The future is here. Technology that used to exist strictly in the realm of Sci-Fi movies, and for astronauts, is now available to all.
Developed by NASA in the late 1960s to help astronauts stay alive while in orbit and away from the earth’s magnetic field, PEMF (Pulsed Electromagnetic Field) Therapy is a treatment designed to help the health of the body’s cells by pulsing magnetic waves.
words :: Sarah Woods illustration :: Dave Barnes
“Basically, it’s just a technological way of simulating the natural magnetic fields of the earth,” explains Sean Dillon, who owns PEMFiT Therapy in Pemberton. “Our cells use a magnetic field to function, our bodies need it. So this therapy is actually like a natural supplement.”
Sean uses a PEMF generator to induce cells to exercise their functions in a natural state. This allows your cells to absorb more oxygen, nutrients, store more energy and detox all of your systems. The therapy increases energy levels in the cell, causing greater activity and increased ability to heal or fight bacteria and other pathogens.
Similar to astronauts in orbit, most of us are increasingly insulated from the earth’s natural magnetism. Many people spend more time on concrete than forest floor and even then, rubber-soled shoes, boots and vehicle tires keep us from truly plugging in. As well, technological devices such as cell phones, tablets and laptops are believed to create electromagnetic “field pollution,” which Sean believes can have a negative effect on our cellular functions.
“The body heals itself, and it is able to heal itself more efficiently within the environment created by the PEMF generator,” says Sean. “Our cells thrive in this environment. It’s almost like a reboot.”
“The body heals itself, and it is able to heal itself more efficiently within the environment created by the PEMF generator,” says Sean. “Our cells thrive in this environment. It’s almost like a reboot.”
The established medical community hasn’t wholeheartedly accepted PEMF, but there is plenty of anecdotal evidence demonstrating its ability to help maintain general wellbeing, as well as treat disease, inflammation and injury. Sean’s list of regular clients includes people battling cancer, those who experience inflammation and arthritis, and professional athletes rehabbing injuries.
“Old neck and shoulder injuries had been bothering me for months,” says professional freeskier Mark Abma. “After just one PEMF session they both felt great and have been pain free since.”
With praise like that I had to try it myself. I had slept a little funny the night before my treatment, so I walked into it with a kink in my neck. A 30-minute treatment (recommended length for first-timers) focused mainly on this area of my body and I walked away feeling a bit floaty (almost like an astronaut on a wild planet with limited gravity!) I also experienced some relief and greater comfort in that kink in my neck, too. My experience left me wanting more, and with an open-minded respect for the device.
From the shuttles of NASA in a galaxy far away to the Coast Mountains of our backyard, perhaps PEMF Therapy is “a new hope” for “the next generation” of cellular healing.
