Have you seen others raving about PEMF or talking about EMF in relation to their various health conditions and symptoms?
If so, you’re likely wondering what all these acronyms stand for, their purpose, and how it all may be beneficial to you.
Good news! You’ve landed on the perfect guide to get all your PEMF vs EMF questions answered.
It’s Not That Kind Of EMF
First of all, it’s important to clarify that EMF devices are helpful forms of electromagnetic energy that’s not one in the same with other ‘bad’ EMF sources you’ve seen on the news.
Most people are very familiar with the potential negative health implications associated with electromagnetic energy sources like power lines, appliances, and cell phones.
Science is devoting a lot of attention to studying exactly how these energies are impacting humans, and the results have been quite worrisome so far.
In 1979, for example, EMF research linked childhood cancer to high-voltage power line exposure.
Researchers found that the subjects in the study living in close proximity to high intensity EMF sources had an increased risk of leukemia.
Future research has mimicked the same unsettling findings.
Other research has noted various and assorted medical conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, hypertension, blood disorders, heart disease, and migraines, associated with harmful EMF exposure.
What’s important to distinguish here is that all of such studies involved electromagnetic energies from high frequency sources and that they each featured high voltage and short wavelengths.
This is not what PEMF offers.
Still, it’s only natural to have the same concern with anything EMF related, right? No.
Did you know that the earth and your body both have natural electromagnetic fields? All EMF isn’t bad.
This is why your first step along this journey is in understanding the difference between helpful and harmful electromagnetic energy.
In the end, you’ll see that helpful EMF isn’t a force of destruction.
This energy is all about providing restorative healing and balance to your body.
This guide is intended to walk you through the science in easy, comprehensive language.
By the end, you’ll be able to understand the very established safety of PEMF, its potential benefits, and ultimately determine if it’s right for you.
Electromagnetic Fields 101
Electromagnetic fields are a natural phenomena that are as old as the earth itself.
They’ve typically coexisted alongside man with little to no problems.
The age of technology changed all that.
The energy concern you hear so much about is mainly speaking to man-made EMFs.
Modern technologies have no doubt made our world a more convenient and easier place.
Can you imagine life without electricity, cellphones, computers, and appliances?
Probably not, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a price to pay.
With each new invention and added device manufactured, the numbers and intensities of artificial sources of EMFs rise, which increases our exposure.
Today, humans are subjected to artificial EMF at almost every turn of life.
Of course, like the earth and technologies, our own bodies also emit EMFs.
These EMFs, however, are natural in design and frequency.
They’re part of our normal brain, body, and cellular function.
Millions of chemical reactions are occurring inside your body this very second, and each produce a very specific type of EMF.
Electrical impulses are how the body gets just about every job imaginable done.
Illness, disease, and injury can damage or disrupt these vital electrical fields. The result?
Your body, brain, and cells can’t function effectively and efficiently. The result? Your health suffers.
Likewise, some magnetic frequencies and waveforms impede the body from producing and/or interpreting its own signals.
This can be very detrimental to your health and wellness.
In such cases, your cells weaken, malfunction, and may not even survive. You become highly susceptible to all sorts of pathologies and injuries.
Here’s where a lot of people get confused.
Given the appropriate frequency and intensity, subjecting your body to electromagnetic energy isn’t a bad thing.
Instead, it can be extremely helpful. Think of it like a fire.
Yes, a fire can burn, destroy, and damage, but it can also be a source of warmth, safety, and preservation.
EMF Categories: Ionizing And Non-Ionizing
Breaking apart EMF categorically often makes the above point clearer.
All electromagnetic energy, also called electromagnetic radiation, falls into one of two categories – ionizing and non-ionizing.
Which category the energy belongs is based upon the energy’s ability or inability to disrupt the atomic chemical bond.
That which doesn’t disrupt the chemical bonds of atoms is called non-ionizing, and that which does is called ionizing.
Note that this categorization is also the difference in ‘good’ vs ‘bad’ EMF.
One particularly bad element to ionizing EMFs is that it heats the cell due to its high frequency and chemical bond.
Examples of ionizing EMFs would be X-rays, UV rays, and gamma rays.
