Observations placeholder
CES, rheumatism and pain
Identifier
006506
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
A description of the experience
J Clin Rheumatol. 2001 Apr;7(2):72-8; discussion 78. The treatment of fibromyalgia with cranial electrotherapy stimulation. Lichtbroun AS, Raicer MM, Smith RB. Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, East Brunswick, NJ 07719, USA
In cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES), micro-current levels of electrical stimulation are passed across the head via electrodes clipped to the ear lobes.
After successful clinical use of CES with fibromyalgia patients in our clinic, it was decided to test these results with a double-blind, placebo-controlled study in which 60 randomly assigned patients were given 3 weeks of 1-hour-daily CES treatments, sham CES treatments, or were held as wait-in-line controls for any placebo effect in the sham-treated patients.
Treated patients showed a 28% improvement in tender point scores, and a 27% improvement in self-rated scores of general pain level. The number of subjects rating their quality of sleep as poor dropped from 60% at the beginning of the study to 5%.
In addition, there were significant gains in the self-rated feelings of well-being and quality of life, plus gains in six stress-related psychological test measures.
No placebo effect was found among the sham-treated controls. A theoretical role of CES in affecting the brain's pain message mechanisms and/or neurohormonal control systems is discussed. It is concluded that CES is as effective as the drug therapies in several trials, with no negative side effects, and deserves further consideration as an additional agent for the treatment of fibromyalgia.
PMID: 17039098
The source of the experience
Other ill or disabled personConcepts, symbols and science items
Concepts
Symbols
Science Items
Activities and commonsteps
Activities
Overloads
AnxietyExtreme pain
Fibromyalgia
Muscle diseases
Rheumatoid arthritis
Stress
Transcranial direct current stimulation