Some Thoughts on High Frequency Currents and Oxidative Stress

As I wrote before, there is much research that shows that electromagnetic radiation causes oxidative stress. This means that electromagnetic radiation can knock an electron out of a molecule, which is called ionizing radiation. Some people say that electromagnetic radiation from radio frequencies is non-ionizing, but this contradicts the fact that many studies have shown that radio frequencies also produce oxidative stress. The higher the frequency, the more ionizing (read: damaging) the radiation is.

Similarly, it is known that x-rays at wavelengths below 10 nm will destroy cells. Electromagnetic radiation at wavelengths of 100-280 nm causes DNA damage and shortens cells' life spans while radiation at 320-400 nm can repair DNA damage.

In the book A Working Manual of High Frequency Currents (1913) by Noble M. Eberhart, Tesla coils are used for various medical treatments. This is also reported by commenters below a video on the healing effects of a Tesla Coil (Violet Ray). They report having cured varicose veins, wrinkles, acne, canker sores, muscle aces, tonsillitis, alopecia (random bald spots), psoriasis, poison ivy, warts, and even joint pain and strokes. Another commenter reports that the modern version is the Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) device although I doubt it is the same.

What many of these diseases have in common is that they are mostly at the skin. This makes sense since Tesla Coils typically operate in the 50 kHz to 1 MHz range. Unlike microwaves ovens which are typically at 2.4 GHz with a high field strength and can penetrate up to multiple centimeters of skin, Tesla Coils can only penetrate roughly a centimeter. (Bluetooth coincidentally is exactly in the same 2.4 GHz band and there are coincidentally many reports of hearing loss, tinnitus and ear infections after using AirPods; all attributed to sound.)

Here is an image showing the absorption of various frequencies:

electro-absorption.webp

The information here is a bit contradicting. It seems there are some frequency ranges where the absorption decreases, namely around 10 MHz:

abb-4-9-absorptionsverhalten-des-menschl-koerpers-engl.jpg

The book reports that high frequency currents of the coil start at 10,000 cycles per second (10 kHz) since at that point that there is no pain or muscular contractions. Also, it reports that many tubes where used including ones specifically for the nose, eye or throat (p. 56).

Specific effects that the tube is claimed to cause is

  • Increase blood-supply to given area,
  • increase oxidation and local nutrition,
  • increase oxygenation of blood,
  • increase intake of oxygen,
  • increase output of carbon dioxide,
  • increase secretions,
  • increase elimination of waste products,
  • liberate ozone,
  • increase bodily heat,
  • locally germicidal,
  • mild and medium sparks stimulate or soothe according to length and character of application,
  • strong sparks are caustic,
  • sparks to spine increase arterial tension, and
  • promote absorption of plastic exudates.

I suspect that the main cause is that Tesla Coils produce both positive and negative ions. This in turn kills small bacteria (germicidal) and damages some of the body's cells. The damage then causes the body to repair the area (increase blood-supply, increase elimination of waste products). I suspect it's kind of like a reset where the coil slightly destroys the area which gives the body the opportunity to try again.

The reason I suspect this is because ozone devices are also reported to be healing for various problems including tinnitus (for example, Pawlak-Osińska et al., 2004; Ragab et al., 2008; Taşdöven et al., 2017). Also there, ozone is actually damaging cells because it's an oxidizing agent. Too much ozone in the air can cause:

  • coughing or sore throat,
  • eye irritation,
  • shortness of breath, and
  • inflame and damage the airways.

This effect of a low dose of a harmful stressor causing a beneficial response is called hormesis. The opposite is a dose that is too high or over time builds up to be too high. For example, think of exercise. A reasonable dose of exercise is healthy, but going too hard in a workout or exercising too much can cause injury.