Most of us are aware that there’s no permanent cure for cancer. Also, with remedies for cancer being rare, people will clutch any solution that promises a cure. However, PEMF and cancer research indicates hope for the millions of people who have cancer.
Is Cancer Curable?
Cancer is not a disease by itself; rather, it is many diseases related to each other with a common factor – they all promote abnormal cell growth and spread to any part of the body. Unlike benign tumors that don’t spread, cancerous cells spread and destroy in their path.
That’s what cancer researchers and oncologists are up against in their never-ending war versus cancer. The types of cancer include intestinal cancer, lung cancer, brain cancer, prostate cancer, melanoma & basal cell cancer (both are skin cancers), breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and the list goes on. Cancer is treated with surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.
Cancer is chronic, and even if your specialist declares that you are cured, they set a time limit for your survival – 5 years or below. These five years need a never-give-up attitude supported by counseling, medication, and therapy.
What’s meant by PEMF Therapy?
The acronym PEMF is Pulsed Electromagnetic Field, and this therapy is used to apply electromagnetic waves on the affected part of the body. These waves are not delivered directly. The patient needs to lie on a ‘yoga mat’ via which the waves are applied.
PEMF was first approved by the FDA many years ago for treating fractures. However, today, PEMF is used for treating cancer, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, chronic pain, and Multiple Sclerosis.
How does PEMF therapy work?
There’s an extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic stimulus (PEMF) interacting with the affected cells, oxygenating them, enhancing circulation, controlling inflammation, improving mobility, and thus easing pain. PEMF and cancer research indicates an increase in cell energy and metabolism and reduces inflammatory cytokines.
PEMF may also restore the delicate balance between antioxidants and free radicals. Your bodily functions, cellular respiration, and immune response are dependent on free radicals and antioxidants. Any imbalance can cause degeneration of fat and protein and even result in DNA damage and cell and tissue death.
Clinical trials show that PEMF is effective in treating fractures and spinal fusion. This therapy also helps improve skin blood flow, heals venous stasis ulcers, and reduces post-mastectomy lymphedema. The FDA has approved PEMF devices for treating pain and edema relief.
How PEMF Therapy works in Tandem with Existing Cancer Treatments
PEMF therapy is recommended to enhance the value of existing treatment methods for cancer. PEMF therapy improves healthy oxygen circulation, thus promoting the growth of healthy cells. With the quality of breathing greatly enhanced, lung cancer patients benefit a lot from this therapy. Moreover, PEMF therapy helps get relief from the pain associated with lung cancer.
It’s not just pain associated with lung cancer; PEMF therapy effectively treats bone pain that’s usually caused by a tumor’s pressure on the bone. It is also effective in treating nerve pain, common with cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, which causes neuropathy. More often than not, the treatment (chemotherapy) itself damages the nerve, causing a tingling, numbing sensation that ends in a burning sensation in the extremities.
Then, there’s the soft tissue pain, caused by damage to muscle, tendons, ligaments, and fascia affected by cancer. Besides being effective in treating all these types of cancer-related pain, PEMF therapy is also effective in treating phantom pain, which is the sense of pain felt by an amputee in the missing limb. While oncologists prescribe mild pain relievers like aspirin and ibuprofen, they can also prescribe powerful medications like codeine and morphine for excruciating pain. However, such medications do have side-effects, and opioids tend to become addictive over a period of use.
PEMF as an Effective Alternative
PEMF presents a viable alternative to treating cancer-related pain. While it is proven effective in treating fracture and bone-related pain, PEMF therapy effectively treats cancer-related pain. Research supporting the use of PEMF for treating cancer-related pain may be scanty, just as it is for many other therapies. However, there can be no harm by including PEMF and other forms of treatment for cancer. Doctors may be hesitant to advocate PEMF therapy as they may be unaware of what PEMFs can do biologically and physically. However, with FDA’s approval at hand, one may give it a try. After all, cancer treatment needs all the help it can get.
Summing it Up
The significant plus point with PEMF is that it is approved by FDA. However, awareness and further trials can definitely put PEMF therapy on the world cancer treatment map.