Phoresing with your MicroCurrent Unit

By Deborah Powell 2002

IontoPhoresis is typically done in the milli amps. Units like the IOMED phoresor operate in the very low milli amp ranges, offering settings of 2, 3 or 4 milli amps.The lower the setting the longer it will take to transfer the medication. When using 4 milli amps the transfer is complete in 10 minutes and when 2 milli amps is used, the transfer will take 14 minutes. If you change the current up or down during treatment. The IOMED phoresor automatically calculates the time needed, then self adjust and recalculates the time needed for transfer. The instrument will also automatically reject if it senses the seal of the pad to the skin is broken.

Typically, the reason for changing the settings up or down is for patient comfort. Some patients will find 4 milli amps irritating but can tolerate 2 milli amps just fine. It's advisable to start low and work up. However, it's possible that lower levels will provide better results.The lesser current levels are less irritating to the skin tissues. Newer technologies like the IONTOPATCH are using less current and more time (24 Hrs) and are validating the studies that low current levels may be better.

The single use battery operated IONTOPATCH delivers 1.5 micro amps over a 24 hour period.

Micro amperge has long been used for IontoPhoresis with little documentation (until now). Here are the reasons why many choose to use micro amperage.

1. Comfort.: Micro amperage is well tolerated.

2. Results: Less is more seems to be proving out.

3. Healing: Using the micro amperage range is like having a dual treatment.

The healing benefits of micro amperage and the benefits of non invasive delivery of medication.

What's required: A micro amperage unit with polarity control connected to special electrodes called "Drug Delivery Electrodes" . The polarity feature on a microcurrent unit is required because phoreseable medications are designated with either positive or negative polarity. ie: The most popular medication for inflammation is dexamethasone and it delivered with negative polarity. The tricky part is the amount of time to use when using micro amperage. If using close to 900 micro amps adding just a few minutes maybe sufficient. Whereas if your using 300-500 micro amps you might want to double the time to 20 minutes or so per polarity.

Say for example you want to treat heal pain in a horse; it is virtually impossible to get a proper seal with a specialized phoresing instrument. By using a micro amperage unit you can be treating with micro current and settle for less of a transfer of medication in applications where you cannot get a proper seal. Using the better medication specifically made for phoresing will help to compensate for some of the pro ported loss. (See Columbine Drug). If you already have a micro current instrument, give it a try, especially when standard Phoresor unit protocols don't work.You may be surprised at the results, I was.

How many treatments? Phoresing at least 3 times then treating with microcurrent as a follow up generally does the trick. Older chronic conditions will tend to take longer to respond. Acute is usually completely resolved in just a few treatments. Suspensory, tendon, ligament problems, and heel pain are commonly treated successfully. Ring bone will take many treatments sometimes over several months. Also, you might try using phoresing and microcurrent as a replacement to injections of the Hocks. I recently had good success phoresing a bump on the leg that become hardened and was unsightly after the closure of a puncture wound.