POSTED BY

Rob Beschizza

AT 5:54 AM
Wednesday August 6, 2008

Health and Vice

brains • medical

Cure mental woes with portable electrotherapy gizmo

as100-1.jpg

Bio Medical's Alpha-Stim 100 fulfills all your electrotherapeutic cranial stimulation needs. It treats pain, anxiety, insomnia and depression. It has a proprietary waveform that normalizes your nervous system's electrical activity. It costs $900.

Here's an excerpt from the product page:

Alpha-Stim 100 microcurrent technology produces residual and cumulative results, far superior to previous traditional milliampere transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) devices. ... the Alpha-Stim 100 is significantly superior because MET works with tiny currents, closer to the type and amount of electricity that naturally occurs in the body. By comparison, the electric current used by typical TENS devices is thousands of times greater than natural body current. Although a slight tingling sensation is sometimes felt under the electrodes, it is not necessary to feel this in order to achieve results. ... Do not stimulate directly on the eyes.

Peer-reviewed research suggests that it's effective for treating anxiety. Quackwatch takes aim at proponents' outlandish claims and associated woo.

Moreover, I'm not sure if that study was conducted under proper BBG protocols, which mandate hammering 1D6 pointy electrodes into the skull and setting it to 11.

Product Page [Bio-medical via Red Ferret]

7 Comments

RedShirt77

#1 – 7:39 AM August 6, 2008

I just use a stun gun.

vamidus

#2 – 10:10 AM August 6, 2008

As if we did not have enough snake oil..

SamF

#3 – 11:17 AM August 6, 2008

Make sure that you get your engrams tested with your e-meter afterward.

Downpressor

#4 – 5:53 PM August 6, 2008

you definitely need a tag for snakeoil or quackery

Not a Doktor

#5 – 6:30 PM August 6, 2008

aww samf already did the $cientLoLogy joke

teckels

#6 – 1:55 PM August 8, 2008

Actually these are legitimate medical devices. I have been suffering from chronic pain and depression due to a back injury for 15 years.

I have had many spinal operations and take a plethora of medications every day, all day. These devices are used in physical therapy centers, doctors offices, and prescribed to patients like myself. I have two different systems at my disposal in my home to treat my pain whenever I feel the need to use them.

Anonymous Anonymous

#7 – 9:37 PM August 10, 2008

I have the smaller one for anxiety/depression (i doesn't have the wand thing for physical pain) and it really does work. My sister swears she's stoned when she uses it, and I just feel better while/after doing it. I'm normally not into that kind of stuff, but I saw a therapist who let me use it and I ended up buying one I liked it so much.

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