A PRACTICAL PROTOCOL FOR
ELECTROMEDICAL TREATMENT OF PAIN

Chapter © copyright 2001 by D. L. Kirsch, Mineral Wells, Texas. All Rights Reserved.

Daniel L. Kirsch, Ph.D., D.A.A.P.M.

Chapter Reprint from:
PAIN MANAGEMENT: A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR CLINICIANS
The Textbook of the American Academy of Pain Management
CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, 2001 Revision.

SURVEY RESULTS

Two surveys were recently conducted on a total of 3,000 people using Alpha-Stim technologies employing the combined treatment protocols of MET and CES as presented here.

Health care practitioners completed a postmarketing survey of 500 patients in 1998 (Kirsch, 1999). There were 174 males, and 326 females, ranging from 5 to 92 years old. Outpatients accounted for 479 of the forms, while 21 were hospitalized at the time of treatment. Treatment was satisfactorily completed by 197 (41%) of the patients with 207 (43%) still receiving treatment at the time of the survey.

Ten patients discontinued treatment because they thought it was not helping them, and 3 more discontinued due to undesirable side effects. An additional 13 terminated treatment when their insurance ran out and they could no longer pay for treatment. Twenty patients moved out of the area while treatment was in progress or discontinued treatment for other, unstated reasons.

Negative adverse effects were all rare, mild and self-limiting, with 472 (94.4%) reporting none. Six (1.2%) reported vertigo as a side effect and 2 (0.4%) reported nausea, either of which normally occur when the current is set too high or in patients with a history of vertigo. Only 3 (0.6%) reported skin irritation, and 1 (0.2%) each reported, anger, a metallic taste, a heavy feeling, or intensified tinnitus. These generally receded or disappeared as soon as the current was reduced.

The most important aspect of this survey was the results reported as a degree of improvement in the seven symptoms present in most patients for which MET and/or CES is prescribed; i.e., pain, anxiety, depression, stress, insomnia, headache, and muscle tension. The treatment outcome was broken down into response categories beginning with [it made the condition] “Worse”, and progressing up to “Complete” improvement or cure. As in pharmaceutical studies, a degree of improvement of 25% or more was considered to be clinically significant. The data for all 500 patients reporting on multiple symptoms is summarized in Table 1.


Condition


N


Worse

No
Change

Slight
<24%

Fair
25-49%

Moderate
50-74%

Marked
75-99%

Complete
100%

Significant
>25%

Pain

286

1
0.35%

5
1.75%

20
6.99%

48
16.78%

77
26.92%

108
37.76%

27
9.44%

260
90.91%

Anxiety

349

0
0.00%

8
2.29%

14
4.01%

39
11.17%

89
25.50%

181
51.86%

18
5.16%

327
93.70%

Depression

184

0
0.00%

8
4.35%

11
5.98%

31
16.85%

38
20.65%

82
44.57%

14
7.61%

165
89.67%

Stress

259

0
0.00%

6
2.32%

12
4.63%

37
14.29%

70
27.03%

124
47.88%

10
3.86%

241
93.05%

Insomnia

135

0
0.00%

16
11.85%

12
8.89%

17
12.59%

34
25.19%

45
33.33%

11
8.15%

107
79.26%

Headache

151

1
0.66%

8
5.30%

6
3.97%

25
16.59%

32
21.19%

63
41.72%

16
10.60%

136
90.07%

Muscle
Tension

259

2
0.77%

6
2.32%

6
2.32%

42
16.22%

76
29.34%

111
42.86%

16
6.18%

245
94.59%

Table 1. Results of using Alpha-Stim technology for MET and CES as reported by health care practitioners.
Total N = 500 patients with multiple symptoms.

In addition, 2,500 patients were surveyed through a form attached to warranty cards (Smith, 2000). 1,411 (72.40%) of the patients were female. Ages ranged from 15 to 92 years old with a mean of 50.07 years. The length of use ranged from the minimum of 3 weeks which was the only inclusion criteria, to a maximum of 5 years in 2 cases. The average period of use reported was 14.68 weeks or approximately three and one-half months. Of 1,949 primary pain patients, 1,813, or 93.02% rated their improvement as significant, and these findings correlate well with the physicians’ survey of 500 patients where 90.91% of 286 pain patients were observed to have significant improvement. The data for all 2,500 patients reporting on multiple symptoms is summarized in Table 2.

Condition

N

Slight
<24$

Fair
25-49%

Moderate
50-74%

Marked
75-100%

Significant
>25%

Pain (all cases)

1949

136
6.98%

623
31.97%

741
38.02%

449
23.04%

1813
93.02%

Back Pain

403

20
4.96%

109
27.05%

157
38.96%

117
29.03%

383
95.04%

Cervical Pain

265

18
6.79%

69
26.04%

125
47.17%

53
20.00%

247
93.21%

Hip/Leg/Foot Pain

160

6
3.75%

43
26.88%

53
33.13%

58
36.25%

154
96.25%

Shoulder/Arm/Hand Pain

150

13
8.67%

41
27.33%

63
42.00%

33
22.00%

137
91.33%

Carpal Tunnel

25

0
0.00%

5
20.00%

17
68.00%

3
12.00%

25
100.00%

Arthritis Pain

188

11
5.85%

51
27.13%

88
46.81%

38
20.21%

177
94.15%

TMJ Pain

158

17
10.76%

60
37.97%

60
37.97%

21
13.29%

141
89.24%

Myofacial Pain

62

6
9.68%

18
29.03%

18
29.03%

20
32.26%

56
90.32%

RSD

55

10
18.18%

16
29.09%

19
34.55%

10
18.18%

45
81.82%

Fibromyalgia (alone)

142

13
9.15%

53
37.32%

52
36.62%

24
16.90%

129
90.85%

Fibromyalgia (with other)

363

33
9.09%

131
36.09%

152
41.87%

47
12.95%

330
90.91%

Migraine

118

2
1.69%

49
41.53%

30
25.42%

37
31.36%

116
98.31%

Headaches (all other)

112

20
17.86%

30
26.79%

24
21.43%

38
33.93%

92
82.14%

Psychological (all cases)

723

61
8.44%

175
24.20%

237
32.78%

250
34.58%

662
91.56%

Anxiety (alone)

128

13
10.16%

29
22.66%

42
32.81%

44
34.38%

115
89.84%

Anxiety (with other)

370

33
8.92%

85
22.97%

122
32.97%

130
35.14%

337
91.08%

Anxiety/Depression

58

3
5.17%

19
32.76%

19
32.76%

17
29.31%

55
94.83%

Depression (alone)

53

7
13.21%

11
20.75%

23
43.40%

12
22.64%

46
86.79%

Depression (with other)

265

29
10.94%

61
23.02%

93
35.09%

82
30.94%

236
89.06%

Stress

123

6
4.88%

30
24.39%

39
31.71%

48
39.02%

117
95.12%

Chronic Fatigue

50

3
6.00%

30
60.00%

10
20.00%

7
14.00%

47
94.00%

Insomnia

163

10
6.13%

47
28.83%

47
28.83%

59
36.20%

153
93.87%

Table 2. Results of using Alpha-Stim techology for MET and CES at least 3 weeks as reported by patients.
Total N = 2,500 patients with multiple symptoms. From consecutive warranty cards analysed as of July 2000.

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