A PRACTICAL PROTOCOL FOR Daniel L. Kirsch, Ph.D., D.A.A.P.M. Chapter Reprint from:
|
SURVEY RESULTS Two surveys were recently conducted on a total of 3,000 people using Alpha-Stim technologies employing the combined treatment protocols of MET and CES as presented here. Health care practitioners completed a postmarketing survey of 500 patients in 1998 (Kirsch, 1999). There were 174 males, and 326 females, ranging from 5 to 92 years old. Outpatients accounted for 479 of the forms, while 21 were hospitalized at the time of treatment. Treatment was satisfactorily completed by 197 (41%) of the patients with 207 (43%) still receiving treatment at the time of the survey. Ten patients discontinued treatment because they thought it was not helping them, and 3 more discontinued due to undesirable side effects. An additional 13 terminated treatment when their insurance ran out and they could no longer pay for treatment. Twenty patients moved out of the area while treatment was in progress or discontinued treatment for other, unstated reasons. Negative adverse effects were all rare, mild and self-limiting, with 472 (94.4%) reporting none. Six (1.2%) reported vertigo as a side effect and 2 (0.4%) reported nausea, either of which normally occur when the current is set too high or in patients with a history of vertigo. Only 3 (0.6%) reported skin irritation, and 1 (0.2%) each reported, anger, a metallic taste, a heavy feeling, or intensified tinnitus. These generally receded or disappeared as soon as the current was reduced. The most important aspect of this survey was the results reported as a degree of improvement in the seven symptoms present in most patients for which MET and/or CES is prescribed; i.e., pain, anxiety, depression, stress, insomnia, headache, and muscle tension. The treatment outcome was broken down into response categories beginning with [it made the condition] “Worse”, and progressing up to “Complete” improvement or cure. As in pharmaceutical studies, a degree of improvement of 25% or more was considered to be clinically significant. The data for all 500 patients reporting on multiple symptoms is summarized in Table 1.
In addition, 2,500 patients were surveyed through a form attached to warranty cards (Smith, 2000). 1,411 (72.40%) of the patients were female. Ages ranged from 15 to 92 years old with a mean of 50.07 years. The length of use ranged from the minimum of 3 weeks which was the only inclusion criteria, to a maximum of 5 years in 2 cases. The average period of use reported was 14.68 weeks or approximately three and one-half months. Of 1,949 primary pain patients, 1,813, or 93.02% rated their improvement as significant, and these findings correlate well with the physicians’ survey of 500 patients where 90.91% of 286 pain patients were observed to have significant improvement. The data for all 2,500 patients reporting on multiple symptoms is summarized in Table 2.
Go back to Microcurrent Electrical Therapy (MET) Proceed to Basic Treatment Protocol for Microcurrent Electrical Therapy (MET)
|
|
|