
I have a 31-year-old injury at top of skull; when wearing the A9 for multiple (several hours), I can evoke *extreme* anxiety that lasts up to several days or longer.
I have an extremely sensitive body, so I had to experiment first with amount of time on PEMF, especially C5, because it would "rev my body up" I don't know how else to say that, but had too much energy. I have to use the system on its lowest setting, and then for me it works perfectly
I put it on my abdomen to go to the sigmoid part of the colon where I had a cancerous tumor and so much blood accumulated that I pooped out clots. I had it sent to a lab hoping it included tumor tissue but it didn't.
I recently tried using M1 on an inflamed tooth infection. It rapidly caused the pain to increase, so within less than 60 sec I stopped.
I seem to have more ringing in my ears when I have used PEMF. Not a direct correlation.
I tend to feel a little fuzzy headed immediately after. This may not be adverse; it may be relaxation.
I tried it on my head and it gave me a headache
I used a PEMF DCM 3990 over a Lifewave patch. It created a lesion.
I used whole-body IRMS and experienced systemic upset including exacerbated tinnitus, more pain and GI issues. It subsided within a day.
PEMF on head (<30 seconds) causes headaches, blurry vision, ear pain can last up to 2 days
Increased frozen shoulder pain
increased tinnitus // dizziness caused by lower blood pressure
Insomnia, or inflamation with Sota's MagPulser
It may be addictive; I feel the need to use it every other day now
knee pain (chondromalacia), Magnapulse system, increased aching pain for 3 days when used at intense pulse rate for 10 minutes.
light headache
Little tired feeling
Localized numbness in the field of application
Made bone spur worse. Made husbands IBD fatigue worse.
Magna Charger. Increase in local pain.
Mast cell disorder patients complained of pain
MatrixPulse used for chronic 2yr+ aching thigh & gall bladder/rib pain, 10yr pain above lateral iliac crest created aching afterwards from 1-5 days. Patients have reported headaches for 1 day following use for concussion, and a shoulder issue (calcification of supraspinatus tendon).
May be over stimulation (intensity or duration too high)
More pain, sharp
Muscle cramping
My husband gets a few red spots were he wears the 2X2 array's, but only if we don't wash the coils every days.
My parasympathetic & Heart Rate Variability results tend to be lower the morning after using M1 PEMF (preliminary results)
Nausea, fatigue
None, other than detox
not really adverse effects first time I used it I felt a little soreness. I stopped for a day and then put it back on and never felt that again
no adverse effects, ever
occasional tingling with use, otherwise no adverse
occasionally when using for pain reduction, if setting is too high I experience increased pain. I simply have to turn the intensity setting down.
On day 3 with the stacked coils, my horse had pain and was kicking. Switched to side by side coils and never an issue since.
One particular configuration, size by side, back base of skull, cause mild temp HA
one patient complained his knee felt worse after use
overuse makes me feel internally shaken, jarred
Pain a few times from putting the M1 directly on surgery site
Pins and needles in legs when using whole body. Not a problem though and soon wears off.
Shorter recovery time (this is a benefit, not an adverse effect)
skin felt too warm and became red with OMI small mat on high
skin irritation
slight burning sensation and temporarily left marks from coils
Someone’s old head injury was treated + a combination of pemf+fsm + he almost fainted + lost his balance for a few days
Sometimes I use the PEMF on a part of my chest that is sore (costichondritis) it will temporarily relieve pain and stiffness. Then, sometimes, possibly due to movement or wrong movement during sleep, it will become even more sore than originally was. Stronger pain.
Sota gets very hot
stress/arousal temporarily increased
symptoms worse but it turned out something else more serious was brewing
The feeling of an overload of electricity in the body
When intensity is too high for too long I feel tired, irritable, temporary increase in symptoms
To recover some of the brain damage I suffered (sever hemorrhaging, 8 hours under anesthesia, almost died) while having major surgery: significant loss of short-term memory, very slow long-term memory retrieval, and significantly slower mental prepossessing. I can no longer do math in my head or keep up with fast-paced conversations or movies. I found that Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with a clinical-grade stimulator significantly improved all of these problems. However, I discontinued tDCS because of the unacceptable side effects: the loss of all motivation and some emotions. I am now trying various coil configurations using your new PEMF cap. So far, I have tried 4 configurations, all of which had unacceptable side effects. I will be testing all of the remaining possible configurations as time allows.
Too careful in using it. Need more info
too much stimulation for my wife's comfort.
Treating self for hip arthritis. Occasionally feel sharp pains (pains go away very quickly) in groin region when using device. I assume I am feeling sharp reductions in inflammation. Not a complaint. Very tolerable. Very effective at reducing pain!
Tried FlexPulse for sleep; lost sleep; stopped using.
tried it on the back of my head, felt a little weird, took it off - then ok
Used on eye for macular degeneration. vision went cloudy for less than 1 hr.
Very first time it caused continuous rapid-fire shoots of electrical pain on my knee. My knee was already experiencing these electrical zaps, but the PEMF made the zaps increase temporarily. I removed it, they stopped, I put it back, they did it again. It was on medium power. So I turned it to low and that worked. Never had a recurrence. I gradually built up a tolerance, and now I use at highest power all the time.
was using ICES micropulse on my head for brain inflammation at too high of a setting for too long. Caused a slight headache. Went away within a couple of hours. No long-term effects.
When I used for joint (arthritis) - pain during application so after some time I have to stop
when putting the M1 coils on my ears, I experienced a very short bout of tinnitus (which I normally don't have)
When using the A9 on lymph nodes, it makes me feel weird and unwell, unless if I change the flow (turning the coils upside down). My hypothesis is that our lymphatic system "runs a reverse change" compared to the rest of the body. I have not been successful in finding information to corroborate this.
with higher intensities I get unpleasantly amped or hyper
Table 13. Question #13

