Once you have access to a PEMF system, you need to apply PEMF correctly to get the most benefit from it. How to apply PEMFs is very important. Treatment parameters are made up of location, duration, and programming. Treatment outcomes will be largely dependent upon directing the magnetic field therapy to the correct area or areas of the body.
At the most basic level, applying PEMFs is as simple as directing the applicator (mat, pad, pillow, or coil) towards the area that requires treatment. This is easy when you have an obvious health problem. If you have a broken bone, put the applicator as close to the break as possible. If you have a digestive problem, put the applicator over your belly. Similarly, if you have a dental problem, treat the jaw.
If you are working with a whole-body system, then we often suggest you do at least one treatment per day on the whole-body mat. You can then do another treatment (either immediately after or later in the day or night) with the smaller pad, directing it towards a specific problem area of the body.
If the goal is health maintenance, whole-body treatments are ideal. When you expose any portion of the body to a PEMF signal, you will affect many different processes – chemical, mechanical, electric, and magnetic. Exposing the entire body at once just simplifies these effects.
Sometimes, where we identify the problem (like an ache or pain) is not necessarily where the problem itself originates in the body. Sciatic pain is a common example of this type of referred pain – you may experience the most pain in your leg, but the issue originates from the base of the spine. Particularly in cases of pain, we often recommend people treat the painful area directly and also treat the spine directly.
Treatment times vary based on the system you are using. But as a general rule of thumb, we suggest people try to do a minimum of 30 minutes at a time, twice per day. If you have a portable system, you could do continuous treatments. If you have an extremely high intensity system, you could do as little as 5 minutes of treatment. Some systems can be run overnight.
If you have had a problem for a long time, or the problem is severe, you will likely get better results from longer treatment times.
You cannot overdose on a magnetic field. This is not like pharmaceuticals, which add something to the body’s chemistry and are residual. PEMFs pass completely through the body.
The other component of treatment time deals with how long to use PEMF therapy over time. The general rule is that however long it took for you to feel better, you will need to do twice that amount of treatment. So if it took 6 weeks of treatments for your pain to feel better, you should do at least 12 weeks of treatment. Just because you have managed your symptoms does not mean you have fully healed the underlying cause of your problem. There are some, if not many, cases where you may have to do treatments indefinitely. This is particularly true for chronic or degenerative issues.
Because PEMFs are so excellent for preventative care, we recommend that if you own a PEMF system, you never stop using it.
This is difficult to address in general terms. User manuals are vague and cannot possibly address every health condition. Even if they could, everyone is different and has a different body composition, mentality, and availability. So blanket statements are rarely reliable.
We usually have people start off using their system on a low or medium intensity setting to mitigate any initial adverse reactions they may experience. We usually want people to work their way up to using the highest possible intensity their system will allow. Some people will reach the highest intensity in a few days and others will have to progress more slowly.
Since there are so many frequency options and program options in available PEMF systems, it would be impossible to make these types of program suggestions here. If you’ve purchased your PEMF system from drpawluk.com, you will receive personalized programming recommendations directly from us and from Dr. Pawluk.
