Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation (CES)

CES is an electromedical modality indicated for the treatment of Anxiety, Stress, Insomnia and Pain.

Alpha-Stim CES devices use less than 1mA of low-frequency (0.5Hz) bi-phasic currents applied with the use of electrodes that attach to the ear lobes. This enables the mild electrical current to affect the brainstem and stimulate Alpha brainwaves and endorphins.

An average length of treatment is generally 20-60 minutes. Daily treatments are recommended during the first 1-3 weeks of CES therapy.

Legend:  Blue arrows: inhibitory interactions               Purple arrows: excitatory interactions            suppressed pathways/interactions

Abbreviations: ACh: actetylcholine; LDT: laterodorsal tegmental nucleus of the brainstem; PPN: pediculo-ponitne nucleus of the brainstem; NE: norepinephrine; LC: locus ceruleus, 5-HT: serotonin

Completed and ongoing research studies show CES effective in treating many psychological disorders as well as controlling everyday stress. CES can be used as a complement or alternative to drug therapy for mood disorders - see comparison with anti-depressants.

Due to its safety, high clinical efficacy with minimal side effects, CES has been used by doctors and psychiatrists, other practitioners and by clients at home, for over 27 years in the US and Europe.

See research and testimonials for conclusions drawn by practitioners and patients. Alpha-Stim CES devices have been in Australia since March 2007 and are becoming widely used both at home and in clinic settings. Unlike in the US, Alpha-Stim is available without a prescription here in Australia.

CES is also proven beneficial as a standalone or as an adjunct therapy in the management of chronic neuropathic pain disorders, including fibromyalgia syndrome, migraine headaches, spinal cord injury pain, and reflex sympathetic dystrophy. See Kirsch and Gilula for a succinct overview of CES applications for chronic pain.

Postulated mechanism of Alpha-Stim CES

 The Alpha-Stim microcurrent waveform activates particular groups of nerve cells located at the brainstem, a site at the base of the brain that sits atop of the spinal cord. These groups of nerve cells produce the chemicals serotonin and acetylcholine, which can affect the chemical activity of nerve cells that are both nearby and at more distant sites in the nervous system. In fact, these cells are situated to control the activity of nerve pathways that run up into the brain and that course down into the spinal cord.

By changing the electrical and chemical activity of certain nerve cells in the brainstem, Alpha-Stim appears to amplify activity in some neurological systems, and diminish activity in others. This neurological "fine tuning" is called modulation, and occurs either as a result of, or together with the production of a certain type of electrical activity pattern in the brain known as Alpha brainwaves which can be measured on brain wave recordings (EEG).

Such alpha rhythms are accompanied by feelings of calmness, relaxation and increased mental focus. The neurological mechanisms that are occurring during the alpha state appear to decrease stress-effects, reduce agitation and stabilize mood, and control both sensations and perceptions of particular types of pain.

These effects can be produced after a single treatment, and repeated treatments have been shown to increase the relative strength and duration of these effects. In some cases, effects have been stable and permanent, suggesting that the electrical and chemical changes evoked by Alpha-Stim have led to a durable re-tuning back to normal function.

Alpha-Stim CES engages the serotonergic (5-HT) raphe nuclei of the brainstem. 5-HT inhibits brainstem cholinergic (ACh) and noradrenergic (NE) systems that project supratentorially. This suppresses thalamo-cortical activity, arousal, agitation, alters sensory processing and induces EEG alpha rhythm. As well, 5-HT can act directly to modulate pain sensation in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, and alter pain perception, cognition and emotionality within the limbic forebrain.