In past blogs I have discussed my experience with sensations of electro-magnetic frequency stimulations as a walk about in the free world. I have also discussed a couple of different types of conducted electric devices that are being used in advanced, albeit experimental therapies. One of these devices I call the Spinal Cord Stimulator but in the medical literature the procedure is called Dorsal Column Stimulation (DCS). In addition to this technique, I also discuss what I call electro-Transcranial-Magnetic Stimulation (eTMS). Dorsal Column Stimulation is a therapy used in chronic pain management of the lumbar spine. Electro-Transcranial-Magentic Stimulation (TMS) is a therapy being used to treat a wide array of diseases from addiction to depression to Parkinson’s disease.
Regarding the use of conducted electric devices in mental health there are a few different therapies being used to “help” patients suffering from mental illnesses that have not responded to traditional therapies like medications and psychotherapy. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIH) published an article that discusses Brain Stimulation Therapies. First one up, electroconvulsive therapy. This type of therapy is used to treat serious mental disorders such as suicide that is resistant to drug therapies and catatonia.
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
This type of therapy has been used for years in psychiatry but has undergone minute changes in the procedural way the electrical impulses have been transmitted and to its name itself. Formerly known as electric-shock therapy, this therapy involves using electrical currents to induce seizures while the patient is under general anesthesia and given a muscle relaxant to prevent violent jerking. Electrodes are placed at precise location on the head. Through the electrodes, an electric current passes through the brain, causing a seizure that lasts generally less than one minute. Because the patient is under anesthesia and has taken a muscle relaxant, it is not painful and the patient cannot feel the electrical impulses. This five to ten minutes after the procuedure ends the patient awakens. He or she may feel groggy at first as the anesthesia wears off. But after about an hour, the patient usually is alert and can resume normal activities. This type of therapy is usually administered three times a week until the patient’s condition improves. Frequently, a person who undergoes ECT is also taking antidepressant medication or a mood stabilizing medication. The side effects to ECT is headache, upset stomach, muscle aches, and memory loss.
Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS)
The vagus nerve is the prominent nerve in a pair of bundled nerves that run from the brainstem trhought the neck and down to each side of the chest and abdomen. The vagus nerve carries messages from the brain to the body’s major organs (e.g. heart, lungs, and intestines) and to areas of the brain that control mood, sleep, and other functions.
Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) is a therapy that was developed to initially treat people with epilepsy, but scientists noticed it had favorable effects on mood, especially depressive symptoms. Using brain scans, scientists found that the device affected areas of the brain that are involved in mood regulation. The elctro-pulses that are delivered to the brain seem to elevate the levels of certain neurotransmitters associated with mood including serotonin, norepinephrine, and GABA, and glutamate.
A device called a pulse generator, about the size of a stopwatch, is surgically implanted in the upper left side of the chest. Connected to the pulse generator is an electrical lead wire, which is connected from the generator to the left vagus nerve. Typically, 30 second electrical pulses are sent about every five minutes from the generator to the vagus nerve. The duration and frequency of the pluses may vary depending on how the generator is programmed. The vagus nerve, in turn, delivers those signals to the brain. The pulse generator, which operates continuously, is powered by battery that lasts around 10 years, after which it must be replaced. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIH) reports that normally, people do not feel pain or any other sensation as the device operates.
If painful symptoms develop as a result of VNS the device also can be temporarily deactivated by placing a magnet over the chest where the pulse generator is implanted. A person may want to deactivate it if side effects become intolerable, or before engaging in strenuous activity or exercise because it may interfere with breathing. The device reactivates when the magnet is removed.
In 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved VNS for use under certain conditions. One, if the patient is 18 years or older. Two, If the illness has lasted two years or more. Three, If it is severe and/or recurrent. And four, if depression has not eased after trying at least four other treatments.
Side effects include voice changes or hoarseness, cough or sore throat, neck pain, discomfort or tingling in the area where the device is implanted, breathing problems, especially during exercise, and difficulty swallowing.
Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS)
Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulatin (rTMS) uses a magnet to activate the brain. It is important to point out that electricity is not used in this therapy. First developed in 1985, rTMS has been studied as a treatment for depression, psychosis, anxiety, and other disorders. Unlike electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), where electrical stimulation is more generalized, rTMS can be targeted to a specific site in the brain. Scientists believe this technique to be more beneficial to the patient because it reduces the side effects associated with ECT. However, opinions vary as to what site of the brain is best to be targeted.
