Cranial electrotherapy stimulation
Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation (CES) is used in the treatment of anxiety, depression, insomnia, and drug addiction; via an low intensity electrical microcurrent.[1] CES is an alternative to drugs, which attempt to affect the brain via chemical processes. In the United States, CES equipment must be prescribed by a physician.
Because of an early focus upon sleeping disorders, CES was originally known as electrosleep therapy. CES is sometimes written "Cranial-Electro Stimulation" and "“Transcranial Electrotherapy."
How CES Works
Research conducted throughout the 20th century has demonstrated that the brain makes use of electrical activity; thus, one can affect mental functions by affecting the organ's electrical activity.
During CES, an electric current is focused upon the hypothalamic region; during this process, CES electrodes are placed behind the ear at the mastoid, or clipped to the upper portion of the earlobe, near to the face. CES treatment promotes an increase in endorphins; note, scientists remain unsure why this occurs. The current results in an increase of the brain's levels of serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine, and a decrease in its level of cortisol. When CES is effective, users are in an "alert, yet relaxed" state, characterized by alpha brain waves.
History
"Electrotherapy" has been in use for at least 2000 years, as shown by the clinical literature of the early Roman physician, Scribonius Largus, who wrote in the Compositiones Medicae of 46 AD that his patients should stand on a live black torpedo fish for the relief of a variety of medical conditions, including gout and headaches. Claudius Galen (131 - 201 AD) also recommended using the shocks from the electrical fish for medical therapies.
Modern research into low intensity electrical stimulation of the brain was begun by Leduc and Rouxeau in France (1902); in 1949, the Soviet Union expanded research of CES to include the treatment of anxiety as well as sleeping disorders.
In the 1960s and 1970s, it was common for physicians and researchers to place electrodes on the eyes, thinking that any other electrode site would not be able to penetrate the cranium. It was later found that placing electrodes behind the earlobes was far more convenient, and quite effective.
New Competing Devices
Electrical devices in psychiatry have not caught on until recently. With the strong arm of the prescription medicine industry backing medication, and the stigma of electrical devices for use on the brain (which many relate to electroconvulsive therapy ) companies that developed such devices had a difficult time receiving financial support for needed research. Now that public sentiment is beginning to change new electrical devices are emerging for the treatment of psychological disorders such as transcranial magnetic stimulation and vagus nerve stimulation. These devices may prove to be effective however, the makers of Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation devices have been experimenting and using electrical devices for years to treat millions of patients.
For more information please visit the Elexoma website [1]. Elexoma was developed in Switzerland by a company called RedPlane GmbH, in partnership with Oxford Bioscience, a UK-based company. What does the word Elexoma mean? The word Elexoma has been made up from two words - ‘electric’ and ‘Soma’, the Greek word for body. Elexoma MedicTM works on the cells of the body restoring chemical balance in the damaged cells, reducing inflammation and tissue damage. It does this through a process called Microcurrent Electrical Treatment(MET). No drugs are used in this process and there are no harmful side-effects. In other words Elexoma taps into the body’s own resources, nothing chemical, with potentially dangerous side-effects is added to the body during the process. Electrobiological medicine systems can reduce the amount of medication needed to treat a wide range of conditions. Among the electrobiological medicine systems available to any office practice of general medicine are Cranial Electro Stimulation (CES) and MET.
Elexoma MedicTM enables the body to stimulate the natural recovery process in two ways through: Microcurrent Electrical Treatment (MET) Cranial Electro Stimulation (CES)
What is MET? MET is a microcurrent mechanism. MET enhances the healing process by restoring homeostasis – the body’s natural ability to maintain an optimal internal balance. When something happens to affect the body’s normal homeostasis adverse symptoms appear, as the body tries to defend its weakest areas and restore balance. Microcurrent Electrical Treatment (MET) acts as a catalyst. It triggers and maintains the numerous physiological reactions which occur in the cell during the recovery process.
What is homeostasis? Homeostasis is the body’s natural ability to maintain an optimal internal balance. When something happens to affect the body’s normal homeostasis adverse symptoms appear, as the body tries to defend its weakest areas and restore balance.
Who can be treated with MET? Patients whose symptoms are not relieved by appropriate drug therapy and /or Patients who are unable or unwilling to undergo surgery or take anti-inflammatory drugs for, amongst other conditions, Rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and related bone and joint diseases. It also offers relief to patients with sports injuries and to those who are recovering from surgery.
What does CES do? CES is used to treat physical and psychological conditions without the side-effects of drug treatment.
How does Elexoma MedicTM use Cranial Electro Stimulation ? Using low-level currents, CES is applied to the head through electrodes clipped onto the patient’s earlobes. The Elexoma Medic™ sends a unique waveform through the ear clips. This Elexoma Medic™ proprietary waveform moves electrons through the brain at different frequencies, collectively known as harmonic resonance. This treatment normalises the electrical activity in the brain, as measured by an electroencephalogram (EEG ).
What is an EEG? An electroencephalogram (EEG) is a test to detect abnormalities in the electrical activity of the brain. Brain cells communicate by producing tiny electrical impulses. In an EEG, electrodes are placed on the scalp over multiple areas of the brain to detect and record patterns of electrical activity and check for abnormalities. The recording machine converts the electrical signals into a series of wavy lines that are drawn onto a moving piece of graph paper. By using CES, the brain waves are smoothed to a normal pattern.
Effectiveness
Most users report a decrease in anxiety during treatment, and many other report a decrease in anxiety as much as two days later. Some users report a euphoric feeling; they report that their bodies feel "lighter", their thinking is clearer, and that they are more creative.
A minority of users require five to ten treatments to achieve any effect.
The FDA has cleared several CES units to be marketed for the treatment of anxiety, depression, and insomnia, including Elexoma MedicTM.
Complications
There have been no major complications or negative effects associated with CES. Users who feel discomfort while using CES suffer no long-term difficulties. Temporary side effects may include a headache, lightheadedness, or skin irritation at the electrode site. Also, rarely paradoxical reactions may occur including excitement, anxiety, sleep problems, or increases in pre-existing depression.[2]
References
- ^ Kirsch, DL. A practical protocol for electromedical treatment of pain: cranial electrotherapy stimulation. In: Kirsch, DL, ed. 6th ed. Pain Management: A Practical Guide for Clinicians. Boca Raton, FL: Greenwood Press; 2002: 1-6.
- ^ Jones, E. Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation: A Non-Drug Neuromedical Treatment. GNIF Brain Blogger. December, 2006.
See also