This is very interesting, thanks. A few comments:
Pain masking: I have great concerns that this is the default way that mainstream medicine views the treatment of all forms of pain: block it. But all of the evidence I have seen for high efficiency (low energy) PEMF is that it seems to deal with the mechanism that causes the pain. And the fact that you have seen a reduction for a week after discontinuing use is pretty subjective: it is not blocking pain (the pain would return in just a few hours), it seems to be promoting healing at the source of the pain (a durable solution, unlike “masking” or blocking).
I am not so sure about the effects of the much higher power forms of PEMF though. With a great deal of unneeded energy, it may be both masking and having other effects. This has been less well studied, I think. But it is one potential problem with the more crude, ultra-high power PEMF products.
I disagree with Dr. P.: You would not need an ultra-powerful system to “reach into your spine”. The depth of penetration of ICES-PEMF systems is easily able to reach throughout the spine. I know that he knows this, we have discussed it in the past, so I wonder why he would say that to you.
Since you already have a C5, the best way to do this is:
1- Stacked coils (bumpy-side to bumpy-side), placed directly over the most severely damaged area, or the spot with the most pain. With a C5, you could potentially do this to several locations along the spine simultaneously.
2- Deep field coils, which we sell, but they take two output ports on the C5, so you can only use at most 2 deep field coils at the same time.
I have used this technology to treat my own nerve impingement, and it works very well for me, so I expect you should get good results. Over time, consider reducing the power, since there will be some tissue recovery over time, and I find that as this happens, “less is more”.
My answers to your questions:
1: ICES-PEMF is just a very refined and efficient form of PEMF based on inductive mechanisms and direct biological measurements of tissue physiology that I made while I was at Harvard-MIT and U-Michigan. Comparing traditional PEMF to ICES-PEMF would be like comparing Mystery Meat to grass-fed beef. Both are food (sort of), but one is much more refined and probably much better for you and the planet overall. But Mystery Meat is a good option, I suppose, if the only possible alternative is starvation.
2- Yes. I use all three and alternate between them. I still have not seen any major indications of habituation, but I do find that changing patterns every now and again does seem to reinvigorate the effects, sometimes. I think it is a wise practice.
3- For your spine, I think you would find that stacked coils (as above) or deep field coils (as above) would be much more effective that 2x2 coil arrays, which are intended more for superficial injuries.
4- When doing things on opposite sides, I definitely recommend the use of individual coils, bumpy-sides out on both sides, not 2x2 coil arrays.
I have sewn coils to t-shirts and bandages (ace bandages, for example). It works well I think. If you sew in pockets, then you can just remove the coils easily for laundering.
BrainGauge use will definitely give you some important insight into your brain function. And more importantly, it will give you reliable feedback to see whether or not it is improving, or deteriorating, based on the things you might be trying.