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The Requirements of Microcurrent Use

A microcurrent is a very small amount of electrical current (millionths of an ampere), which can be used for several purposes, including the alleviation of pain. It is such a small amount of current that the person receiving the microcurrent has no sensation of it. The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has placed certain requirements upon microcurrent equipment and its use.

  1. Equipment

    • The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must approve the equipment used in microcurrent therapy. Approval of the equipment, by way of a 501K certificate for Class II microcurrent equipment, certifies that the equipment is safe and can be sold to physicians. Manufacturers must obtain approval prior to the sale and marketing of microcurrent devices in the United States. When that approval is obtained, it is cited on websites and in marketing information.

    Intended Use

    • When the FDA approves the sale of microcurrent equipment, that approval is only for the intended use of the equipment--any other use of the equipment is not approved. According to Allevia Health, the intended use of microcurrent is the treatment of pain. Allevia's specific equipment is approved for transmission of a microcurrent to electrodes on a patient's skin for acute, chronic, and post-operative pain. Another use that is being explored, is the treatment of depression by cranial stimulation, as outlined in "onemedsentinel," the online forum for OneMedPlace (OMP), a New York based healthcare research and media company.

    Recipients

    • The FDA restricts who can receive a microcurrent unit, limiting the sale to licensed physicians or professionals licensed to use electrical stimulation as part of their practices. For the average person, the only way to purchase a microcurrent unit is to obtain a prescription from a licensed physician.

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