ΠΑΠΙΜΙ        DEMYSTIFICATION OF THE MYSTIC DEVICES

Keywords: Electroporation, Faraday cage, AM, RF, CW, PM, FM.

Nature usually proves to be more simple than suspected, no matter how well it hides most of its secrets, if one can see "far and near" enough. Established knowledge aims as a general practice to retain its limitations, and tries to prevent any new entrance in its premises for the fear of altering its status. Scientific integrity and discipline dictate making public scientific knowledge and its underlying simplicity, in an attempt to prevent scientific prejudice and confusion, advancing truth and benefit to science and society.

There is a thrill in the alternative medicine for a number of miraculous devices which have received a tremendous opposition by the medical society. In six years of research, personally, I came to know one by one all of these devices. Incredible scenarios have been played around these devices. Ignorance of both sides, inventors and established science dominated in a tremendous conflict in the name of public interest and health. Relevant literature one can find in numerous related publications.

One should not be misled that each described device below is a masterpiece of a possible high technology, but each device constitutes an effort under usually difficult circumstances towards a guess in an inventor's mind. Neither the information provided here may be considered sufficient to provide such enough technology to produce or reproduce these efforts. A principle may raise a physical theory. However, a theory is not sufficient to provide applications. Applications require a technology. Technology is an art that one may combine various parameters of the physical theory. Efficiency, safety, stability, durability, and reproducibility may vary upon the choice of these parameters. A choice of these parameters may not be easy or may not be known. An optimum choice is the choice of a high technology and of mastering the principles of the technology. It is usually the product of many years effort and work of talented inventors and scientists. Some technical or physics knowledge and understanding is assumed for reading the following.

Definitions of technical terms: Characteristics of a radio wave or electrical oscillation are: Frequency and Amplitude. Frequency: Is the number of changes of polarity of a radio wave or electrical oscillation. It is measured in Hz, KHz (1,000Hz), MHz (1,000,000Hz), GHz (1,000,000,000Hz). Audio Frequency (AF) is a frequency less 20 KHz, Radio Frequency (RF) is a frequency bigger than 100 KHz Amplitude: Is the energy carried by a wave or the energy of one oscillation. Continuous Wave (CW): Is a wave with constant amplitude. Damping Wave (DW): Is a wave with amplitude decaying over a period of time. The ring of bell after receiving a force impulse produces a damping sound. Similarly, an electrical oscillator after receiving an electrical impulse produces a damping oscillation. DW may be considered as strongly and abruptly modulated CW. (see below modulation) Modulation (Amplitude) (AM): Is a modification of the amplitude of a wave or oscillation. Telecommunications, radio and television are examples of the art of modulating radio waves and broadcasting them. It is a method loading information on a plane wave or CW. Modulation is apparently a major feature in the Electrotherapeutic devices below. However, it should be remembered modulation is not a simple task. There are an infinite number of ways of modulating a CW. Every picture, every sound or any information transmitted by a radio wave is due to a different modulation process carried over time on a CW. There are another two different types of modulating radio waves: by frequency, frequency modulation (FM); and by phase, phase modulation, (PM). Modulation below refers only to AM. Pulse: May be considered as a severe or abrupt modulation of a radio wave or oscillation that the amplitude jumps from zero energy to maximum energy. Producing a pulse is not an easy task, as jumping from zero to a certain value of energy always takes (long) time. This transition time is very critical and characteristic of the quality of a pulse. The faster the jump, the higher the required dissipating power to cause it. Impulse: Is a very short and strong pulse.

Electroporation: is a newly discovered phenomenon concerning the cell and its membrane. It is defined as a non-thermal biochemical mild phenomenon known to affect the porosity of the cell membrane, when the cell is exposed to electrical pulses between 1,000V/cm to 10,000V/cm. The most prominent manifestation of Electroporation is the formation of pores on the cell membrane, like craters formed from inside out. It is reasonable to assume that the phenomenon of Electroporation is not only manifested by the formation of pores on the cell membrane, but these pores is the result of increased cellular activity and excess flow of materials through the membrane. At lower values of the pulsating electric field it is anticipated that increased cellular activity is not reaching the threshold of creating significant pores. Low energy pulses should stimulate cellular activity without forming pores at values less 1,000V/cm. On the other hand, at higher values of the pulsating electric field, higher than 1,000V/cm, weak membrane cells or organisms may burst apart. It is important to note that Electroporation is not produced with CW fields or static fields, but only with pulsating electric fields appropriately administered. Administration of an electric field deep into a tissue, constitutes another technical problem as conductive surface or skin acts as a preventive Faraday cage (a phenomenon known as the skin effect) absorbing most of the time varying fields as the electric pulses are. Electroporation is performed in biological labs by commercially available Electroporators (Pulsed and RF Pulsed see Electroporators below) in vitro, i.e., to cells kept in small test tubes or in appropriate small containers. Most of the assumed "miraculous" devices listed below seem technically to be associated with Electrical Pulses, AM Modulation of RF, and Electroporation. In vivo means: Inside substances that are part of a living entity. In vitro means: Inside isolated substances kept in a container usually from glass.