Apparatus for alleviation of pain in a patient comprises a treatment head and a cabinet which houses driving and control circuitry for the treatment head. The treatment head has a central electrode and an outer electrode arranged concentrically with respect to the central electrode. The central electrode has a portion which extends inwardly and serves as a ferromagnetic core around which are wound two insulated coils. The driving and control circuitry produces pulses of electricity in one of the coils which produces magnetic field pulses having a force field which extends externally of the treatment head in the vicinity of the electrodes. These magnetic pulses induce in the other coil electric voltage pulses at the rise and fall of the magnetic pulses and these electric voltage pulses are conveyed to the electrodes. The combined magnetic and electric voltage pulses provides greater relief which lasts longer than either magnetic or electric fields applied alone.
An electronic acupressure aide and stimulating device implemented using a hand-held or palm-held electronic computing device or another computing device which may be a designated unit. The electronic acupressure aide and stimulating device allows a practitioner to apply a pulse sequence to a set of predetermined acu-points such as those related to acupressure, acupuncture, trigger points or Jin-Shin Jyutsu, to name a few. A displayed chart related to the acu-points identifies the health condition and the pulse sequence.
A thin layer of a drug in a liquid form in a carrier is applied to the skin. Thereafter, 15-30 milliamps of a D.C. current is applied to the skin and drug by an iontophoresis device capable of being hand held and activated by thumb contact with a positive electrode and scalp skin contact with a negative electrode. The device has a two component housing enclosing an electrical circuit connecting the two electrodes. The circuit utilizes a 9 V battery, two load regulators, two capacitors, a momentary switch and a 2V-40V output range DC/DC converter. Alternatively, negative electrodes of varying structure can be plugged into the device to provide multi-purpose application to the scalp and the positive electrode can be separately plugged to the device to free the hand of the treating technician.
Improved implantable devices for electro-acupuncture are described. The devices include a flexible conductor electrode, an anchor fixation for preventing motion of the device in tissue after implantation, and/or a sealed, liquid-impermeable housing.
An electro-acupuncture system comprises a transmitter for emitting high frequency magnetic energy pulses and a receiver, sealed within an implantable "thumb-tack" shaped device, for receiving and converting such pulses into stimulating pulses of current. The device comprises a head having an exposed ring-electrode (anode) secured therein and a needle-like electrode (cathode) having a proximal end secured in the head and a distal end adapted to pierce body tissue. The latter electrode comprises a metallic tube secured in the head and a metallic wire inserted through the tube to position and fix an exposed tip of the wire at a preselected location and depth in the body tissue, in accordance with method steps taught herein.
A magnetic electrode is used to deliver electrical energy into the body of a patient to promote healing. The electrode includes a conductive path having a lead for connection to a device for delivering electrical energy to the patient. The electrode also includes one or more disc shaped permanent magnets having one side of all north polarity and another side of all south polarity. The magnetic field generated by the magnet assembly includes force lines generally perpendicular to the patient's body. In one embodiment, the magnet is attached to the electrode. In a second embodiment, the magnet is carried by a sock. In a third embodiment, the magnet is carried by a glove.
