- DOSAGE: Brown and Gerbarg state that CES treatments usually last 20 to 30 minutes, once
or twice a day depending on the severity of the underlying condition. “The advantages of
[CES] are that it is very safe, even for young children, when used in the correct doses. It can
be used to improve response to medications [adjunctive use], to reduce the dose of
medications, and sometimes to eliminate medications.”^31 The manufacturer of the Fisher-
Wallace device advises a dose of 2 mA for 20 minutes, and recent studies have used that
dose, but Mischoulon calls for further study to establish the appropriate dose. In its 2012
review, the FDA took issue with the lack of additional precisions about the amount of CES to
be administered in the absence of studies showing the differential effects: “...there has been
no systematic attempt to determine the set of stimulation characteristics that are necessary
for effectiveness. As the literature reviews have shown, there is little consensus about any of
the characteristics. Electrode placement is also variable.”^32 - CONCLUSIONS: Unlike most of the other CAM treatments included in this outline, the use
of CES in the treatment of psychological conditions is not yet supported by multiple
double-blind, placebo-controlled sources, and there is controversy about how to mask
sham treatment. However, the low incidence of side effects, the FDA’s 2014 decision, the
clinical experience of Brown and Gerbarg, and the promising findings in some available
studies counsel responsible consumer use as more data are being developed. - RESEARCH: Long-term outcomes -- benefits and liabilities from continuing electrical field
treatment and comparative assessment with other treatments -- require further
investigation, as do the systematic tracking, reporting and quantification of adverse effects.
Research on the use of CES in children and during pregnancy, studies of different devices and
dosages, and larger, double-blind studies of treatment efficacy would be particularly helpful.
sharon
(sharon)
#1