An Introduction
What Microcurrents In The Body Actually Are, What They Do And Why We Need Them
The normal physiological events in all tissues in the body incorporate a component of bioelectric control [1-5]. This is an endogenous electric control and the voltages and resulting currents that flow in the tissues are in the ‘micro' and ‘sub-micro' range [1, 6-8]. It is proposed that in many clinical presentations, the failure or underperformance of this control system makes a significant contribution to the aberrant physiological state of the tissue, or indeed, the resulting pathological process [3, 9, 10]. This is entirely in keeping with the result that would be expected following an equivalent disturbance in the biochemical control system(s).
The basic concept underpinning the use of Microcurrent Therapy as an externally applied (exogenous) energy is that it facilitates the restoration (normalisation) of the deficient or aberrant endogenous bioelectric signals [3, 9]. Put simply, if the internal currents are deficient or missing, their supplementation from outside the body helps the body/tissues to regain a normal (homeostatic) status [11, 12].
It is not suggested that the use of Microcurrent Therapy is the panacea for all illness, pathology or tissue response to injury, nor is it the only way in which these responses can be evoked. It is however an evidenced intervention and one which takes a ‘gentle' approach - enabling the body to respond appropriately. It has sometimes been described as a means to enable ‘normalisation' of the endogenous currents.
Next page: How the body uses microcurrents in relation to injury, repair and pain
