“Search for the cure” is a commonly heard sentiment about cancer. As rates of the condition continue to rise, ages drop, and risk factors increase, there is increasing research being devoted to understanding what cancer is, how it develops, and how it is most effectively stopped. At the same time, increased interest has been devoted to alternative therapies to use in the treatment or remission maintenance of cancer, including PEMF therapy. What exactly is the role of PEMF therapy in cancer treatment, and are the two legitimately linked? To understand the answer, a look at PEMF therapy as a whole is needed.
PEMF Therapy: A History
PEMF therapy is a type of energy therapy that has strong roots in the magnet therapies of years past, and the energy therapies that have been used in traditional medicine practices for centuries. PEMF therapy operates under the correct assumption that the human body is made up of energy and electrical impulses, and that those impulses can be changed and manipulated to improve health. The modern PEMF therapy machine began with he invention of electricity and corresponding electrical coils, and is often attributed to Nicola Tesla, the famed inventor. Although he was not responsible for the start of PEMF therapy as a whole, it was his work that paved the way for the development of PEMF machines.
The remaining components of PEMF therapy were put together by physicians and physicists, who were eager to discover machines and technology capable of eradicating and treating illnesses that were plaguing people in areas as diverse as the United States, France, and Japan. Over 50 years, physicians in these countries came together to fine-tune the application of electromagnetic fields on human bodies, and in the 1970s, PEMF therapy saw regular use in human and animal clinics. Although treatment started primarily as a way to improve muscle stimulation and speed healing, it has since come to be used for a wide variety of ailments, including mental health issues and arthritis.
Cancer: An Overview
Although most of us are plenty familiar with the word “cancer,” few of us truly understand what it is and ow it develops. While many illnesses and conditions are contracted, or are picked up outside of the body—think fungi, bacteria, and viruses—cancer is actually developed from within, and describes a condition wherein your body’s own cells begin to mutate, resulting in health-damaging cellular behavior and growth. Abnormal cells can lead to the interruption of normal human health, and can eventually result in weakening and death.
The risk factors associated with cancer include a genetic predisposition—think having a parent with cancer, or a sibling—environmental factors, such as exposure to radiation or cancer-causing chemicals, and even viruses that have been linked to long-term human health issues, such as the eventual mutation of normal, healthy cells. While most illnesses are contracted from outside of the body by specific pathogens, cancer is not among these illnesses, and is instead a severe and intense malfunction of the body’s own cellular processes. Because human cells multiply by cellular division, the present of cancer cells means the continuation of cancer cells, and treatment does not involve standard interventions, such as antiviral, antibacterial, or anti fungal medications. Instead, interventions typically focus on radiation and other treatments that target cells directly via prompting cellular change, or removing damaged cells entirely.
Cancer and PEMF: Still Searching for a Cure
Although some proponents of PEMF therapy are eager to call the therapy a cure for cancer, this is not the case. PEMF therapy comes from a long history of cancer intervention, but it does not serve as a primary treatment method for cancer, and should not be enlisted in the place of standard cancer treatments that have been proven effective. That being said, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that PEMF therapy can play a role in the overall treatment of cancer, and might be a worthy addition to standard cancer treatment regimens.
There are two areas in which PEMF therapy has been suggested as a supplementary intervention for cancer patients: inhibiting the growth of tumors, and rendering anti-cancer medications more effective after they have been delivered. Tumor growth is said to experience a significant reduction when PEMF therapy is applied to the area with the growth, and some proponents of PEMF therapy have suggested that tumors would do well to be treated with standard treatment and supplemented with PEMF therapy.
PEMF therapy is also said to be useful in non-tumorous cancer treatment, as a supplement to anti-cancer medications and treatment options. This benefit is most likely due to the ability of PEMF therapy to improve the body’s function overall, including its ability to take up medication, and disburse that medication effectively throughout the body. Because the body relies heavily on cellular communication to successfully utilize medication once it has been ingested or applied, PEMF therapy can be an invaluable tool in cancer treatment, and cannot only provide more cellular energy during the treatment process, but also increase the treatment’s likelihood of functioning at its optimal level.
Can PEMF Therapy Treat Cancer?
Although there is certainly interest in PEMF therapy as a primary treatment for cancer, as of yet, there is not enough evidence to allow PEMF therapy to be used in this capacity. Instead, current evidence supports the use of PEMF therapy as a supplemental intervention for cancer, whether that cancer involves tumor growth or not, and has been linked to improvements in cellular communication and cellular responses, both of which are involved in the body’s own defenses against cancerous cells and their onward march. PEMF therapy is an extremely safe type of therapy, and has not been linked to any substantial or truly deleterious health effects, making it a wonderful supplement to existing cancer treatment regimens. Even in the absence of large-scale evaluations of PEMF therapy and cancer, PEMF is considered a safe type of intervention, and can be a wonderful way to complement existing cancer treatment options, while under the care of an oncology professional.