Question #1 4

What applications of PEMF do you think work BEST?

Answer Choices Responses
Injury Recovery 40.06% 145
Pain - Chronic (> 6 months) 31.22% 113
Pain - Acute (< 6 months) 30.39% 110
Joint Injury, Arthritis 20.72% 75
Anti-Inflammatory response 17.13% 62
All, it seems to work well for everything 16.02% 58
General Health 15.19% 55
Bone Injury 11.33% 41
Sleep, Circadian 9.94% 36
Healing and Regeneration of Tissue 9.12% 33
Self-Hacking 8.29% 30
Surgery - Wound Recovery 6.91% 25
Migraine 5.80% 21
Performance Enhancement 5.52% 20
Stress Management 4.70% 17
Gastro-Intestinal - IBS, Motility, Leaky Gut, Gastric Ulcers 4.42% 16
Anti-Edema/swelling 4.42% 16
Brain Injury / Stroke 4.14% 15
Nerves and Conductivity 4.14% 15
Circulation, Red Blood Cells 3.87% 14
Stem Cell Stimulation/Therapy 3.59% 13
Depression 3.59% 13
Dental, Oral 3.59% 13
Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH) 3.31% 12
Vagus Nerve 3.31% 12
Detoxification 3.04% 11
Digital Acupuncture 2.76% 10
Brain / CNS Degeneration or Disease 2.76% 10
Anti-Spasm 2.76% 10
Chronic Fatigue (CFS) 2.76% 10
Eye - Vision, Cataracts, Glaucoma, Macular Degeneration 2.76% 10
I have not used PEMF yet 2.49% 9
Skin - Infection, Burns, Lesions, Fistula 2.49% 9
Psychological and Cognitive Function 2.21% 8
Anxiety, Panic, PTSD 2.21% 8
Liver 2.21% 8
Osteoporosis and Osteopenia 1.93% 7
Lung / Pulmonary 1.93% 7
Surgery - Implants, Meshoma, Artificial Joints 1.93% 7
Cancer: Secondary Effects, Recovery from Treatment 1.93% 7
Tremor 1.66% 6
Heart Disease and Hypertension 1.66% 6
Ears - Hearing, Tinnitus, Vestibular 1.66% 6
Metabolism, Cell Function, ATP and Mitochondria 1.66% 6
Cancer: Primary Effects 1.66% 6
Structured Water 1.38% 5
Vascular Disease 1.38% 5
Kidney 1.38% 5
Urogenital - Erectile, Enuresis and Incontinence, VVA 1.38% 5
Skin - Eczema, Dermatitis, Fungal Infections, Psoriasis 1.38% 5
Antiseptic: Antibacterial, Antifungal, Antiviral 1.38% 5
Anti-Coagulant 1.38% 5
Immunology 1.38% 5
Paraplegia and Spinal Injury 1.10% 4
Face, Lips, Cheeks, Nose 1.10% 4
Diabetes Type 2 1.10% 4
Alkaline Balance 0.83% 3
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) 0.83% 3
Chemo - Recovery 0.83% 3
Growth Factors and Nitric Oxide (NO) 0.83% 3
Diabetes Type 1 0.83% 3
Neuromyelitis (NMO) 0.55% 2
Adhesions 0.55% 2
Pelvic Dysfunction/Pain 0.55% 2
Scalp - Hair Growth, Wounds, Other 0.55% 2
Lyme 0.55% 2
Shingles 0.55% 2
Addiction 0.28% 1
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) 0.28% 1
Keloid 0.28% 1
Diabetic Ulcers 0.28% 1
Other Diabetic Complications 0.28% 1
Pancreatic Conditions 0.28% 1
Smoking Cessation 0.00% 0
Surgery - Finger, Toe or Limb Reattachment 0.00% 0
Scleroderma or Progressive system sclerosis (PSS) 0.00% 0
Obesity, Metabolic Disease 0.00% 0
Answered 362
Skipped 59
Table 14. Question #14

Question #15

What applications of PEMF do you think work LEAST WELL or NOT AT ALL?

