Cures Acne! Relieves arthritis, dysphasia and chronic pain! Speeds healing of inflamed muscles! Melts belly fat! Even used for treating cancer! The claims are so broad and general that it sounds too good to be true. Yet, the science behind the new, non-invasive treatments is fascinating. While scientist continue to explore how electromagnetic fields and electric stimulation affect tissue, the science behind infrared therapy is solid.

The 1998 Nobel Prize in physiology was awarded to a trio of scientists for their discovery of Nitric Oxide (NO) as a signaling molecule in the body. This revolutionary discovery began as recently as 1978 when Dr. Robert F. Furchgott discovered endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF). Louis J. Ignarro and Ferid Murad, the other two 1998 nobel laureates, furthered the same research. They discovered that EDRF is really NO and that NO bubbled into smooth muscle tissue stimulates the production of a compound (cGMP) that causes the muscle to relax. Thanks to their research, we now understand why nitroglycerine works to dilate the blood vessels and relieve chest pain (angina pectoris) in patients with atherosclerosis. Nitroglycerine actually releases NO at the site, which in turn causes vasodilation. This lowers the blood pressure and increases blood flow to the area and relieves the chest pain.

Normal Function of NO

A healthy level of NO is not just beneficial for cardiovascular health, but rather is an important signaling agent throughout the body, from neurons to macrophages. The lack of normal NO production in the body can aggravate diseases like diabetes. High levels of NO (produced by macrophages) are generated naturally at localized sites like wounds to kill bacteria. NO also causes angiogenesis (the growth of new blood vessels), which is important in healing skin wounds. Several of the known factors involved in the generation of new tissue cannot function without NO, which acts as a chemical mediator. NO is also important in RNA/DNA synthesis.

Hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying molecule of the blood, is made of two alpha chains and two beta chains. The beta chains contain cysteine (an amino acid which contains sulfur). The sulfur molecule of cysteine binds loosely with NO, acting as a carrier. Therefore, hemoglobin not only delivers oxygen, but it also transports and releases NO throughout the body. 

Without NO            

Victims of diseases like diabetes, however, are not able to produce the normal amounts of NO, and, therefore, suffer from reduced circulation and less ability to sense pain, temperature and pressure. Not only do diabetics have trouble producing NO, they have trouble transporting it throughout the body, as well. When their glucose levels are elevated, the glucose attaches to their hemoglobin. Glycosylated hemoglobin binds the NO in a form that is not easily released, depriving smooth muscle tissues of needed NO. This keeps their blood and lymph vessels from relaxing normal, elevates blood pressure and reduced delivery of oxygen and NO to the cells. It becomes a viscous cycle.

Since NO appears to be critical in a multitude of biological functions, the challenge for treating diseases like diabetes becomes one of increasing the NO available to tissues in the victim.

Light Link to NO

Furchgott was the first to describe light-mediated vasodilation in his research that led to his receipt of the Nobel Prize. He linked light exposure of tissues with increased levels of NO in those tissues. He noticed that with the higher levels of NO, the blood flow to the tissues also increased. Later studies looked at single wavelengths of light, finding that the infrared light caused the generation of higher levels of NO.

 As simple as it sounds, infrared light alone is used to treat wounds that won’t heal, circulation problems and peripheral neuropathy. The NASA website reports that a similar infrared device is showing promise in the treatment of bone marrow transplant patients. (http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/news/news/releases/2003/03-199.html) The US armed forces have experimented with the technology for treating their personnel on the battlefield for minor injuries and pain. (http://www.warplighttherapy.com/WARP10_Technology.htm) It appears that there’s more to light therapy than meets the eye, especially in the infrared spectra.

More than Light

Other promising new applications of ancient treatments include treatments with electrical stimulation and magnetic pulse therapies. Electric stimulation and magnetic therapies has been used for centuries, but a recent explosion of experiments are documenting their effectiveness.

