Wednesday August 6, 2008

Sound relief

A therapy that rides on radio and sound waves provides pain relief

Stories by PATSY KAM (The Star)

THEY say that surgery should always be the last option. If there’s a treatment out there that might offer you pain relief or even solve your physical problem, then by all means try that before you decide to go under the knife.

Given that premise, it would seem that Sonotron therapy is a viable option, especially since it is non-invasive and drug-free. It combines pulsed radio and sound waves to provide relief in certain arthritic and repetitive stress conditions.

Mohamad Yusof receiving Sonotron therapy for his tennis elbow.

Sonotron is touted to offer effective pain relief for complaints such as osteoarthritis, frozen shoulder, cervical spondylosis, stiff neck and tennis elbow, and sports injuries that affect muscles and that cause tissue swelling, among other conditions.

The device looks like a hair-dryer and works by means of a “corona discharge beam” that’s produced when a low radio frequency of 430 kHz, pulsed at a low sound frequency of 1 kHz, is applied to an electrode located in a hand-held applicator.

The corona discharge beam from the applicator is then directed on the problem area above the skin. It emits electro-magnetic energy and electrons beneficial to the patient. The external treatment has no contact with the skin at all and at most, the patient may feel a little heat.

The device was invented by Dr Alfonso DiMino in the United States in 1987. He developed the Sonotron technology in the late 1970s while working on an industrial application involving specialised electronic circuits.

Dr DiMino found that the device produced heat from the discharge. As an arthritis sufferer himself, Dr DiMino tried it and found that it greatly reduced pain.

Healing therapy

Medical practitioner Dr Gertrude Kow, who’s had a machine in her clinic since 2004, found Sonotron therapy useful for patients who has just had stitches, especially if they didn’t want antibiotics.

“Sonotron seems to promote faster healing, and it’s helpful for abrasions and diabetic foot as well. It also helps abscesses by making them ripen faster or regress. The faster you do the treatment, the better. If you’ve had a bad knee for 10 years, for example, you can’t expect miracles.

“Sonotron therapy is also known to be useful for treating osteoarthritis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, tendinitis, sports injuries and other joint conditions.”

There has been evidence of accelerated healing of wounds in diabetics, burns, accident injuries and surgery with the therapy. While Sonotron therapy cannot remove degeneration at the cartilage of joints, it can reduce or eliminate further degeneration.

Interestingly, in his in-vitro experiments, Dr Brian Thompson of the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, in the United States, found that he was able to repeatedly increase the density of cartilage by applying Sonotron on his patients.

The energy emitted is equivalent to 1/60 the power of a typical electro-surgical unit in widespread use today and the energy that is dissipated within the tissues is equivalent to that of a pocket calculator, which means it is safe for use. In fact, the Radiation Protection Unit of the Institute of Science and Forensic Medicine Department in Singapore has certified that no licences are required for the use of the device in the republic.

Sonotron works by converting free radicals present in the cells of problem areas into oxygen and water. This inner chemistry change promotes growth of tissues that results in the healing of the problem area. Scientists believe that free radicals excess is the cause of most clinical problems, hence the need to remove them from areas which are inflamed or injured.

An alternative

While it’s a therapy that is difficult to prove since you do not obtain results straightaway, these days medical professionals in the United States, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia are more receptive to complementary medicine like Sonotron therapy to treat patients with chronic pain without having to deal with the side-effects of painkillers or drugs.

“You have to bear in mind that Sonotron doesn’t work as fast. I tell patients that if after three or four sessions, they don’t feel any better then they should try something else. It’s not like a pill which you can pop and get immediate effect. Most patients who are willing to try Sonotron are those who have been through other treatments and even surgery,” says Dr Kow.

Some patients with illnesses that were thought to be too difficult and time-consuming to treat have come away with positive results. Proven safe even for children, Sonotron therapy has also hastened the rehabilitation of stroke patients, while asthmatics and those with sinusitis see improvements in their condition.

Sonotron therapy was introduced to Malaysia in 1994 by Panmedic Sdn Bhd. It is now used by more than 100 general practitioners and specialists around the country as well as in rehabilitation and sports medicine. It is also available at some private and government hospitals, and the Malaysian Sports Institute in Kuala Lumpur has a Sonotron machine to treat sports injuries.