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MAGNETIC THERAPY FINDING ITS WAY INTO THE MEDICAL MAINSTREAM
Magnetic Therapy, popular among the doctors of ancient Egypt, has long been dismissed by modern physicians as a form of quackery. But now some 21st Century know-it-alls are starting to rethink their skepticism. Recent studies suggest that magnets may, indeed, be effective in the treatment of epilepsy and depression. And they seem to sometimes even make wounds heal faster. FULL ARTICLE
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Testing of New Procedure for Patients with Major Depression.
Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), a non-invasive technique that uses repeated short bursts of magnetic energy to stimulate nerve cells in the brain, is now being tested at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine as a potential treatment for participants with major depression. Northwestern will be one of 16 centers participating in the nationwide clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of TMS on participants who have not responded to antidepressant medications during efforts to manage their depression. FULL ARTICLE
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Magnetic Stimulation May Speed Stroke Rehab.
New Therapy May Improve Movement and Stroke Recovery.
A new therapy that uses magnetic pulses to stimulate the brain help restore a lost function after
a stroke and speed recovery, a new study suggests. Researchers found the therapy, known as
repetitive Transcranial magnetic stimulation, improved motor function and brain function
in a small group of stroke patients. FULL ARTICLE
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Magnetic Device May Trigger End To Migraines.
A new device that sends a magnetic pulse into the brain is showing some early promise in controlling migraine headaches. Migraines affect about 3.2 million Canadians. Drugs are mainly ineffective. Sufferers have been known to wait in darkened rooms for days waiting for the symptoms to subside. "It's like having a lot of little men on top of your head hammering nails into your skull. That's how I equate it," said June Lynch, who used to suffer the attacks at least once per week.
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Mood Disorders Respond To New Therapy.
Magnetic pulses affect brain. Fewer side effects than electroshock.
For 15 years Klaus Schmidt's life was in shambles. The 61-year-old St. Catharines man says he "lost everything" after he developed bipolar mood disorder. Despite trying several different medications and numerous rounds of electroshock therapy, nothing seemed to stabilize his wild and debilitating mood swings. At one point, he was so despondent, he tried to kill himself. The once hardworking and dedicated businessman was forced to go on long-term disability. He voluntarily gave up his driver's licence after he had been in several car accidents when the illness overwhelmed him.
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New Depression Treatment Uses Magnetic Energy
The University of Pennsylvania Health System is testing a new way of treating chronic depression without using medication. Close to 19 million Americans suffer with chronic depression and for many, medication and traditional therapy don't work. The University of Pennsylvania is one of 16 medical centres across the country that is trying a therapy is called Transcranial magnetic stimulation TMS is a noninvasive procedure. It focuses magnetic energy waves precisely on the part of the patient's brain scientists believe is responsible for mood. "It's not like taking a drug or a medication, which goes to every part of the body and can give you side effects. This is a targeted treatment to help a part of the brain work better so the person no longer feels depressed," said Dr. John O'Reardon of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. The magnet works like a mini magnetic resonance imaging scan and activates the prefrontal cortex of the brain. When the magnet hits the exact spot needed for treatment, the patient's thumb twitches. Each TMS session lasts 45 minutes. The patient is awake during the procedure and doesn't feel a thing....FULL ARTICLE
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Magnetic Therapy For Spine Injury.
Magnetic therapy may help people with spinal cord injuries.
Doctors at Imperial College London administered magnetic stimulation to the brains of people with partial damage to their spinal cord. The therapy led to improved muscle and limb movement, and increased ability to feel sensations. FULL BBC ARTICLE
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CANNABIS and PSYCHOSIS - TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION and DEPRESSION
Dr Raj Persaud meets Dr Declan McLoughlin and Dr Paul Shotbolt at Institute of Psychiatry to find out about new research into Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. It is hoped the treatment could replace ECT in the future. Dr Persaud volunteers to test this new less invasive technique to find out how it works and how it feels. New research is underway at the south London and Maudsley hospital to map the human brain while volunteers are being given marijuana to see what affect the drug has on the mind. Dr Zerrin Atakan a psychiatrist at Lambeth hospital explains what will happen.
Dr Raj Persaud asks Leslie Iversen, Professor of pharmacology at Oxford University and Professor Robin Murray from Institute of Psychiatry at the Maudsley hospital about the possible links between cannabis and psychosis. FULL BBC ARTICLE
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