Pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) devices “can be used over clothing,” according to a 2013 review by Arthur Pilla of Columbia University’s Department of Biomedical Engineering in Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine. That property follows from the physics: a magnetic field passes through fabric and skin, and a changing magnetic field induces a small electric field in the tissue beneath. This Thursday, October 29, from 2 to 6 PM, PEMF is the free session for new visitors at Spinal Fitness Health and Wellness Center in Kennewick, WA: 20 minutes, seated and fully clothed. Members hold 24/7 access through a door code issued once their training is complete.
Step 1: a pulsed magnetic field from a coil
The center’s PEMF page describes the output as “brief, rhythmic magnetic pulses produced by the equipment.” Each pulse is a burst of electric current through a coil of wire, and current in a coil produces a magnetic field around it. The center uses 3 kinds of applicator: a targeted loop placed over 1 area, hand paddles, and a full-body mat or mattress. A loop concentrates the field on 1 region; the mat spreads it along the body.
Step 2: induction in tissue
Faraday’s law of induction states that a changing magnetic field induces an electric field in a conductor, including body tissue. Tissue conducts because it is mostly water carrying dissolved ions such as sodium, potassium and chloride. A 2004 paper by Marcos Nogueira Martins of the University of Sao Paulo Institute of Physics, on the physics of magnetic stimulation, puts it this way: “a fast and intense pulse of magnetic field may produce localized electric fields, suitable to generate electric currents in certain tissues.” The pulse, not a steady magnet, is what matters: induction happens only while the field is changing, so every rise and fall of a pulse produces a brief induced field.
Because the magnetic field crosses clothing and skin without contact, nothing is attached to the skin and no current passes through electrodes. Most people feel little or nothing; the center’s page notes that some notice “a gentle tapping or pulsing sensation.”
Step 3: what cells do with the signal
The Pilla review concerns nonthermal pulsed electromagnetic fields: fields too weak to raise tissue temperature, so the response it reviews is attributed to the signal rather than to heating. The review “suggests that calmodulin (CaM)-dependent nitric oxide signaling is involved in cell and tissue response to weak nonthermal EMF signals.” Calmodulin is a calcium-binding protein inside cells; when calcium binds it, calmodulin activates enzymes, including the enzyme that makes nitric oxide, a signaling molecule. The review reports evidence that a field can be configured “to increase the rate of CaM activation,” and calls the electromagnetic field “a first messenger.” The review bases this on cell, animal and pilot clinical work.
PEMF and the high-intensity pelvic chair are different services
The same induction physics runs the center’s pelvic magnetic core chair, at a far higher intensity: its pulses are strong enough to make the pelvic floor and core muscles contract. During a PEMF session you rest while the loop, paddles or mat run through their program. Both services share the same first screening rule for implanted electronics.
How a session runs
You settle into a zero-gravity chair, fully clothed; depending on the session, the loop is placed on the body over the area being worked, or the whole-body mattress is used. A session runs 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the area of the body. The targeted loop is bookable by appointment; the paddles and mat are part of 24/7 member access after training. PEMF sessions are a wellness service, and individual experiences vary.
Screening first
PEMF equipment is off-limits for anyone with a pacemaker, defibrillator, insulin pump or other implanted electronic device. Check with your healthcare provider before booking if you are pregnant, have a history of seizures, or have electrical or metal implants. Screening is reviewed with every guest before the first session.
Visiting on a free Thursday
A single targeted-loop session is $60. The free Thursday session rotates 1 service per week among the BioCharger NG, the 7 Wave light panel, Brown’s Gas, PEMF and the hot exercise room. Spinal Fitness Health and Wellness Center is at 214 E. Albany Ave, Building E101, Kennewick, WA 99336, serving Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, West Richland, Benton City and Walla Walla. Call or text 509-670-9713; visits are by appointment, including evenings and weekends. Eileen Durfee founded the center, has worked in the health field since 2010, and is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer.
Keep Exploring
This article is for educational purposes only. PEMF is offered as a wellness service for general well-being.
