Clinical aspects of biological fields: an introduction for health care professionals

Abstract

Abstract Clinical application of natural and artificial electric and electromagnetic fields has had a long and controversial history. This presentation will summarize this history and recent research. Sensitive magnetometers, called SQUIDs, are being used by medical researchers to map the biomagnetic environment of the human body in health and disease. The well-known electrical activities in the body, which provide the basis for the electrocardiogram, electroencephalogram, and electromyogram, have biomagnetic counterparts, called the magnetocardiogram, magnetoencephalogram, and magnetomyogram, respectively. These measurable biomagnetic fields extend into the space around the body. After a long period of discouraging clinical application of electric or electromagnetic fields, orthopedic researchers developed a pulsing electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF) that stimulates repair of fracture non-unions. Extensive clinical trials led the FDA to approve this device as ‘safe and effective’ in 1979. The method has been modified for treating soft tissues, such as nerves, ligaments, skin, and capillaries. Research into the mechanisms involved in PEMF therapy has led to a better understanding of the ways cells and tissues respond to minute environmental fields of particular frequencies. This research is beginning to provide a logical scientific basis for some of the subtle effects of complementary therapies such as Reiki, Therapeutic Touch, Polarity Therapy, Massage, and Acupuncture.