STYLED BY GRACE WRIGHT. PHOTOGRAPH BY STEPHANIE SIAN SMITH. HAIR BY PATRICK WILSON AT CAREN. MAKE-UP BY AMANDA BOWEN. ANGELA SCANLON WEARS: SWEATER, GANNI AT MATCHESFASHION.COM
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THERAPY CHAT
Want to understand why you think and act
the way you do? Step inside podcaster and
psychotherapist Laura Reagan’s ‘office’ as
she interviews guests on topics such as art
therapy, mindfulness and self-compassion.BUY
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The only thing that brings my skin back to
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CACAO + COLLAGEN
Mix this blend by Ancient + Brave (£22;
ancientandbrave.earth) with hot water or plant-
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it’s the only reason to down chocolate every day.ANGELA SCANLON’SFAD HABITS
Thismonth, our columnist tries electromagnetic
therapy in an effort to rejuvenate a tired body and mindHere’s where I’m at. I’ve been running on empty for quite
a while – overworked, not enough sleep, the best of intentions
to do yoga and give up sugar, but surviving on coffee and
Skittles. I’ve found myself sleeping restlessly and waking
exhausted.Anyway, I’ve been longing for years to be able to
plugmyself in and charge up like the devices that sap my own
energy. Simple. Measured. Quick. Impossible. Or so I thought.
Enter PEMF, otherwise known as Pulsed Electromagnetic
Field. Sounds like something Louis Theroux might have
investigatedback in the good old days, but no. It’s been actively
researched for over 50 years, and started to become popular
for home use in the early noughties. The suggestion is that
when you pass electricity through metal coils, you produce an
electromagnetic field, and magnetic fields affect all living cells.
Add a computer program and you’ve got a machine that allows
you to adjust the effects through frequency and intensity (ramp
itup for a big meeting, dial it back down for bedtime; you can
evenchange the times to beat jet lag). In a nutshell, you plug
yourself in (while lying on a ‘life mat’) and charge yourself up.
Here’s the science bit. Most at-home PEMF devices use low
frequencies, like the ones found in the earth’s magnetic field.
Surely then, we can just ‘plug’ ourselves into the ground and
accessthat energy for nothing? In theory, yes, but the problem
isthat modern buildings block our exposure. At the same time,
we’re surrounded by man-made electromagnetic fields with
frequencies that are millions to billions of times greater and,
as a result, pretty toxic. Throw in chemical pollution and our
poor cells are under a lot of stress. As we age, these cells get
more stressed, and disease, chronic pain and the rest start to
creepin. Research on the biological benefits of PEMF therapy
suggestsit can help with age-related issues, which is great news
if you fancy being bulletproof well into your golden years.If you’ve ever experienced fatigue, sleep loss, stress, anxiety,
pain or dealt with a recurring injury, then PEMF therapy might
just be worth a shot. A whole-body system will
re-energise the membranes of all 70 trillion cells in the body
through changes in their electrical potential. And the effects
from a ten-minute session will last for at least several hours.
Since my treatment, I’ve been sleeping like a baby (and
I haven’t slept like a baby since I had one). My energy is better
and my mood has improved, although it’s hard to say if that’s
related to sleep, sun or upcoming holidays.
A word of warning: I cranked that bad boy up to the
maximumintensity, 400 (on an average day, the recommended
is 150) the day before I went on live TV, and let’s just say I looked
morewired than charged!
Life Mat (lifemat.co.uk) specialises in the Swiss-made iMRS/
iMRS2000and Omnium1 systems, costing £2,520-£3,890. Owner
Paul Lowe has been a PEMF therapist for ten years.WORKING FOR ME