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Mary Ruth DeSanto knew her pain was reaching beyond its limits when she took her hand off the steering wheel of her car to give it a shake so it wouldn’t go numb.
After years of physical therapy and popping over-the-counter pain medication, for relief from Raynad’s disease and nerve neuropathy, the Exeter woman took $5 from her wallet. She purchased a trial session of Pulsed Electromagnetic Field therapy.
PEMF, also called pulsed magnetic therapy or pulse magnetotherapy, is a reparative technique commonly used to reduce pain and inflammation to treat back and joint issues, range of motion, lack of circulation, Fibromyalgia, arthritis and stress, said Amber Summers-Krug, owner of Thrive Wellness Center.
DeSanto now calls that $5 “the best investment I ever made.”
DeSanto, 64, is nearly pain free and continues therapy twice a week. She said she plans to go on a maintenance program.
Debbie Dodson, of Hunlock Creek, experienced so much relief from her pain and fatigue from radiation and chemotherapy that she purchased her own PEMF machine. She takes the portable item with her when she goes for treatment at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Chicago, Illinois.
Dodson, 56, was expected to live “seven to 13 months” after her initial diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in 2014. She’s now in month 14.
Her cancer seems to be at a standstill. Dodson said it puzzles her doctors, but not her. She attributes it to her PEMF treatments.
“It’s put a spring in my step,” Dodson said. “It’s amazing what it did for me. It really bought me a lot of time. It helps the pain and relaxes me. It reduces all the side effects of the chemotherapy.”
She has not had any chemotherapy since August and her tumor has not grown, she said.
PEMF gained popularity when it was recently featured on “The Dr. Oz Show.” It was heralded as a “revolutionary cure for pain.”
Summers-Krug said all energy is electromagnetic in nature, that’s why the system works. All atoms, chemicals and cells produce electromagnetic fields, she said, and every organ in the body produces it own signature bioelectromagnetic field.
Summers-Krug was her own first patient. Two years ago, she tried PEMF at a holistic conference for her severe TMJ disorder.
“I thought that if this machine can help my body with that, I know it can help with other conditions,” she said.
Since bringing the machine to Thrive, she estimates that several thousand people have been treated. Many are repeat clients. She and her staff members were trained by the California-based company which manufactures the machine. A medical practitioner is not necessary to perform these treatments.
The treatments are non-invasive. The machine is about the size of a small suitcase and is portable. It has polyurethane loops that can fit over clothing. The technician starts the machine very slowly so it starts to create a magnetic field.
“It’s very relaxing,” Summers-Krug said. “It’s like a gentle massage but on an internal level.”
Thrive runs periodic trial sessions of PEMF for $5. After that a client must purchase a series of 10 sessions, at $25 each. Each session runs at least 15 minutes.
Most people usually find enough relief that they continue with the treatments, Summers-Krug said.
“A charge can last two to three days,” she said.
A pregnant woman or someone with an electronic device implanted, such as a pacemaker, should not be treated with PEMF.
DeSanto said she doesn’t like to rely on medication, but more and more, she found herself reaching for over-the-counter pills.
After her first session, DeSanto said she expected pain, but went for a week without any.
“To say I was in shock, was an understatement,” she said. “The relief was amazing.”
She still has some hand problems, but DeSanto said not to the extent of what she first experienced.
“I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is suffering from pain,” she said.
“PEMF really turned my life around,” Dodson said. “It gave me the will to keep on going.”