How soothing electric currents rejuvenate skin & restore youthfulness

Is Biology a bioelectric battery?

The more we learn about the physiological mechanisms of growth, healing, signaling,  and reproduction, the more a key principle is revealed to be ubiquitous - the Electricity flowing through the living organism. It has been proven time & time again that proper electrical voltage is a requirement for proper cellular function and a drop in cellular voltage underlies a vast majority of degenerative disease [Becker]. Much like our phone battery entering low-power mode to delay ‘dying’, our cellular biology enters ‘low-power mode’ to delay death. Often in our industrialized civilization, this ‘low-power mode’ of our cells becomes chronic, our body always feeling starved of the proper energy to accomplish all we wish or to heal bodily damage. To acknowledge this bioelectrical reality also gives us a superpower to unlock youthfulness.

But before we dive deep into a discussion on healing our biology by boosting our bioelectricity, let’s first gain a scientifically-accurate mental model for electrical systems.

Electricity as a Fluid Analogy

If we draw an analogy to electricity as a fluid, the core terms we will use in our discussion will gain a simple, real-world grounding. Imagine a circular pipe with water flowing through it at a specific speed. The water flowing through the pipe is the electrical energy, the pressure within the pipe is the voltage, and the pipe itself is the electrical wires. The speed of the fluid flowing is the current, a term that is consistent for both water currents and electrical energy currents. Thus, we can imagine an electrical system as a hydraulic system, or a water-dynamic system. Armed with this analogy,

Now, if we consider our Biological Body as a system of circulatory pathways, we can apply this analogy to help understand our electrical system. When we view a human body, we see a non-moving, static being covered in skin. It does not appear like there is much motion or circulation present. However, if we imagine for a moment we could see through the skin and observe the electricity coursing through the body, we would now be viewing something entirely different. Where a moment ago was a still organism, we now see a gushing circuit of electrical charge, speeding up down and around the body at the speed of light. Rather than a non-moving body of flesh, we can envision our body as this streaming network of lightning, every nervous fiber alight with surging bioelectricity.

Youthfulness & Bioelectricity

As our body ages, the overall voltage of our cells decreases in turn. It is like we are one big battery, made of a trillion tiny cellular batteries, each cell holding an electrical charge. As we age, these cellular batteries begin leaking current and our electrical wiring (nerves) begin to ‘rust’ (oxidize). The entire electrical system begins to falter and we experience an all-too-well-known experience: ‘I don’t have the energy for that anymore’. Our language embeds this truth, as we age, our electrical energy declines, and our body’s physical health declines with it. To make matters worse, our industrialized environment is brimming with hidden toxins, from air pollution to water contaminants to food ingredients to damaging radiation and many more. Beyond the other damages excess toxin exposure causes, reducing our electrical charge is a key outcome that is often overlooked entirely by the material paradigm medical establishment. And so, our batteries weaken, lose capacity, lose charge, and the effects of aging are ever accelerated. It is like we are living on chronic ‘low-power mode’ where our organism is suppressing functions, slowing processing power, and dimming the brightness, all to keep the full system alive.

Although this may sound dark, there is a wonderful light at the end of this tunnel! While a toxin-laden environment decreases our electrical charge, we can use mindful technology to give our cells back that leaking energy. While there are many names for directly charging our cells with proper doses of electrical energy, we will use the term Microcurrents.

Defined clinically: Microcurrent is a non-invasive and safe electrotherapy applied through a series of subsensory electrical currents (less than 1 mA), which are of a similar magnitude to the currents generated endogenously by the human body. [Naclerio]

With several decades of clinical science to guide us, we can say confidently that the application of microcurrents has been proven safe & effective for a wide variety of human & animal conditions. In simplest form, we place a device upon the skin that transfers electrical charge to the cell, as simple as plugging in our cell-phone to increase the battery. Cells with plenty of charge are able to heal damage, reproduce, transfer nutrients, and so much more! Today, humans all over the world are finding meaningful results from microcurrent interventions, from pain relief to skin rejuvenation.

Let’s now turn to a wonderful paper published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology titled to gain a deeper understanding of the bio-mechanics at play. 

Electrical Microcurrent Study of the Week

Physiological effects of microcurrent and its application for maximising acute responses and chronic adaptations to exercise[Read Here]‍

At a glance: 

• Clinical Review | Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, London, UK
• Safety: “MCT is a safe modality with very few documented side effects. A recent meta-analysis on the use of MCT to reduce musculoskeletal pain concluded that there is no severe adverse effect of microcurrent application in humans”
• Published in journal:  European Journal of Applied Physiology

Abstract

Microcurrent is a non-invasive and safe electrotherapy applied through a series of sub-sensory electrical currents (less than 1 mA), which are of a similar magnitude to the currents generated endogenously by the human body. This review focuses on examining the physiological mechanisms mediating the effects of microcurrent when combined with different exercise modalities (e.g. endurance and strength) in healthy physically active individuals. The reviewed literature suggests the following candidate mechanisms could be involved in enhancing the effects of exercise when combined with microcurrent: (i) increased adenosine triphosphate resynthesis, (ii) maintenance of intercellular calcium homeostasis that in turn optimises exercise-induced structural and morphological adaptations, (iii) eliciting a hormone-like effect, which increases catecholamine secretion that in turn enhances exercise-induced lipolysis and (iv) enhanced muscle protein synthesis. In healthy individuals, despite a lack of standardisation on how microcurrent is combined with exercise (e.g. whether the microcurrent is pulsed or continuous), there is evidence concerning its effects in promoting body fat reduction, skeletal muscle remodelling and growth as well as attenuating delayed-onset muscle soreness. The greatest hindrance to understanding the combined effects of microcurrent and exercise is the variability of the implemented protocols, which adds further challenges to identifying the mechanisms, optimal patterns of current(s) and methodology of application. Future studies should standardise microcurrent protocols by accurately describing the used current [e.g. intensity (μA), frequency (Hz), application time (minutes) and treatment duration (e.g. weeks)] for specific exercise outcomes, e.g. strength and power, endurance, and gaining muscle mass or reducing body fat.

Blog Discussion

This clinical review is packed with data on microcurrents for human use, ranging from skin effects to pain relief to exercise recovery and beyond. A deep analysis of cellular mechanisms is made available, laying out clearly the pathways of function to the highest degree of details I have seen.

To note, the history of Microcurrents is not a new science, but instead a rediscovery of older practices, now made easier with seamless technology. “Microcurrent therapy has been used in a clinical setting for many years, and its origin dates back a few centuries ago when electrostatically charged leaf was used to treat skin conditions such as skin lesions and skin ulcers (Belanger 2015). Some of the first published peer-reviewed articles reported positive effects of MCT to treat varicose and skin ulcers in humans (Assimacopoulos 1968; Wolcott et al. 1969).” 

While the technology in microcurrents has come quite far from the use of a charged leaf, the underlying facts of use remain embedded primarily in our biology. When we deliver a proper dose of microcurrent to the cell, ATP is boosted, voltage is boosted, the growth of tissue is boosted, and many more positive effects are observed. While we can hold discussions on the extreme granular level of detail, it is best to zoom back out and discuss the human body as a holistic system. Our full Human Body System behaves as a battery, storing electrical charge and using it in most all cellular functions. A healthy & charged biological-battery means a healthy & charged being. So wherever we find ourselves, whether in the middle of a concrete city or at a farm in the countryside, let us remember to tend to our electrical health. From one bioelectric being to another, improving your voltage may be just the thing you are seeking.

Interested in exploring how Microcurrent can boost your devices?

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