MicroCurrent Instruments Calibrated for Equine Use ?
By Deborah Powell
I’ve been asked to comment about the statement, “Microcurrent instruments calibrated for equine
use”. This marketing statement made by some sellers of the Electro-Acuscope/ Myopulse equipment
has been floating around for awhile now.
What does this exactly mean? Electrical Stim units such as microcurrent instruments deliver
voltage, current and some selectable frequencies. That’s about it. The current and frequencies are
passed through electrodes that are placed on the body. The instruments are basic output devices. With
that it mind, the only thing that could make a unit equine specific is the GSR (Galvanic Skin Resistance
Readings) feature available on some professional models. The GSR scale could be set with different
resistance levels to read equine tissue vs. human tissue. So, ask the manufacturer of such units to
give you the comparative settings between there equine and human model numbers. In other words,
show you in writing the specification differences of the two types of instruments. However, it probably
still does not make any sense to buy into this feature. Reading below will explain that the GSR portion
is offered typically in many different formats.
This feature allows you to have your own built in ohm meter. GSR readings can be used for making
sure your wires and electrodes are in good working condition and once attached to the body they can
help you to see whether you have propperly prepped the area on the body for an electrical stimulation
treatment. When it comes to using the GSR feature as a form of diagnostics, it is helpful to see
resistance changes during the course of treatment. The ohm meter portion of a clinic unit is different
from manufacturer to manufacturer, and even the models of the manufactures over the years. To
compare, lets look at Precision, MENS IV Masterstim, and Acuscope Instruments.
Precision Micro Stim
The Precision has 400,000 ohm of resistance at the 50% mark on the scale of 1-100. Most people will
read about 50% on their opening reading, and when used on horses it will be closer to 80% or above.
Horses are less resistant than people. The opening number is simply a larger number for a beginning
reference point.
MENS (Monad Corp. /Dr. Wing)
MENS IV chose to offer three different scales that are adjusted with a control switch. If you’re on the top
end of the scale (as you might be treating horses) at the center or base setting you can decrease the
scale. This brings the number down so you have a larger scale of numbers to work with to see
changes (or vice versa)
.
Master Micro Stim
The Masterstim has a wide scale of 0-840 with no pre loaded resistance levels set. The scale is
adjusted to fit your requirements. I usually adjust it by 50% or more for horses.
Acuscope
The Acuscope uses a control setting called the gain to add increments of 10. Remember this has no
affect on the treatment, it is just a reference number for comparison (I have an email on file from the
manufacturer of the Acuscope confirming this). Check your owners manuals, as this feature may be
slightly different for individual models.
What's the point in having a equine calibrated unit? Everything in the body has its own resistance
levels. The body is mostly water and tissue. The density of the different tissues such a skin, muscle,
tendons, ligaments, organs, and bones cannot be distinguished by a GSR ohm meter. The GSR meter
is simply a useful reference tool.
If you are told your unit will have to be re-calibrated once a year, or so, to be sure it is good working
order. You might want to reconsider the purchase. A production made device should not have to be
re-calibrated on a regular basis. Can you imagine having to send your computer, television, cell
phone or any other of your electronics in for regular re-calibration? I would seriously question the
quality of a product that holds such high maintenance requirements that it can’t hold simple electrical
current and frequency settings.