Infrasound: Healing Sound Waves

Healthy & Natural Journal, Feb, 2001 by Nina Anderson, Howard Peiper

For Magic, infrasound was the perfect solution. It relieved pain and chronic inflammation and even helped dissolve scar tissue.

Q. I am a breeder and trainer of thoroughbred horses and use many natural means to treat my animals. Recently a client asked me about infrasound therapy to treat her horse's inflammation. What exactly is it and what does it do? Is it like ultrasound?

J.V., Farmingdale, N.J.

A. The common thread here is that both therapy modalities use acoustics, but they are at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of delivery and results. Ultrasound uses a single high frequency (20,000-1,000,000 Hz) to stimulate a local area and heat up tissue. Therapeutic infrasound produces alpha sound waves in the approximate range of 8 to 14Hz in a multiple, random, chaotic signal. The sound waves travel and penetrate deeply throughout the body. Infrasound can be applied over a plaster cast, boots or wraps. Unlike a single frequency, the chaotic nature of the infrasound overrides the body's natural ability to tune out a rhythmic, predictable pattern. Infrasound is inaudible to the human ear and can travel great distances without distortion. It is, in fact, what whales use to communicate.

Trauma to the body can evoke cellular responses such as inflammation, swelling and cellular "shutdown." When this happens, the body's ability to heal quickly is reduced, and chronic pain may result. When applied to painful areas, acupuncture points or meridians on the body, the infrasound sending device ripples soothing alpha waves throughout the cellular matrix, breaking up these traumatic responses and restoring normal cellular activity. Beneficial results may include reduced inflammation, relaxed muscles, and increased local circulation. Areas of stagnation are replenished with fresh, oxygenated nutrients. This promotes reduced recovery time from injury as well as improving the animal's overall health. Since this therapy activates the cells of the body, it also facilitates more rapid and effective absorption of herbs, vitamins and medications prescribed by your veterinarian.

In the performance world (whether human or animal), inflammation, spasm and trauma can make the difference between an easy victory and an early retirement. Ronald J. Riegel, a doctor of veterinary medicine, studied infrasound's effects on 10 racehorses that had chronic inflammation of the hocks (the equivalent of a person's ankles). He treated the right hock of each animal for 10 minutes with an infrasound device, leaving the left hock untreated as a control. Following infrasound treatment, he found lower temperatures in all of the horses' right hocks. (A decrease in temperature indicates reduced inflammation.) During another test, Dr. Riegel treated the right hock for 20 minutes at two 12-hour intervals and saw a reduction in temperature that lasted more than four days. For his final test, he treated 12 acupuncture points related to the right hock, which also caused a drop in the temperature in all of the horses' right hocks. For the next two months, these horses showed significantly reduced injury and impro ved performance and required fewer drugs compared to those horses not included in the study.

We asked one of our horse experts, Susan Dowlatshahi from China Healthways Institute, to tell us about her experience with this sound therapy. She has been treating animals (and people, too) with infrasound and has achieved rapid, long-lasting results. Dowlatshahi shared with us the success of a case others had given up on. "An 8-year-old thoroughbred, Magic, suffered from chronic tenosynovitis in the left hind leg, which caused intermittent lameness for two years. His owner reported that any amount of motion beyond a walk would reinjure the problem area, producing a vicious cycle of pain, swelling and inflammation. Ultrasounds and a physical exam revealed excess fluid, inflammation, pain and inability to bear weight. Magic's performance career was thought to be over; it was hoped that he could become a serviceable trail horse. The original treatment plan of six months' stall rest, tranquilizers, anti-inflammatory medications and cold water therapy was not viable, since the confinement and pain brought on unm anageable behavior in the horse.

"On January 1, 1999, Magic began infrasound therapy. His treatment consisted only of the infrasound, cold water therapy and a 24' x 48' paddock for daily turnout. On January 26, a veterinarian examined Magic and reported that the swelling was markedly reduced. Magic exhibited no pain when his injured leg was palpated. Ultrasound scans confirmed a reduction in fluid content and inflammation. A few days later, Magic began walking and trotting while being ponied. The scans at eight weeks revealed continued improvement. At 10 weeks, a five-minute trot was added to Magic's routine with careful observation for any swelling, heat or tenderness; remarkably, there was none. By 14 weeks, Magic had fully recovered and went back home to resume dressage and jumping training. Two years later, Magic is still at full strength and shows no sign of a recurrence. For Magic, infrasound was the perfect solution. It relieved pain and chronic inflammation and even helped dissolve scar tissue.