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The Body Electric
exposure to time-varying electromagnetic fields has been linked to in-
creased rates of cancer in humans. Bassett has discounted potential dan-
gers, saying, "You would experience almost the same field strength by
standing under a fluorescent light." However, a fluorescent lamp may
well feel like a floodlight to cells that can see nanoamperes of current.
One of the main lessons of bioelectromagnetism so far is that less is often
more.
On the other hand, it's too easy to assume that "natural is better."
Since it would vindicate our low-current method, I obviously hope it's
true, but the fact remains that putting electrodes in a bone is itself a
very unnatural act. Stimulation of healing outside the normal limits of
the process may incur fewer risks in the end. So far the evidence suggests
otherwise, but we don't yet know for sure. That's why I keep emphasiz-
ing the need to go slowly, using these contraptions only when all else
has failed, until we understand them better.
The most urgent need is a search for possible malignant effects. As far
as I know, I've done the only such research on electrodes to date—one
simple tissue culture study without grant support, using some money I
saved from our last research project funded by the manufacturer of the
battery pack. I proposed more extensive tests to various granting agen-
cies before our lab was closed, but was turned down every time.
I exposed standard cultures of human fibrosarcoma cells to 360
nanoamps from stainless steel electrodes. I tried it five times, and each
time there was a threefold increase in cell population at both electrodes.
Even for cancer cells, this is remarkable proliferation for such a short
time. To my knowledge, none of the developers or marketers of elec-
trode devices have chosen to duplicate this test or try their own, despite
the ease of doing the work and the fact that they have plenty of money.
Whatever evidence on this point that may have been presented to the
FDA hasn't been made public. After the evaluation panel granted com-
mercial approval, however, several of its members expressed fears that
this possibility hadn't been adequately tested. At this time, therefore, I
must conclude that high-current electrodes might enhance the growth of
any preexisting tumor cells in the electrical path—unlike low-current
silver, which when negative had no effect on, and when positive sus-
pended, mitosis of cancer cells in our lab.
As for PEMF, Bassett and Pilla believe that only cells in a healing
process gone awry can "hear" their wave form, so they discount the idea
of cancel enhancement from it. They claim to have found no PEMFs that
produce or accelerate malignant growth; on the contrary, Pilla and on-
cologist Larry Norton of Mount Sinai say they've found at least one that