Question:
A New Treatment for Depression: Magnets?
Answer:
For 10 years, Martha Franco was so depressed that she says she couldn't
enjoy the smell of flowers or laugh at jokes on TV comedy shows.
"I was suicidal a number of times," she said. "It was like, 'This is
not worth it. I can't be in this much misery.'"
Franco, a school administrator from Connecticut, says she often
couldn't get out bed.
"I would feel this heaviness, like I had a veil on me," she said, "and
I would be carrying a lead apron over my whole body. And I would cry at
the drop of a hat."
She tried antidepressants, but nothing worked. Then Franco read about
Dr. Sarah Lisanby's experimental treatment at Columbia University
Medical Center in New York.
The treatment, called transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS,
involves applying powerful electromagnets directly to the skull.
The procedure isn't effective for everyone. But "the ability to offer
hope and some chance of improvement when other treatments have failed
is something really significant," Lisanby said.
'Jumper Cable' for the Brain
TMS uses electromagnets to send pulses of energy directly into the left
side of the brain, which is thought to control mood. In patients who
are depressed, there is often less activity in this part of the brain.
The magnets create an electric current and get the brain cells to fire.
"One can think of this as sort of getting a jumper cable and
jump-starting your car because your battery has been drained," said Dr.
Alvaro Pascual-Leone, who uses the treatment at Beth Israel Deaconess
Medical Center in Boston.
While TMS can cause twitching, doctors say it is safe and painless.
Franco says the treatment restored her happiness and saved her
marriage.
"The sun seemed brighter, food tasted different," she said. "I mean, I
could actually taste food. It was just wonderful."
TMS is still in the research phase and has not been approved by the
government for widespread use. Patients are generally treated for a few
weeks and, if it works, the depression is staved off for months at a
time.
Franco only had to be treated once, but says she would certainly do it
again if needed. with all the electro magnetic waves flying through the air these days ,
i already get my fair share and i get it for free I can understand the skepticism here, since we've seen so much magnetic
quackery around, but this might be something real. I haven't checked
this particular claim out, but there really are scientifically proven
ways to stimulate the brain with magnetic fields. We're not talking
magnetic bracelets here (or headbands in this case) but intense
electro-magnetic fields of MRI strength or more, which are focused to
one tiny section of the brain. MRI-scans alone don't have any positive
or negative effect. Stimulation of the frontal lobes specifically has
interesting and promising effects. I have a small magnetic compass and I've noticed something unusual
lately that may be useful in this discussion. While holding the compass in my left hand, if I get really ticked off,
the needle immediately rotates from north to southeast.
Changing the compass to my right hand, the needle rotates back to a
near perfect north heading.
Dropping the compass on the ground and strapping on 12-lb magnets to my
biceps gives me an almost instant pain in the ass. What do you make of
this?
You probably turn and/or twist your wrist or something. Small (and
cheap) compasses react a lot when jogged. It's gravity working, not a
magnetic force. Look up: http://www.skepdic.com/ideomotor.html