Answer Choices Responses
NONE, it seems to work pretty well for everything 46.08% 147
All, it seems to work POORLY or NOT AT ALL for anything 13.48% 43
Pain - Chronic (> 6 months) 5.33% 17
Sleep, Circadian 4.08% 13
Gastro-Intestinal - IBS, Motility, Leaky Gut, Gastric Ulcers 3.45% 11
Ears - Hearing, Tinnitus, Vestibular 3.13% 10
I have not used PEMF yet 2.82% 9
Pain - Acute (less than 6 months) 2.82% 9
Joint Injury, Arthritis 2.82% 9
General Health 2.51% 8
Injury Recovery 2.51% 8
Chronic Fatigue (CFS) 2.51% 8
Anxiety, Panic, PTSD 2.19% 7
Eye - Vision, Cataracts, Glaucoma, Macular Degeneration 2.19% 7
Performance Enhancement 1.88% 6
Migraine 1.88% 6
Brain Injury / Stroke 1.88% 6
Depression 1.88% 6
Dental, Oral 1.88% 6
Diabetes Type 1 1.88% 6
Diabetes Type 2 1.88% 6
Obesity, Metabolic Disease 1.88% 6
Alkaline Balance 1.57% 5
Stress Management 1.57% 5
Nerves and Conductivity 1.57% 5
Scalp - Hair Growth, Wounds, Other 1.57% 5
Skin - Eczema, Dermatitis, Fungal Infections, Psoriasis 1.57% 5
Lyme 1.57% 5
Cancer: Primary Effects 1.57% 5
Self-Hacking 1.25% 4
Digital Acupuncture 1.25% 4
Addiction 1.25% 4
Detoxification 1.25% 4
Brain / CNS Degeneration or Disease 1.25% 4
Paraplegia and Spinal Injury 1.25% 4
Tremor 1.25% 4
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) 1.25% 4
Skin - Infection, Burns, Lesions, Fistula 1.25% 4
Healing and Regeneration of Tissue 1.25% 4
Vagus Nerve 1.25% 4
Pancreatic Conditions 1.25% 4
Smoking Cessation 0.94% 3
Structured Water 0.94% 3
Bone Injury 0.94% 3
Heart Disease and Hypertension 0.94% 3
Lung / Pulmonary 0.94% 3
Kidney 0.94% 3
Liver 0.94% 3
Adhesions 0.94% 3
Pelvic Dysfunction/Pain 0.94% 3
Antiseptic: Antibacterial, Antifungal, Antiviral 0.94% 3
Shingles 0.94% 3
Immunology 0.94% 3
Cancer: Secondary Effects, Recovery from Treatment 0.94% 3
Other Diabetic Complications 0.94% 3
Stem Cell Stimulation/Therapy 0.63% 2
Psychological and Cognitive Function 0.63% 2
Anti-Spasm 0.63% 2
Surgery - Wound Recovery 0.63% 2
Urogenital - Erectile, Enuresis and Incontinence, VVA 0.63% 2
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) 0.63% 2
Keloid 0.63% 2
Anti-Inflammatory response 0.63% 2
Diabetic Ulcers 0.63% 2
Neuromyelitis (NMO) 0.31% 1
Osteoporosis and Osteopenia 0.31% 1
Vascular Disease 0.31% 1
Chemo - Recovery 0.31% 1
Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH) 0.31% 1
Scleroderma or Progressive system sclerosis (PSS) 0.31% 1
Face, Lips, Cheeks, Nose 0.31% 1
Circulation, Red Blood Cells 0.31% 1
Anti-Coagulant 0.31% 1
Anti-Edema/swelling 0.31% 1
Growth Factors and Nitric Oxide (NO) 0.31% 1
Surgery - Implants, Meshoma, Artificial Joints 0.00% 0
Surgery - Finger, Toe or Limb Reattachment 0.00% 0
Metabolism, Cell Function, ATP and Mitochondria 0.00% 0
Answered 319
Skipped 102
Table 15. Question #15

Question #16

Are you an individual user or clinician?

Answer Choices Responses
Individual User 86% 357
Clinician using PEMF on clients 2% 8
Both 12% 48
Answered 413
Skipped 8
Table 16. Question #16

Question #17

Clinical advice: PEMF is best used at home or in a clinic?

