BioEnergetic Technologies: Improving Sleep

Catherine Willner, M.D.

Durango CO

Too long on the Prowl

Fatigue, malaise, inattention, reduced energy, reduced motivation, cognitive impairment, altered mood, poor performance, reduced quality of life?

Insomnia

• Initiating sleep (>30 minutes)

• Maintaining sleep (interrupted sleep)

• Terminal (early awakening)

• Drowsiness on awakening (nonrestorative)

• Sleepiness during the day

• Psychological distress

• Occupational disruption

• Social dysfunction

Insomnia

• Sleep efficiency less than 85%

• Sleep less than 6-6.5 hours

• Disruption at least 3 nights per week

• Patients frequently report perception of less sleep than documented objectively

Insomnia

• Acute

– Transient (lasting only a few days)

– Short Term (less than 3-4 weeks)

• Chronic

– Long term (at least 3 months or more)

50% with chronic insomnia will persist

Insomnia

• Normal adults – transient up to 1/3 over lifetime; 10 % chronic insomnia

– Stress

– Alcohol/drug

– Social change

– Women > Men

– Association with psychiatric diagnosis

– More frequent in elderly

– MSLT often normal (no daytime excessive drowsiness)

Causes of Insomnia

• Primary sleep disorders

• Disorders of circadian sleep-wake rhythm

• Medical disorders; medication use issues

• Psychiatric / Behavioral disorders

• Adjustment Sleep Disorders

• Jet Lag

• Shift work

Sleep Hygiene

• Regular schedule (bedtime and arousal)

• Avoid prolonged daytime naps

• Limit awake time in bedroom

• Avoid caffeine, tobacco and alcohol – EtOH withdrawal sympathetic activation

– Tobacco in high doses stimulating

• Regular exercise (earlier than 5 hours pre-sleep)

• Closure for the day

• Environmental control – Clock watching pros and cons

What’s Missing?

• Treating Pain

• Hypoxia (at altitude)

• ???

BioEnergetic Therapies

• Techniques – Relaxation (progressive, breathing, etc.)

– Energy Medicine (the list is very long)

• Technologies – Computer scans, programs

– Devices • Biofeedback

• Light

• Microcurrent

• PEMF

Magnetic Therapy Effects

Reducing muscle tension Improving circulation Stimulating the immune system Reducing inflammation Improving cell function Helping the body to detoxify Improving the uptake of nutrients Balancing acupuncture meridians Reducing stress Balancing the endocrine system Regenerating tissues Improving sleep

PEMF/Magnetic Contraindications

• Pregnancy • Pacemakers, implanted pain modulators, insulin delivery systems or

defibrillators • Conditions with active bleeding • Hyperthyroidism, adrenal gland, hypothalamic and hypophyseal/pituitary

dysfunctions • Active tuberculosis, acute viral diseases – white blood count responses may be

temporarily dampened, • Malignancies (even in remission) – because of the controversies with frequency

fields from power lines, even though current evidence suggests no probable causal relationship to health problems with therapeutic low-frequency PEMFs, caution should be exercised; little work has been done in this area. PEMFs should not be relied upon as primary treatment, but may be considered as a complementary therapy.

• Myasthenia gravis, ALS, dementia – use caution • Psychoses – PEMFs may produce unpredictable results, and in combination with

medications may cause significant reductions in blood pressure.

From William Pawluk, MD, MSc., Drpawluk.com

Devices

• SCENAR ® is an acronym (Self Controlled Energo Neuro Adaptive Regulation)

• Pain Control

• $500 - $4200

• Endorphins and neurochemistry

Devices

• BEMER [ B io - E lectro - M agnetic - E nergy - R egulation]

• Microvascular, waveform, pulsing

• $3500 +

Devices

• iMRS = intelligent Magnetic Resonance Stimulation)

• Earth based Schumann Frequencies, intensities and has a built-in intelligent biorhythm clock, sawtooth waveform.

Physics Controversies

Earth has TWO fundamental frequencies, 7.83 Hz (Schumann resonance) and 11.75/11.79 Hz which is the first order frequency of the magnetic field (excluding n=0 which is the static solution).

The Schumann frequency is the resonant frequency of the earth's ionosphere and the earth's magnetic field frequency is a result of the spherical harmonics of the earth's magnetic field.

Human Body Field

• Peter Fraser, Harry Massey and NES

• NutriEnergetic Systems

• ProVision (scan)

• miHealth (PEMF, microcurrent)

– on and off body

miHealth

• FDA excluded as biofeedback device

Physical General Rejuv

Physical Rejuv

Chronic Balance

Acute Balance

Muscles

Joints

Nerve

Bone

BioCell

After Sport

Energy Recharge

Energy

Matrix Carrier

Male

Female

Energy Align

Wellbeing Digestion

Head

Skin

Memory

Sleep

Anti Aging

Hearing

Fat

Cycles Chinese Cycle

Radiation

Peace

Transformation

Mind B ESR

Emotional Energy

Inner Peace

Mental Clarity

Protection EMF

Immune ET

CFI

Air Travel

Food

ProVision

Sleep

• Patients with nerve pain – 50 total

• All reported prolonged sleep onset and short duration sleep, 32 described “insomnia”

– Peripheral neuropathy (45)

– Sham treatment cross over

– 44/45 improved pain score by at least 4 points

– 45/45 reported improved sleep onset and after first three treatments longer duration (>2 hours)

Sleep

• 10 patients with poor sleep (by self report)

• Using Epworth sleepiness and self report on sleep quality, all met criteria for insomnia

• Using miHealth sleep function during day, 6 reported improved sleep (3 treatments)

• Using miHealth sleep cycle home, 9/10 reported normal sleep onset and improved duration; 1 had improved onset but awakened

Fibromyalgia, Pain, Sleep LLL

• Effect of low-level laser therapy on pain, quality of life and sleep in patients with fibromyalgia: study protocol for a double-blinded randomized controlled trial.

• de Carvalho Pde T, et al.

• Trials 2012. 13:221

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=de Carvalho Pde T[Author]&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=23171567

Conclusions

• Evolving technologies

• Improve pain, often sleep will improve

• Though there are many reports, there are fewer peer reviewed studies

• Devices for home use may be appropriate choice for chronic insomnia

• Some people are intolerant of these therapies, but many seem to benefit.