Getting Started

CES and Jetlag The Elexoma also works like magic for jetlag – simply treat yourself to Programme 1 before you depart, halfway through your journey and then after arrival at your destination (just before going to sleep). Within one day, your sleep-wake cycle will be back to normal.

CES and insomnia And now, just before you fall asleep, let me talk about sleeplessness. CES increases daytime vigilance, but it also helps people to sleep deeper and more restfully at night. This is very useful for people who have difficulty falling asleep, or who wake up in the middle of the night and then struggle to fall asleep again. However, restoring sleep in cases where a person has been suffering from sleeplessness for months or years is not easy. If you suffer from long-term sleep problems, you may have to treat yourself for a number of months before you notice any real difference.

CES and headaches Both CES and tDCS are remarkably beneficial in the prevention and treatment of headaches, including migraines. I won’t confuse you with tDCS settings now – let’s stick with programme 1 on the Elexoma. The next time you experience a headache, run programme 1 and see how the headache disappears in a matter of minutes. If you suffer from regular headaches, treat yourself daily and you will find the regularity, duration AND intensity of the headaches steadily decreasing over one or two months. Persist with daily treatment for a couple of months and your regular headaches could be something of the past.

CES and attention span CES also increases your attention span. One study showed a remarkable 382% increase in attention and concentration span after a single treatment. In other words, you become more vigilant and aware of your surroundings during and after a CES treatment. There are many applications of this phenomenon, for example in sports where the athlete has to concentrate intently (e.g., archery, gymnastics, golf) or during studying. People with shortened attention span can also benefit from CES treatment.

CES and Mood CES also increases the levels of serotonin in the CSF. Sorry, another big word, but bear with me as I try to explain. Serotonin is one of your brain’s “feel good” messengers. If you have more serotonin floating in the CSF, it means your brain is in a good mood. One study showed a 61% increase in CSF-serotonin after only a single 20 minute treatment. This effect isn’t always clearly noticeable, but that is because of the way we rationalise our experiences. I’ve lost count of the number of times clients tell me, “I’m not sure if it’s the Elexoma, but I’m feeling really great since I started using it!” The effect is subtle, but undeniable. And the effect lasts for a couple of days after a single treatment – that’s powerful. So, to enhance your mood and to cope with stress, CES is a marvellous tool. It won’t “override” your personality or circumstances, but it will give you that extra little boost that often is all you need to get through a really hectic day.

CES and Pain Now, let us get back to plain and simple CES. Programme 1 on the Elexoma device is the classical CES programme. With the intensity somewhere between 200 uAmp and 550 uAmp (the maximum) you really don’t need more CES in a 24 hour period than the preset 25 minutes. CES and Pain Even if you bought the Elexoma for use on your body (such as for chronic pain), I recommend that you use the CES function, too. Why? Studies have shown a 92% increase in endorphins in the CSF. Endorphins are the body’s own pain-killers and the CSF (cerebro-spinal fluid) is the fluid that cushions the brain and spinal cord. Such an increase thus indicates that the production of endorphins in the brain has nearly doubled. As a result, pain perception virtually halves. Pain is a complex phenomenon and it has a large central (brain) component. Pain is not just caused by an injury, but also by the way the brain interprets pain signals coming from the injury site. If the brain is chock-full of endorphins, it will ignore much of the pain impulses coming from the injury site. Please note what this means: It does NOT mean that the cause of the pain has been addressed, only that the pain itself has been subdued. In other words, CES treatment for pain is symptomatic, not curative. OK, painkillers do the same – they relieve the sensation of pain without addressing the cause of the pain. The difference is that painkillers have other side effects, some of them delaying wound healing. Other effects could even be fatal (such as stomach ulcers or blood dysfunctions). CES has none of these side effects, so you get the benefits without the damages of painkillers.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Another abbreviation you may come across is tDCS. This stands for transcranial Direct Current Stimulation. As the name implies, a Direct (or monophasic) Current is applied to the brain instead of an Alternating Current. In such therapy, the placement of the positive and negative electrodes can make a difference. Depending on where they are placed, different effects can be elicited. You can use your Elexoma for tDCS, but I won’t go into that detail here.

CES & Alternating Current CES mostly refers to the application of Alternating Current to the brain (as distinct from Direct Current). In other words, the polarity of the two electrodes keeps on switching between positive and negative (and you thus do not need to take care which electrode is positive or negative). In bio-electronics, the word “biphasic” is used to refer to alternating current. One of the advantages of a biphasic current is that the local tissues don’t get polarised, thus reducing the risk of tissue damage. CES also typically employs low intensity currents, meaning the user hardly feels the flow of electricity. CES is most commonly administered via the earlobes, although it can also be administered by sticking pre-gelled electrodes just behind the ears or on the shoulders. The body is an electric organ. In fact, that is where the name “Elexoma” comes from. It is a combination of “Elec” for “electricity” and “soma”, the Greek word for “body”. Every chemical reaction in the body involves changes in electrical values and these are not merely accidental. The brain, nerves, muscles, blood vessels and glands all operate based on electrical balance and current flows. The currents involved are tiny, but essential for life. The “old school thinking” that used overwhelming electrical force to achieve therapeutic aims is dying out as new research increasingly proves that cells respond best to electricity that is in the same league as the normal bodily voltage and intensity.

(Almost) All about CES CES, or Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation, refers to the application of microcurrent to the brain specifically. Some situations where CES may be beneficial are: Depressed mood, loss or grief Anger or irritability Stress Sleeplessness (insomnia), nightmares Lack of concentration / shortened attention span Memory deficits After a stroke or spinal cord injury Lack of drive and motivation Fibromyalgia There are many abbreviations used to refer to the action of applying electricity to the brain. Probably the most infamous one is ECT, or Electro-Convulsive Therapy. This one (wrongly) got really bad press in the best-seller book from the 60s, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. With ECT, large doses of current are passed through the brain in a very short span of time. This “resets” the brain, which can improve certain mental conditions. However, it also causes all the muscles in the body to contract. In the early days of ECT, no muscle relaxants (or tranquilisers) were used and the force of the contracting muscles was sometimes so intense that bones snapped. Nowadays, muscle relaxants and tranquilisers help make ECT a safe and rapid alternative to drug therapy, but most people still associate it with its crude early use. ECT achieves its effects by administering large doses of electricity over a short period of time. Research has shown, however, that giving small doses of electricity over longer periods of time is just as effective, if not more so. When it comes to electrotherapy, “less is more”. Even better, you don’t need to see a psychiatrist to get CES. Plus, you don’t need to see your friendly orthopaedic surgeon afterwards.

Confusing things in the instruction manual Are you still with me? Good. You are then probably one of those folks who actually read the User’s manual from cover to cover and inevitably phone me to ask two questions: “On pages 15 & 20 of the manual, it states that the red (positive) electrode must be placed on the right ear and the black (negative) electrode on the left ear. Is this correct?” Well, it doesn’t matter, since programme 1 is biphasic / alternating between positive and negative. So just ignore that please. Second question: “The manual (page 16) says I must replace the felt pads after EVERY treatment. Do I really have to?” No, that was intended for therapists, who treat many people with the same device. Only replace the white felt pads if they become contaminated or worn. Their chief purpose is for your comfort, nothing more. That’s it for now. You should be able to get going now. MET electrode placements are set out on pages 19 to 33 of the User’s manual. Below, we describe various treatments for a range of afflictions.