Exposure can cause extensive damage to the human body, particularly in high durations and intensities.
Non-ionizing EMFs are completely different energies.
Most have low frequencies.
The level isn’t high enough to break the atomic chemical bond within the cell.
So, cellular heat isn’t a destructive issue. Instead, this energy simply excites the cellular electrons.
In other words, it re-energizes the cell without causing it harm.
Low Vs High Frequency EMF
According to WHO, or the World Health Organization, low-frequency EMF isn’t a health or safety concern for the average person.
Science is clear that EMFs with high frequencies can cause extensive cellular damage.
Today, science is looking to better understand the mid to low-range EMF frequencies.
Research on appliances and electronics is still in its infancy.
After all, it’s only been a couple of decades since cellphones have become a norm.
So, while low-frequency is generally considered safe, more information is needed in conclusively saying how man-made EMFs of lower frequencies are going to impact us over the long-term.
EMF vs PEMF: Understanding The Therapy
PEMF stands for pulsed electromagnetic field.
It’s an innovative therapy that makes use of various lower frequency forms of EMF.
Remember, this isn’t the type of heated, high-frequency energy that harms cells.
Instead, the lower frequencies simply energize the cells.
PEMF brands create their devices with specific frequency, waveform, and intensity specs that are designed to be therapeutic to an array of health issues.
PEMF is a specific type of electromagnetic radiation that’s not to be compared to the ‘bad’ EMFs we discussed above.
The positive biological responses and cellular influence of PEMF are due to low frequencies and reduced intensities as compared to other EMFs like X-Rays and UV rays.
Whether the cells are fatigued, dysfunctional, or damaged, the infusion of positive energy helps the cells to communicate and perform more efficiently and effectively.
Our PEMF guide walks you through the various brands and their unique configurations.
These configurations are often tailored to specific health benefits.
So, it’s important to carefully understand how waveform, frequency, and intensity compares to your unique health and wellness goals.
With that said, most all PEMF devices sold in the at-home, personal-use niche only offer very low to extremely low frequency specs ranges.
Both ranges fall in the safe non-ionizing EMF category.
Many consumers wonder about the PEMF device itself being electrical… wouldn’t that make the energy fluctuate or become inconsistent?
With most brands, no. You’ll find that most PEMF brands include a filter feature.
This is designed to control the surges and spikes from the electrical outlet into the device.
It enables the energy exposure to be consistently applied and healing in nature.
What Does Science Say About PEMF Safety?
PEMF has been around for several decades now, but it has only recently made its way into the hands of the average consumer.
This is thanks to innovative brands remolding the health devices for home use.
While still quite a costly investment, the infusion into the private home has also caused the science behind PEMF to explode.
It would be completely misleading to say the all forms of electromagnetic energy fall exclusively into any one category of good or bad and helpful or harmful.
The spectrum of electromagnetic energy and human body differences are both simply too vast to ever make such a blanketed statement.
However, what you can be assured of is that the PEMF therapy spectrum only utilizes a very narrow window of that broad base of energy.
Devices that have been deemed safe do not exceed what science has shown is safe and therapeutic for the human body.
Again, you can follow this guide up by exploring our other PEMF pages to see the specific configurations used by the top PEMF brands.
The low frequency of PEMF is paired with an ideal wavelength. As the devices use the magnetic field to help bolster cellular function, it must have a wavelength capable of penetrating deep enough to reach those dysfunctional, diseased cells.
So, unlike the bad EMF, PEMF uses a long wavelength.
We have explored vast bodies of PEMF research spanning three decades, and the safety record with PEMF is one of the most impressive and positive we’ve seen.
Use has rarely resulted in adverse reactions, and almost every piece of research concerning a specific medical condition or symptom has yielded positive to neutral results.
In the medical device world, the above is a rarity.
In most cases, if a primary benefit isn’t shown successful, then there’s also usually an adverse reaction noted.
That hasn’t been the case with PEMF.
Given that PEMF impacts the brain, many consumers pay close attention to any PEMF research related to depression, anxiety, neurological conditions, dementia, and other mental health issues.
