Surgery – Magnetic field applied to body for therapy
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-18
2003-02-18
Hindenburg, Max F. (Department: 3736)
Surgery
Magnetic field applied to body for therapy
Reexamination Certificate
active
06520903
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to the use of synchronized pulsed magnetic field and light photon stimulation to excite human or animal tissue including nerves or acupuncture points for pain control or energetic enhancement purposes.
2. Description of Prior Art
Heretofore, electromagnetic stimulation of sensory nerves or acupuncture points has focused mainly on stimulation of nerve tracts for the purpose of promoting release of natural opiates or pain pathway blocks through gating mechanisms. Various forms of such stimulation have been tried such as application of voltages or currents to acupuncture needles, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), pulsed magnetic field stimulation, local application of heat or cold, use of light radiation, and magnetic therapy. Prior art devices of this type include the use of low frequency magnetic pules as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,953 B1, issued May 22, 2001. Application of voltages or currents to needles and TENS both involve passage of electrical current through superficial skin and tissue which is known to be prone to stimulation of pain fibers. The magnitude of stimulation is then limited to what a given subject can tolerate. Pulsed magnetic field stimulation relies on induced currents, which can largely avoid pain fiber stimulation and so is capable of higher levels of nerve stimulation. However, pulsed magnetic field stimulation at intensities high enough for neural stimulation requires cumbersome apparatus with a many limitations. These limitations arise from the high energy requirements and associated limitations of coil heat generation, time required for recharging of energy storage devices as capacitors, and physical apparatus size. Traditional acupuncture is postulated to also involve meridian pathways, which is not limited to known nerve tracts. These pathways are felt to involve body energy management and overall maintenance of health. While many different attempts have been made to stimulate or increase the energy level within these meridians, no scientifically acceptable means of assessing or measuring the energy states of body areas, acupuncture points, or meridians currently exists. The electrical potential, resistance, or impedance has been measured between acupuncture points or a given acupuncture point and surrounding tissue, but the known unreliability and lack of specificity of such measurements limited their use in energy state assessment. Some of these complications include: variable impedance of the overlying skin layer, contact potentials which change with minor perturbations, and complex nature of tissue impedance with frequency dependent properties. Thus, the effectiveness of any method in stimulating a given acupuncture point or changing the energy status of the meridian system and the body remains open to question and highly variable in result. The specific form of what constitutes the most effective way to stimulate specific acupuncture points or the meridian system electromagnetically then remains unclear. Pulsed magnetic field stimulation has been previously found to be able to stimulate nerves and even muscles in essentially a painless way. However, apparatus and procedures necessary to insure that the stimulus energy reaches the meridians or other parts of the body have not been previously described. Magnetic therapy involving applying permanent magnets to the body surface has been previously tried with positive therapeutic results, but this procedure is limited in application due to the necessity of constantly wearing magnets. Techniques for directly magnetizing the human or animal body as a form of magnetic therapy have not been previously described.
Prior work have also shown that other modes of sensory stimulation made in the vicinity of sources of pain can also be used to alleviate pain or also stimulate acupuncture points. Some of these modes include application of cold massage, light, pressure, and heat. In general, pain relief can be provided by a wide variety of sensory stimulation. Prior art applications of sensory stimulation include: application of monochromatic light and biofeedback as specified in U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,908 issued on Sep. 7, 1999, application of heat, light, sound, and VHF electromagnetic radiation for central nervous system stimulation as specified in U.S. Pat. No. 3,773,049 issued on Nov. 20, 1973, and application of acoustic, optical, mechanical, and/or electrical signals with increasing or decreasing frequency as specified in U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,361 issued on Apr. 28, 1992. Thus, a reasonable strategy to maximize pain relief is to combine as many modalities as possible. Some use has been made of combined modes such as pressure and electricity in electrical stimulation of needles or TENS and magnetic stimulation, but such combinations have not been previously fully exploited. Specifically, the combined use of pulsed magnetic field in synchrony with full spectrum pulsed light has not been tried for acupuncture point or body energy stimulation. From a quantum mechanical viewpoint, light and magnetic field can be considered as both photons, that can supply energy. Body tissue components have a magnetic moment that is capable of resonance and magnetization effects. Nuclear magnetic resonance and imaging is an example where this type of resonance is applied for a medical application. Prior art attempts at exploiting resonance include application of a fluctuating magnetic field to excite postulated ionic cyclotron resonance as specified in U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,940 issued on Nov. 26, 1991 and use of a complex frequency pulsed electromagnetic generator as specified in U.S. Pat. No. 5,908,444 issued on Jun. 1, 1999. Whether ion cyclotron resonance actually occurs in tissue has not been conclusively demonstrated to date, also the specific form of stimulation used in this approach does not fully exploit particle properties. The specific combination of light and magnetic field required for effectively exploiting these resonance or other effects for enhanced energetic stimulation of the human or animal body has not been previously described.
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES
Accordingly, to provide an effective way to photonically stimulate tissue and modify the energy level in the body, a stimulation device is needed which has specific characteristics which match the energy transporting mechanisms of the body. Magnetic stimulation has important advantages over electrical stimulation in being able to avoid stimulation of pain fibers and not required needle insertion or electrode application. The present invention was designed to incorporate magnetic in combination with light stimulation to permit energetic excitation in a manner that could be used by a patient for self-use or applied by a practitioner. Light and magnetic field is known to interact in a transient plasma state to produce unique energy waves that propagate in the longitudinal rather than in the customary transverse electric and magnetic field mode. The longitudinal mode of propagation is known by those skilled in the art to be associated with mechanical vibrations and to involve less propagation loss than the transverse electric and magnetic field mode. The preferred embodiment of the present inventive device incorporates a xenon flash tube that generates a transient plasma state. Energetic excitation involving internally induced currents is another of the advantages of the inventive method in that the externally induced currents present in many previous acupuncture stimulators is not required. Another object of the present invention is to permit magnetization of major body areas as a way to provide magnetic therapy without encumbering the subject with the necessity of constantly wearing permanent magnet. Another object of the present invention is to provide a way to verify the effectiveness of the stimulator in providing energy to the body and level of magnetization. Such a measurement also forms the basis for a diagnostic assessment of the health of the body area and a rationale for treatmen
Hindenburg Max F.
Szmal Brian
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