Answer Choices Responses
I am not a clinician 81.03% 299
PEMF in-clinic only 2.2% 8
PEMF at home only 7.6% 28
PEMF in-clinic and at home 7.9% 29
PEMF alone, no other treatments 0.5% 2
PEMF with other treatments 11.7% 43
Answered 369
Skipped 52
Table 17. Question #17

Question #18

If you are a CLINICIAN or HEALTH CARE PROVIDER, what modalities do you combine with PEMF?

List as many as apply to your practice.

acupuncture (not digital)
acupuncture, cupping, qigong, topical therapy
Acupuncture, laser, herbs, manual therapy
Acupuncture, photo-biomodulation (light) therapy, infra-red heat therapy
Bio photo modulation neurofeedback biofeedback tens
Bio resonance, rife, massage
Bowen therapy
chiropractic, red light
Cold laser
color (sota), sound fx (quantum genius)
Diet and Physical Activity
diet, exercise, supplements
Equiscope, QRS, 3rd gym light therapy, brain training,
Feldenkrais, various energy methods
Frequency medicine, biofeedback, live blood
Frequency Specific Microcurrent (FSM)
Green juice, Vit C, occasionally others
Holistic health
Hot Laser, Micro-current, Infrared Light
neurofeedback.
P3Pro while using M1
IR, HBOT, Ozone, Tens, Cat Iv Laser, Nutrition
laser
Laser, micro current, chiropractic
Laser, Neuromed, non-surgical spinal decompression, acupuncture, knee decompression, infrared
Lifestyle changes, supplements
LLLT Red Light, Ultra Sonics, RIFE technology
LLLT, electro-acupuncture, vibration, LED light therapy
Low Intensity Laser Therapy, Physical Therapy
manual therapy, chiropractic, infra-red light, brainwave entrainment, lifestyle change, diet plans, exercise
Manual therapy, nutrition, exercise
Massage and with acupressure
massage, ice, cold laser, braces, liniments, essential oil topicals, acupuncture, chiropractic, nutritional supplements
Matrix Repatterning, massage, cupping, Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM)
Microcurrent, acupuncture, chiropractic, nutrition, homeopathy
Microcurrent, Dry Needling, Adjustments, Nutrition and herbal medicine, Exercise
mild hyperbaric (m-HBOT) / Therapeutic nutritional supplementation
Mostly use microcurrent, it results in faster more predictable results
frequency specific micro current and foot bath
Myofascial therapy, Hypnotherapy
Neurofeedback
NLS, EHF, Monicor, Strannik, Rikta, Scenar/Cosmodic... EHF with modulation
ozone, red and near infrared light, H2 inhalation
physical therapy
red light, nutrition, massage, magnesium oil
Red light therapy, Ozone, Photon Sound Beam, Rife
rife treatment, acupuncture.
scenar
Shockwave, low volt, percussion,
stem cell, PRP, laser
supplements, near infrared red light, magnetic mattress, inversion table
Vibration & Photonic Therapy
Voll acupuncture
Table 18. Question #18

References

  1. Pawluk W, Layne C. Power Tools for Health: How pulsed magnetic fields (PEMFs) help you. Friesen Press: Victoria, BC, Canada; 2017.
  2. Jerabek J, Pawluk W. Magnetic Therapy in Eastern Europe: A Review of 30 Years of Research. Published by William Pawluk; 1998.
  3. Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative Health: What’s In a Name. NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Last Updated April 2021.
  4. Kessler Glenn. Are there really 10,000 diseases and just 500 ‘cures’?. Washington Post. 2016.
  5. International Classification of Diseases, (ICD-10-CM/PCS) Transition - Background. Center for Disease Control. 2015.
  6. Dennis Robert. Inductively Coupled Electrical Stimulation - Part 5: How many types of PEMF are there? A model and Excel Calculator. The Journal of Science and Medicine. 2021; 3(2)DOI
  7. Ravid Stacey. Descriptive Exploratory Study of Individuals' Use of Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields, the Micro-Pulse, for Pain Relief. The Journal of Science and Medicine. 2019; 1(2)DOI
  8. Hubbard Devin. Electroceutical Technology: Anti-Inflammatory Effects Of 40-160 T/S Inductively Coupled Electrical Stimulation (ICES) In The Acute Inflammation Model. The Journal of Science and Medicine. 2020; 2(2)DOI
  9. Dennis Robert. Inductively Coupled Electrical Stimulation - Part 2: Optimization of parameters for orthopedic injuries and pain. The Journal of Science and Medicine. 2020; 1(2)DOI
  10. Markov MS. Electromagnetic Fields in Biology and Medicine. CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL; 2017.