It may sound too good to be true, but managing pain may now be just a sound wave away. A new device—United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA)-approved and backed by studies—suggests that low-frequency sound waves can increase blood flow and mobility, reduce inflammation and pain, and relieve symptoms of a host of diseases and disorders.
Just sit back, relax, and let the sound waves do their work. The machine, called the Medsonix Acoustic Resonating Therapy System, is a non-invasive, drug-free therapy that uses low-frequency sound pressure waves. This dilates the vessels in the body, improving blood circulation and decreasing inflammation at the same time.
According to studies conducted in 2001 at the School of Nursing and Physical Therapy, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Medsonix reduced the pain and improved the mobility of 85 percent of the patients. These studies were later published in the Journal of Musculoskeletal Disorders and Treatment.
“This is not an alternative treatment; this is a complementary integrative treatment. So we advise everyone to just follow what your doctor prescribed, and Medsonix will make a good complement to your exercise,” said professor Enrique “Eric” Soriano III, Medsonix Philippines business partner.
Medsonix was invented by a former contractor for the US Navy, Alphonse “Al” Cassone, an American engineer who experimented with sound waves for 15 years. Soriano said Cassone’s main task then in the US Navy was to look for the sonar positioning of Russian submarines in the Indian Ocean.
When he left the Navy, Cassone began a 10-year experiment with sound waves in his home garage, tweaking the frequency, time and exposure, Soriano said. Until one day, neighbors came pouring in, testifying that the sound waves were relieving their pain and, in some cases, making them walk again.
Further and further
“One neighbor, who could barely walk, was always seeing him in his garage,” Soriano said. “Every time the neighbor would go to his garage, he could walk further and further. This neighbor said there was no other reason for this except the sound waves. So Al experimented with more neighbors, and some felt even more energized.”
Soriano noted that Medsonix will benefit people with peripheral vascular disease, diabetic neuropathy, multiple sclerosis, Lyme disease, carpal tunnel syndrome, back and joint pain, arthritis, migraine, bursitis, fibromyalgia and sciatica.
Patients normally feel relief after just one session, although it takes up to six sessions to complete therapy. Each session lasts 30 minutes.
“If you’ve completed the therapy and no improvement has happened, then this is not for you. It doesn’t work for about 10-15 percent of the population,” Soriano said.
During therapy, patients are required to sit near the device filled with distilled water. (There’s no need to disrobe.) A low-frequency sound will then be turned on. There is an option to wear headphones to listen to music, either from those programmed into their MP3 devices or from your own mobile phone.
You can check your e-mail, reply to text messages, and even chat with other patients in the room. Most people, however, prefer to sit back, close their eyes and listen to music.
“Many report feeling a warm, tingling sensation throughout the body or in the affected area. Some will feel mild pain in areas that need medical attention that will ultimately disappear after two or three sessions,” Soriano said.
Soriano initially wanted the machine two years ago for his ailing father. But since negotiations took longer than expected, his father was never able to use the machine.
“Being a skeptic, I wanted to try it out for myself,” Soriano said. “After my session, I took the red-eye flight from Las Vegas to Boston, then lectured all day, and I didn’t feel tired at all. So I called Al, and that began the long courtship to bring the machine to the Philippines.”
Medsonix Phils. is the first and only device outside the United States. It is classified low-risk by the US FDA. In the Philippines, Soriano said it was given an FDA exemption.
“The only people we don’t allow to use it are pregnant women,” he said. “We are continuously doing studies on its benefits, how it affects those with rheumatoid arthritis at St. Luke’s in the United States.”
Medsonix is primarily meant for pain management, but because of the wonderful benefits, like better blood circulation, Soriano said that it also promotes better skin.
“We feel this can also encompass not just pain,” he said.
The machine is not for sale, Soriano clarified. Instead, he plans to have an ambulatory clinic installed near a government hospital so that it can reach out to those who may not be able to afford the therapy sessions.
At the same time, studies will be conducted on patients, regarding how the machine affected their lives.
“Many medical doctors we’ve talked to already welcome Medsonix, especially those who are in the complementary and integrative field,” he said.
Clinica Manila, 2/F SM Megamall Building A. Call 7303237 or 09475951524; e-mail info@medsonix.com.ph.