A quick glance into energy therapy yields numerous results. PEMF, Rife, TMS, and more all fall under the umbrella of energy therapy or magnetic therapy, and all claim to yield drastically different results. The field of electromagnetic field therapy continues to grow as researchers continue to explore the many uses for and implications of therapeutically applied EMFs, with focus coming on two of the most commonly used and supported types of energetic, frequency, or EMF therapy: PEMF and Rife.
What Is Frequency Therapy?
Frequency therapy, or electromagnetic therapy, is a therapy tool that harnesses and applies electromagnetic frequencies to the body in order to elicit a result, typically in favor of health or in the hopes of degrading cells that have become cancerous or in some way malformed or faulty. Frequency therapy covers a wide variety of interventions, each of them designed to target specific ailments, or purported to support specific types of health and wellness. Frequency therapy is the younger child of long-held therapies, such as magnetic therapy and energetic therapy, such as acupuncture. It is from these long-established interventions that frequency therapies came forth, and utilized the power of electromagnetic energy to intervene in human health and wellness.
Rife Therapy: A History
Rife therapy has its roots in the same basic school of thought as all frequency therapies: that certain frequencies of electromagnetic energy can deliver health benefits, while others can incur damage. Rife therapy emerged in the 1920s, and is named for its creator. Developed using electromagnetic fields, Rife therapy retained the initial understanding of energy therapies, which suggested that certain frequencies could be used to target specific cells in the body to the exclusion of others. While other energy therapies diverged from this narrow school of thought and focused more on the manner in which frequencies interact with and affect the body’s cells as a whole, Rife therapy continues to operate under the assumption that the body’s cells possess varying frequencies, and that these individual frequencies hold the keys to health, whether ill or ideal.
What Rife Therapy Claims to Treat
The most significant ailment that Rife therapy and its proponents claim to treat is cancer. According to the therapy’s creator and ongoing supporters, Rife therapy uses a frequency that is aligned with the frequency associated with cancer cells. Continually applying this frequency to the body will result in apoptosis (or programmed cell death) of cancerous cells, without damaging healthy cells. This theory is in keeping with the earliest forms of EMF therapy, wherein scientists and inventors claimed that frequencies could be attuned to the frequencies associated with certain types of bacteria or fungi, in order to create a similar effect, and banish bacterial and fungal infections from the body.
Issues with Rife
The most substantial issue with Rife is the lack of evidence supporting its use as a cancer treatment. Cancer is a significant threat worldwide, and continues to mount a rising attack on the United States. Consequently, researchers, medical professionals, and inventors alike are eager to find safe, effective therapies that eradicate existing cancer cells and reduce the likelihood of developing additional forms of cancer in the future. Although finding a singular therapy to effectively eradicate cancer would be ideal, Rife simply has not shown with consistent accuracy the ability to eliminate cancer cells and restore health. Furthermore, suggesting that Rife is an effective cancer treatment can delay the use of approved and tested cancer treatment options, which can cause further harm to the body, in the absence of targeted cancer treatment. Opponents of the therapy have cited the high risks of recurrence and lack of evidence as the primary reasons that Rife should not be used as a primary intervention for cancerous cells.
PEMF Therapy: A History
PEMF therapy comes from the same basic roots as Rife therapy, and is built on the work of numerous scientists and medical professionals, not the least of which is Nicola Tesla. PEMF therapy diverges from Rife and other frequency therapies, however, in the scope with which it is used and the body of research supporting its use as an effective, safe, and emerging therapy. It was not until the 1960s and 70s that PEMF began to be studied in earnest, most thoroughly by NASA, to evaluate its ability to heal astronauts showing symptoms of chronic health conditions, including bone density loss.
In the 1980s, one physician began using PEMF therapy regularly in his practice, and PEMF therapy has since expanded to encompass numerous health issues, and can be found in medical practices, chiropractic offices, alternative health clinics, and even at home, with great success and, perhaps more notably, without the many risks associated with other therapies and interventions. Today, PEMF therapy continues to garner interest as a potential intervention for maladies as diverse as arthritis and fibromyalgia, and has been studied for its application in pain management, blood sugar control, and blood pressure management.
What PEMF Therapy Is Approved and Used to Treat
PEMF therapy has received FDA approval to treat five specific ailments. These include cervical fusion, depression, muscle stimulation, and nonunion fractures. These are the primary uses for PEMF therapy, particularly in clinical settings, as these are the areas with enough research to consistently demonstrate efficacy. Each of these approved uses were developed over the span of 30 years, as increasing numbers of medical and research professionals developed an interest in the alternative therapy. Although these are the areas PEMF therapy is approved to treat, there are additional areas of interest regarding PEMF therapy, including pain management, arthritis intervention, anxiety support, and even neuropathy treatment.
Issues with PEMF
Unlike many other frequency therapies, there is very little in the way of issues with PEMF therapy. PEMF therapy has received approval from the FDA for use in several specific areas, and is widely considered both safe and effective. Potential side effects associated with PEMF therapy are extremely mild, and include a sense of discomfort, lowered blood pressure and blood sugar, and a brief increase in sensations of pain.
PEMF versus Rife
In clinical studies, demonstrations of efficacy, and appropriate use, PEMF therapy outshines Rife therapy. With over thirty years of use, PEMF therapy has a proven track record as a safe alternative therapy, while Rife has yet to demonstrate consistent results as a primary cancer treatment.