Scribonius Largus, the personal physician of the Roman emperor Claudius, reported as early as 46 A.D. in his Compositiones Medicae that electrical shocks of the torpedo fish (a form of electric ray) worked well for the treatment of headache and gout. In the 1750’s Ben Franklin experimented with electricity for treatment of pain. Later, in the early 1800’s, Michael Farraday developed the inductorium which produced a pulsing electric current for pain relief and the treatment of a host of ailments. Today, we have implantable, carbon nanotube-coated electrodes and surface stimulation. The electricity stimulates the nerves and cause contractions in the affected muscle tissues. This in turn improves the circulation to the area and speeds healing.

Ancients also used magnetic materials for treating ailments, but modern magnetotherapy really began after World War II. The first book on magnets in therapy was published in Bulgaria in 1982 by N. Todorov. The FDA, while restrictive in its policy regarding magnetotherapy, did approved bi-phasic, low frequency magnetic therapy for treating non-union/delayed fractures and the use of pulsed radiofrequency electromagnetic field (PRF) for treating pain and edema. Even the Center for Medicare Services acknowledges pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) as a viable treatment for chronic wounds.

When dealing with non-traditional therapies, we’re forced to ask why they work. Science continues to search for the clues to the magnetotherapy riddles. It is surmised that the magnetic fields target the cellular membrane of damaged tissue and affect the signal transaction pathways by altering the ion binding and transport properties, which in turn modify the biological processes involved in tissue growth and repair. A.R. Liboff proposed in 1985 that certain magnetic fields alter the mobility of specific ions near the receptor sites. This is called ion cyclotron resonance (ICR). In 1991, V.V. Lednev offered the ion parametric resonance (IPR) theory that was later developed by J.P. Blanchard, C.F. Blackman and S. Engstrom. They described the ion in the binding site as a charged harmonic oscillator. They suggested that the magnetic field altered the energy levels of the ion so that it resonates with frequencies in the infrared range. While scientists continue to explore how it works, clinical research proves the efficacy of PEMF as a viable treatment for a range of disorders.

Waves of Healing

Light waves, electric stimulation and magnetic fields are all proving to be viable methods of treating a host of wounds and ailments. Though many of the outrageous claims may be hype, medical science is supporting these non-conventional therapies. As stand-alone therapies, these treatments show great promise. When combined in a single device, the results have multiplied effect.

WPI now offers MTS-7, a multi-modal therapy tool with seven modalities. Contact the WPI team for the details at 866.606.1974 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

References

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Blanchard, J. P., & Blackman, C. F. (1994). Clarification and application of an ion parametric resonance model for magnetic field interactions with biological systems. Bioelectromagnetics, 15, 217–238.

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Furchgott, R. F. (1999). Endothelium-derived relaxing factor: discovery, early studies, and identification as nitric oxide. In Les Prix Nobel 1998, pp. 226-243 (The Nobel Foundation, Stockholm, Sweden) (1999). [Also published in Angew. Chem. 38, 1870-1880 (1999), and in Bioscience Reports 19, 235-251 (1999)].

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Furchgott, R. F. (1988). Studies on relaxation of rabbit aorta by sodium nitrite: the basis for the proposal that the acid-activatable inhibitory factor from retractor penis is inorganic nitrite and the endothelium-derived relaxing factor is nitric oxide. In Vasodilation: Vascular Smooth Muscle, Peptides, and Endothelium (P.M. Vanhoutte, ed.), Raven Press, New York, pp. 401-414.

Furchgott, R. F., and Jothianandan, D. (1991). Endothelium-dependent and -independent vasodilation involving cyclic GMP: Relaxation induced by nitric oxide, carbon monoxide and light. Blood Vessels 28, 52-61.

Furchgott, R. F., and Zawadzki, J. V. (1980). The obligatory role of the endothelium in the relaxation of arterial smooth muscle by acetylcholine. Nature 288, 373-376.

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Krumenacker, J., Katsuki, S., Kots, A., and Murad, F. Differential expression of genes involved in cGMP-dependent nitric oxide signaling in murine embryonic stem (ES) cells and ES cell-derived cardiomyocyte precursors. Nitric Oxide 14, 1-11, 2006.

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