An Introduction to Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields

Pulsed Electromagnetic Field therapy is an alternative therapy that harnesses the power of electromagnetic energy to charge cells in the body and facilitate healing. Created over 40 years ago—though its history goes much further back—PEMF therapy was initially developed as a treatment for bacterial infections and cancer. It has since been developed and studied as a remedy for conditions as diverse as depression, cervical fusion, and wound healing, and has been implicated as a potential source of healing for far more. PEMF therapy can be used in clinical settings and at home, both, and is considered an extremely safe form of therapy, in whether it is is delivered at home or elsewhere, or via a mat or a wand.

What Is a Waveform?

A waveform is the “shape” of the electromagnetic field, or the way the pulses of the field rise and fall. Waveforms are often discussed in chemistry, and are used to describe the movement of a certain type of energy. Longer wavelengths, for instance, are associated with lower intensity frequencies, while shorter waveforms are associated with higher intensity frequencies. In a similar vein, the waveforms found in PEMF machines can be longer or shorter, but they can also take on different “shapes,” or rise and fall in different, predictable patterns. Different patterns can be found in different life forms and substances on earth, and some waveforms have been associated with increased health, while others have been associated with harm.

A wavelength, in chemistry, is the length between the peak of waves. Waveforms are the shapes created by the rise and fall of waves. Waveforms determine the “pulse,” essentially of an electromagnetic field, as they demonstrate the ebb and flow nature of the electromagnetic field. At the peak of a wave, the therapy is entering the body, and the valley of a wave demonstrates when and how the pulse is leaving the body. In a discussion of chemistry, waveform is usually a single type, and describes a consistent “up and down” pattern. In PEMF therapy, a waveform is more than a rise and fall, and can take on different shapes, due to the length of time between the crest and fall of a wave, and the speed with which the wave begins to fall.

What Does a Waveform Do?

A waveform identifies the way a pulse of electromagnetic energy enters, carries through, and leaves the body. Although the most common type of waveform discussed in scientific literature is that of a sine wave—or a consistent, up-and-down “U” shape—there are many other waveforms found in nature and in PEMF machines, and each of them has a different impact on the body. Although waveform is important, a waveform is not a mechanism of action. Instead, a waveform is an indicator of action, and can measure the strength and frequency of a given therapy, with most high-intensity machines using either square or saw tooth waveforms, and low-intensity machines utilizing sine waveforms.

Common Waveforms Used In PEMF Therapy

There are three waveforms commonly found in PEMF therapy machines: the sine, the saw tooth, and the square wave. These are the waveforms most often evaluated in medical and scientific literature evaluating the efficacy of PEMF therapy, though there are numerous other waveforms found in PEMF machines, some of them combinations of existing waves and patented by companies to produce a company-specific therapy delivery system.

The sine waveform is the most commonly used waveform in PEMF therapy and other applications, and it is arguably the most easily recognizable shape of a wave, as it is used to provide a visualization of light, and various electromagnetic energy sources, such as microwaves, radios, and UV rays. In sine waveforms, the pulse rises and falls in a steady pattern, with an even beat between the rise and fall. Even when the frequency of a sine wave is short, the consistency with which the wave spikes and dives does not waver.

A square waveform is similar, but does not fall as quickly as a sine wave. The term “square” describes the manner in which the wave rises, stays at its peak, then falls, creating a box-like shape at the peak of the wave. This is the second most common waveform used in PEMF therapy, and was among the waveforms studied by NASA in NASA’s evaluation of PEMF therapy and its uses in treating illness brought about by spending time outside of the earth’s atmosphere.

The third most common type of waveform found in PEMF therapy is the saw tooth waveform, or a waveform characterized by a gradual rise, then a sharp fall, creating a pattern than is not unlike the jagged edge of a saw tooth blade.

These three are not the only available waveforms found in PEMF therapy, but they are the most commonly used and, consequently, the most frequently studied. Machines that deviate from these waveforms are not necessarily problematic or ineffective, but will not have the same amount of research afforded by more common waveforms. Waveforms can also be associated with different frequencies, as waveforms with longer waves are tied to lower intensities, and waveforms with shorter waves are tied to higher intensities.