Much of the research has shown the possibility of improvement.
But, again, even in the neural results, PEMF stimulation has been found to cause minimal to no risk to the brain.
The next area of PEMF research that interests most consumers concerns the long-term implications of use.
If you’re familiar with similar veins of medical devices, such as TENS, then you likely know that not all therapeutic devices are intended for long-term use.
Again, PEMF breaks the mold on long-term safety.
Multiple studies have examined PEMF therapy use over both frequency of application and longevity of use.
One study involved patients receiving 70 session within a year.
The intensities varied, but the results were consistent – no significant adverse reactions.
PEMF use in cancer is another extreme use example that hasn’t shown any adverse reactions.
Cancer-specific studies have compared the cancer-causing effects of high frequency EMF to low frequency therapeutic PEMF EMF applications.
PEMF was found to shrink the tumors as part of the cancer treatment, and it didn’t cause any significant adverse reactions.
You may be wondering what science says about PEMF and seizures since EMFs are often triggers for epileptics and other seizure sufferers.
PEMF therapy clinical trials and research hasn’t just shown safety here; PEMF can actually reduce the risk and incidence of seizures.
One of the reasons that PEMF is performing so well in the studies and research is that the home devices have built-in safeguards to limit the application to the EMF spectrum considered natural, safe, and effective.
This is also why most brands can be used across the entire body without fear of harm.
Brands such as Bemer and HealthyLine even offer safe PEMF therapy as you sleep.
Why PEMF? PEMF Benefits
We have an entire page devoted to nothing but explaining PEMF benefits.
PEMF devices themselves are diverse.
They’re far from one-size-fits-all when it comes to brand design, specs, and application features.
However, if there’s any element more diverse, it would be how many different pathologies, symptoms, and overall wellness goal management PEMF offers, including:
- Chronic and acute pain management
- Inflammation management
- Musculoskeletal system fractures, joint ailments, soft tissue damage, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, tendinitis, fibromyalgia, etc
- Circulation and lymphatic issues – hypertension, angina, arrhythmias, arteriosclerosis, Raynaud’s syndrome, etc
- Nervous system ailments
- Carpal tunnel
- Sciatica
- Stroke recovery
- Migraines
- Sleep disorders
- Mental health disorders – anxiety, ADHD/ADD, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, etc.
- Respiratory disorders
- Gastrointestinal disorders
- Immune system disorders
- Cancer
If the above list sounds too good to be true, then you have to stop and think about what you’ve learned above.
The basic premise of PEMF is to recalibrate the cell to its optimal performance.
Your entire body is composed of cells.
Your health hinges upon those cells doing their individual jobs.
So, PEMF’s extensive and widespread role in the healing, repair, and preventative process doesn’t involve any large leaps.
Are There Any Precautions With PEMF Devices?
As you can see above, the research is overwhelmingly positive.
PEMF has been proven to be a safe and effective therapeutic medical device.
With that said, it’s still a medical device.
As such, there are a few precautions.
Certain groups of consumers should possibly avoid PEMF therapy.
Others should approach it cautiously and under the supervision of a physician.
If your have any type of electrical implant, such as a pacemaker or cochlear implant, you should never use a PEMF device near the implant.
Doing so could make your device malfunction.
It’s also advisable to first discuss it with your doctor before using the PEMF device elsewhere on your body.
If you have other implants, such as an artificial joint, you should discuss using PEMF with your doctor beforehand.
In most cases, PEMF and metal implants aren’t an issue, but your doctor may want you to avoid PEMF in certain cases and when the implant is new.
If you’re pregnant or trying to become pregnant, you should discuss PEMF with your healthcare provider.
The safety for pregnant women and fetuses hasn’t been established yet.
Conclusion
EMF can be put in two different boxes – therapeutic, such as PEMF, or harmful, such as high voltage EMF power lines.
The difference is in frequency and wavelength, which is low and long for PEMF.
As such, the science has shown PEMF to be safe and versatile for consumers with an assortment of heath problems and wellness goals.
Now that you know PEMF is both safe and beneficial, you can decide whether or not to move forward in selecting the best brand and configuration for your unique needs.