A typical rTMS session lasts 30 to 60 minutes and does not require anesthesia. During the procedure an electromagnetic coil is held against the forehead near an area of the brain that is thought to be involved in mood regulation. Then, short electromagnetic pulses are administered through the coil. The magnetic pulses easily pas through the skull, and causes small electrical currents that stimulate nerve cells in the targeted brain region.
Because this type of pulse generally does not penetrated further than two inches into the brain, scientist believe this technique is a much more favorable alternative than ECT. This reduces the risk of damage to other parts of the brain and allows scientists more precision in selecting which targeted location is to be stimulated. The strength of the magnetic field is like that of a MRI, but people generally report feeling a knocking or tapping on the head as the pulses are administered. This therapy is still in its developmental stages as scientists do not know if rTMS works best when given as a single treatment or in combination with other treatments such as medicines and psychotherapy. More research is underway to determine the safest and most effective uses of rTMS.
The side effects of rTMS have been reported as slight discomfort at the site of treatment, contraction of muscles in the scalp, jaw or face during the procedure, mild headache, brief lightheadedness, and possible seizure. It is important to note that because this treatment is relatively new, long-term side effects are unknown at this time.
Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)
DBS requires brain surgery. The head is shaved and then attached with screws to a sturdy frame that prevents the head from moving during the surgery. Scans of the head and brain using MRI are taken. The surgeon uses these images as guides during surgery. Patients are awake during the procedure to provide the surgeon with feedback, but the feel no pain because the head is numbed with a local anesthetic and the brain itself does not register pain.
Once ready for surgery, two holes are drilled into the head. From there, the surgeion threads a slender tube down into the brain to place electrodes on each side of a specific area of the brain. In the case of depression, the first area of the brain targeted by DBS is called Area 25, or the subgenera cingulated cortex. This area has been found to be overactive in depression and other mood disorders. But later research targeted several other areas of the brain affected by depression. So DBS is now targeting several areas of the brain for treating depression. In the case of OCD, the electrodes are placed in an area of the brain (the ventral capsule/ventral striatum) believed to be associated with the disorder.
After the electrodes are implanted and the patient provides feedback about their placement, the patient is put under general anesthesia. The electrodes are then attached to wires that are run inside the body from the head down to the chest, where a pair of battery-operated generators are implanted. From here, electrical pulses re continuously delivered over the wires to the electrodes in the brain. Although it is unclear exactly how the device works to reduce depression or OCD, scientists believe that the pulses help to “reset” the area of the brain that is malfunctioning so that it works normally again.
The side effects associated with DBS are bleeding in the brain or stroke, infection, disorientation or confusion, unwanted mood changes, movement disorders, lightheadedness, trouble sleeping. It is important to note that because this treatment is relatively new and still being studied, other side effects and long-term benefits are unknown at this time.
My Story
Advances in medical therapies have exploded and have helped many people in curing illness. However, in my case, where the positioning of the generator is normally located in the chest, in my case it has been reversed. Instead of having an implant in the chest, I have an implant located at my lower end near the buttock. I was not informed that this surgery was going to take place. In addition, I am not in possession of the remote that operates the generator conducting electrical impulses to my body. The impulses I receive are incessant. Every morning I wake up I am disturbed with the tingling of electrical stimulation in my lower right buttocks cheek. I am plagued by assaults to brain through electro-magnetic stimulation as I feel a tingling in my brain that accompanies the tingling in my lower end. This is all being orchestrated at the hands of an unknown assailant. I have used the word conspiracy to describe what is happening to me. Because this technology has the ability to lower your conscious state of awareness, it opens one up to being victimized by another. This is why the above therapies I just outlined are performed in “controlled settings.”
My normal daily healthy routine has been disrupted. Where I used to wake and exercise every morning, I am now being assaulted every morning with some type of electro-magnetic frequency stimulation. Someone is taking unconsented liberties with my body. The frequency endured are annoying and often rise to the level of painful. As a result I wake up in the morning and find myself crying because I am unable to stop the assaults. There are people in this world who suffer from severe personality disorders, some of them work in the medical field. These people take great pleasure in carrying out the manipulations involved in “controlling” a body. To read a few of my past post about electro-magnetic field therapy and Dorsal Column Stimulation (DCS) please click on the links below.
Science, The Human Body, and The Human Brain
A New Therapy in Addiction; Electro-Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
Proclivities' Principle Wisdom 