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alpha stim electrical treatment for pain and depression?

  • 16-11-2009 4:33pm
    #1
    soon30
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 48 ✭


    hi have seen this product a few times on the net over the last couple of years (alpha stim). it uses electrical shock for treatment of pain and depression. it is being used by some health clinics to my suprise i would have believed that devises like this were just some fellas get rich quick scheme.I am not very well up on the legal side of things would this type of product not have to be tested by the irish gov or the eu before it would be legal to sell it here
    i would like to know if any body has come across this device or any other like it. can such a device work? or is it as i said a get rich quick scheme
    http://www.alpha-stim.com/


Comments

  • #2
    Dr Galen
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,373 ✭✭✭Dr Galen


    looks like a funky TENS machine. They appear to have a lot of research on the website, including a few RCT's. I don't have the time really to read through them tbh. I've not come across such a device directly, but then neuro/pain stuff isn't my thing.

    As for asking about medical clearance, well all medical devices must acheive clearance with the appropriate authorities before they can be used on patients and it appears from the info on the site that they have acheived 510k clearance along with a CE maek here in Europe


  • #3
    GradMed
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 161 ✭✭GradMed


    I know nothing about this but I would be wary as the site seems to be primarily concerned with the selling of the products, so any information they show may be biased to support their claims and they may omit information that doesn't support their claims. That and testimonials are rarely a good sign on sites like these, also they use the word biophysics :)

    Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will be able to provide you with more information.


  • #4
    nesf
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 27,644 ✭✭✭✭nesf


    From a glance, some of the trials weren't published in academic journals, some of the ones that were have very small sample sizes (20-40 people) and considering the sensitivity of the results (i.e. reported pain scores rather than anything physically measurable) this would trouble me a bit.

    Avoid, I think until they've actually done some large scale studies with it as a mono-treatment or with controls on what other meds the patients are on (in one study they only mention that they left people on their old meds without any mention of attempting to control for differences in treatments etc).


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