Like the Northern Lights, PEMF therapy is a product of magnetism. Unlike the Northern Lights, however, you can experience PEMF therapy every day. Can PEMF Therapy be harmful? In this blog post, we will learn about PEMF therapy, its benefits, and its side effects. Keep reading to learn more about PEMF.
What is PEMF?
PEMF—or as it is more formally known, pulsed electromagnetic field therapy—has only been around the last few centuries; however, its ideas derive from magnetism, a remedy that has been around for more than 40 centuries, or 4 thousand years. Back then, magnetic stones were used to help treat diseases and ailments.
Today, magnetic therapy is a little more technologically advanced than magnetic stones. It uses electromagnets instead of static magnets like those mentioned above.
PEMF therapy uses electromagnetic waves that are at the same wavelength as the Earth’s magnetic waves (or frequency). Using these waves on your body (or portion of your body) can help rebalance and recharge your body on a cellular level. Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy sends waves of energy to increase the spin of electrons, something that can have serious health benefits, such as improved circulation to the afflicted area, and enhanced detoxification of the whole body, among other things.
All living things (organs, too!) have their own magnetic field. To stay healthy, our bodies must maintain this electrical signal at all times. Applying a magnetic field to the body can enhance the organization of cells; this can promote cellular health. By producing an electrical magnetic current that concentrates energy on particular sections of the body, you can repair hurt cells and potentially stop inflammation. Since PEMF improves blood flow, it can restore cells.
That’s how PEMF therapy can help benefit your health. It’s even FDA approved for the treatment of fracture nonunions. To receive PEMF therapy, you could use any of a number of PEMF machines. The most popular form of PEMF therapy uses easily-affordable PEMF mats, that are designed to give your body the benefits of PEMF right at home (or on the go, depending on the model).
Benefits of PEMF
As stated above, PEMF therapy offers the user a lot of health benefits. The more popular health benefits relate to helping with chronic pain. Here’s a detailed list of PEMF therapy benefits:
- Relaxed muscles
- Improved pain relief
- Enhanced bone health
- Improved range of motion
- Decreased stress and anxiety
- Increased cellular energy levels
- Decreased depression symptoms
- Increased oxygen levels in the cell
- Improvement of arthritis symptoms
- Diminished prevalence of migraines and headaches
From reducing joint and muscle pain to helping with the reduction of inflammation—the list of benefits goes on and on. Below is a more detailed list of the benefits associated with PEMF therapy:
- Bone regeneration: One of the most significant uses of PEMF therapy is for bone regeneration. As stated above, PEMF therapy has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of bone fractures. NASA even uses PEMF therapy on astronauts to help promote bone and muscle growth for space travel.
- Healing chronic pain: Study after study has helped validate that PEMF therapy is capable of healing aches and pains, particularly symptoms associated with chronic pain. PEMF can help relieve anything from arthritis to minor joint pains.
- Stress Reduction: PEMF therapy has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety. Since PEMF affects the nervous system, researchers have demonstrated that PEMF is efficient at destressing the user. The more you use PEMF, the more you will see these benefits.
- Pain Relief: One of the most common solutions for reducing pain are painkillers; unfortunately, these are commonly abused and can lead to addiction. Painkillers are not a solution to pain; sometimes, they’re more trouble than good. PEMF therapy can achieve relief from chronic pain and promote cellular rejuvenation. This makes it a great alternative to medication and painkillers.
- Recovery: Applying PEMF consistently can improve the healing of bruises, tissue aches, and pains, and soothe muscles after a workout. PEMF therapy promotes recovery faster; this means you can be back at the gym in no time.
- Improved Sleep: Because PEMF therapy uses a frequency that attempts to mimic the Earth’s magnetic field, studies have shown that PEMF therapy can improve the quality of sleep and keep you asleep throughout the entire night.
- Reduced Inflammation: Numerous investigations have confirmed the effectiveness of PEMF therapy at reducing inflammation in afflicted areas of the body. This will aid in the recovery process.
- Increased Blood Flow: Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy can increase blood flow; this is connected with several benefits, including detoxification and recovery.
As you can see, there are tons of benefits associated with PEMF therapy. Now that we know the benefits, it’s not time to discuss the side effects and potential negative effects of PEMF therapy.
The Side Effects
No need to spend the night researching side effects, we have the answers right here for you. Like with all things, pulsed electromagnetic field therapy should be part of a well-balanced routine. PEMF may be harmful—there are risks associated with PEMF therapy, as there are with all things. For example, since PEMF relaxes muscles, you may become tired or lethargic after use.
Since a lot of PEMF therapy devices are implemented with heat therapy, you can possibly burn yourself. That’s why PEMF machines, like mats, will come with a cover to help prevent users from getting burned. A cover will keep you from directly coming into contact with the PEMF machine when it’s part of the heat therapy process.
Because of the heat paired with PEMF machines, such as gemstone heat therapy devices, you may easily become dehydrated. It’s important to make sure that you drink enough water when using a PEMF therapy device. This is because PEMF can help with detoxification. During the detoxification process, your body uses a lot of water and you need to make sure you replenish this water.
It’s suggested that pregnant women and people who use a pacemaker do not use a PEMF machine. You can always consult with your doctor to confirm this; however, if you are pregnant or have a pacemaker, it’s safest to not use a machine (especially if you have not consulted with your doctor).
In general, before introducing PEMF therapy to your daily routine (or weekly routine), you should consult your doctor. Especially if you have any serious medical conditions.
Can PEMF Therapy Be Harmful?
So can PEMF therapy be harmful? I said it may be harmful above; however, when you consider the negative effects of PEMF, it’s important to note upfront that the negative effects of PEMF are at worst mild. For people who suffer from electrical and electromagnetic hypersensitivity, the reaction is more uncomfortable than anything else; most won’t need to discontinue use.
Potential negative responses to PEMF use could be:
- Increased thirst and urination due to detoxification
- Increased pain or prickly sensations
- Increased fatigue or loss of energy
- The feeling of warmth or cold
- Metallic tastes and dizziness
- Brain fogginess
- Palpitations
If you find that some of the reactions that you’ve experienced (such as the ones listed above) are not tolerable, you can reduce these reactions by altering your PEMF use. You can improve your experience using a PEMF device by:
- Lowering intensity
- Decreasing treatment time
- Reducing the size of the treatment area
These adjustments should only be needed for a short-term basis, as such reactions tend to abate comparatively fast with continued practice.
Conclusion
Unless you are pregnant, suffer from electrical and electromagnetic hypersensitivity, have a pacemaker, or don’t properly follow the instructions on your pulsed electromagnetic field therapy device, then PEMF machines are not harmful; in fact, they’re quite safe.
Now that you know the answer to your question: “Can PEMF therapy be harmful?” it’s time to determine if you want to add PEMF therapy to your life. Study after study has shown the effectiveness of PEMF therapy at relieving muscle and joint pain, improving injury recovery, and enhancing overall health and wellness.
Just make sure you remember, if you have any of the health concerns listed above, then you should consult with a doctor before use.
There are tons of PEMF devices ready for you to discover and use today. It’s time for you to explore the many benefits of PEMF.