Microcurrent Research
A very long time ago, in the 1700s and 1800s, there was immense interest in electricity with huge experimentation in this field. Belief prevailed that electricity was vital to the life processes. But, the scientific method for experiments was not sophisticated like it is today with control groups, huge repetition of the same studies, and measurable results. With the growth of pharmaceuticals in the 1980s, research took a different path such as genetics and infection, and experiments in electricity virtually stopped.
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Today, medicine is in the thralls of pharmaceuticals. But there is hope for change as GlaxoSmith Kline (​​GSK), the largest pharmaceutical in the UK has been involved in Bioelectronic Medicine since 2012 with plans to develop new patents for treating chronic conditions. Overtime, the strength of science could demand a change in attitude.
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​Microcurrent Therapy has been shown to promote increased rates of tissue growth, angiogenesis (formation of new blood vessel from existing ones), and neural sprouting (the growth of axons and dendrites from a damaged nerve (Poltawski et al. 2012).
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In both animal and human studies, the application of microcurrent has been associated with several healing processes; the stimulation of growth and tissue restoration (Zizic et al.1995) and reduction of edema (Cook et al.1994).
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Scientists have found how the body "harnesses the power of electricity" to heal and any of our medical devices, such as a pacemaker, are designed to tap into the body’s electrical signals, and make corrections where needed.
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In the 1960s, there were some microcurrent studies on wound healing of diabetic ulcers and bedsores, but it wasn’t until 1985 that there was a critical breakthrough in bioelectronic medicine. Robert O Becker, an Orthopedic Surgeon and pioneer in the field of tissue regeneration wrote the book, The Body Electric which brought back the long discarded belief that electricity is vital to the life processes. Robert Becker's pioneering research on salamander regeneration demonstrated that minute levels of electricity are the trigger for stimulating tissue growth, repair and regeneration.
So began the rediscovery that electricity is vital to the life processes.
​​Brian Otis, GSK Chief Technology Officer said, “This is an ambitious collaboration allowing giant pharmaceutial, GSK (GalaxoSmith Kline) to have a huge impact on an emerging field. Bioelectronic medicine is a new area of therapeutic exploration and we know that success will require the convergence of deep disease biology expertise and new highly miniature technologies.”
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Michael Levin, Researcher and Professor of Biology at Tufts University, School of Arts and Sciences said, “When cells and tissues are alive, there’s a bioelectric potential between the inside of a cell and the outside. As soon as that potential collapses, the cell is dead. I think it’s fair to say that bioelectricity is the spark of life.”
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Inspiration came when Levin was in a used book shop and found Robert Becker's book, The Body Electric. ​Levin explained. “We’re interested in how tissues and organs compute using electrical signals regulating our body’s neural networks."
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​There appears to be multiple mechanisms that may explain how microcurrent works, but it is understudied when compared with traditional TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation). Traditional TENS is accepted by mainstream science having theories that are well-established with rigorous testing.
​​​Research sources include:
​​Science Direct-Platform of peer-reviewed literature, university libraries, and institutions that offer access to their communities of researchers.
Research Gate-European commercial social networking site for scientists, and researchers to share papers, ask and answer questions and find collaborators.
PubMed-Database of references and abstracts on the life sciences, and biomedical topics.
The National Institute of Health (NIH).​​