The Silver Wand 177
ones that worked, separated by a range in between that failed. We tested
various nonsilver electrodes on animals and found that, at the effective
currents, they all produced some electrochemical changes even at the nega-
tive pole. Among other products, they created various highly reactive ions
called free radicals, essential in cellular chemistry but also destructive in
excess. These radicals irritate cells, and, since any continuous irritation
stimulates bone-forming cells to lay down new matrix in self-defense, we
concluded that the higher-current methods worked primarily by such
irritation. Conversely, I believe low-current silver electrodes stimulate
bone formation directly—by dedifferentiating the marrow cells and per-
haps also by stimulating the periosteal cells.
At first, PEMF research suggested that the coils worked by inducing
in the tissues electrical currents that changed the permeability of cell
membranes to calcium. In most nonunions at least a small amount of
fracture callus has appeared, consisting of collagen fibers, but for some\
reason it hasn't entered the next stage, in which apatite crystals form on
the fibers. Work by Pilla and Bassett suggested that the currents in-
duced by the pulsed fields caused the cells of the callus to absorb large
amounts of calcium. Later, when the coils were turned off, they rea-
soned, the cells dumped this calcium outside among the collagen fibers,
and apatite crystals finally formed where they belonged.
Their experiments raised the hope that other wave forms might regu-
late membrane passage of other ions or even control DNA transcription
and protein synthesis. It seemed these field-induced currents might act
as "vocal cords," allowing us to "speak" to the cell nucleus via the mem-
brane, much as sound waves communicate with the brain via the ear.
PEMF does in fact induce currents—of a type never found normally
in the body. Each pulse produces millions of tiny eddy currents briefly
flowing in circles. As the magnetic field expands at the beginning of a
pulse, the currents circle in one direction; as it collapses, they reverse.
However, the latest research has cast doubt on the idea that these cur-
rents affect specific cellular processes. Rather, it seems that artificial
time-varying magnetic fields directly activate the cells by speeding up
their mitotic rate, as discussed in more detail in Chapter 15.
You may ask, "As long as something works, why quibble about
how?" My answer is that understanding how is our best hope for using
the tool right, without causing our patients other problems later. By
sticking our own neologisms into the cell's delicate grammar, we auto-
matically risk garbling it in unforeseen ways.
As of now, we're like blind people crossing a minefield. Accelerated
mitosis is a hallmark of malignancy as well as healing, and long-term