Depression is one of the leading causes of disability in America today. According to the World Health Organization, more than 300 million people worldwide suffer from it. Many of them – at least 30% – do not respond well to antidepressants, and their condition does not improve after taking them and sometimes worsens. Unfortunately, the patients who see improvement in their condition, experience relapses up to 70% of the time in the first year of treatment. Antidepressant medications also come with the risk of a number of side effects including weight gain, insomnia, nausea, blurred vision, and the list goes on. Many people challenged with depression are turned off by the medications offered because of the negative experiences they have had with them.
Psychiatric researchers in Denmark determined that PEMF therapy, in combination with antidepressant use, caused significant improvement in treatment-resistant patients’ symptoms, with minimal-to-no side effects.
A study performed on rats showed that PEMF can help significantly to alleviate depression symptoms. More important, this is achieved with no side effects, which is generally not the case with antidepressants.
Harvard Study on PEMF and Depression
The method used in this study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled protocol with depressed patients suffering either from Bipolar disorder or another major depressive disorder.
Participants received only one 20-minute treatment. After that, their change in mood was tested using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule scales, the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, and the Visual Analog Scale. Significant improvement (more than 10%) was observed after the treatment using these tests, compared to the placebo group in which no improvement was observed.
It is not completely understood how PEMF works to relieve depression. Some theories suggest that this low-frequency treatment causes neurons in our brain to vibrate at the same frequency as the PEMF. This, in turn, changes the electrical activity of the neurons and neuronal networks, which eventually change the very way the part of our brain that controls mood works. Moreover, PEMF therapy also shows signs of improving glucose metabolism in the parts of the brain that are linked to anxiety and depression.