Frequency Specific Microcurrent (FSM)

In 1946, an Osteopathic Physician named Harry Van Gelder discovered the beneficial health effects of using microcurrent frequencies to heal the body. Gelder utilized a machine which emitted microcurrent frequencies and combined it with other conventional therapies to treat patients successfully. Since then, more advanced FSM machines using two-channel microcurrent frequencies have been developed with even greater healing effects.  

FSM uses low-level electrical currents to treat pain and other health conditions. Frequencies are simultaneously applied using two channels so they intersect or cross in the area to be treated. Both frequencies are accurately placed on the body to reflect the condition being treated and the tissue being affected.

How Does Frequency-Specific Microcurrent Work?

FSM is applied to the body with a device that delivers a mild current. Microcurrent is an extremely mild electrical current (one millionth of an ampere). The human body actually produces its own current within each cell.

In FSM, depending on the tissue involved, specific frequencies are selected to encourage natural healing of the body and to reduce pain. Frequencies have been identified for nearly every type of tissue in the body.

One of the ways FSM works is by potentially increasing the production of the substance ATP in injured tissues. ATP is the major source of energy for all cellular reactions in the body. Because treatment with FSM can increase ATP production by as much as 500% in damaged tissues, this may help with the recovery process. Depending on the condition, treatment with FSM can “loosen” or soften the muscles, which can help relieve pain and/or stiffness.

What Conditions Can Be Treated With FSM?

FSM is most often used to treat pain, especially nerve and muscle pain, inflammation, and scar tissue, from the following conditions:

• Shingles
• Burns
• Kidney stones
• Asthma
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Disc injuries
• Fibromyalgia
• Diabetic neuropathy
• Neuromas (overgrowth and scarring to a nerve after an injury)
• Tendinopathy (inflammation and/or swelling of the tendon)
• Acute (sudden) and chronic (long-term) musculoskeletal injuries
• Acute and chronic neuropathic (nerve) pain
• Chronic fracture and bone pain
• Arthritis
• Torticollis (the head is tilted to one side)
• Disc injuries/discogenic- and facet-based pain
• Viscerally-referred pain
• Concussions
• Headaches
• Plantar fasciitis (pain in the heel and foot)
• Sports injuries
• Wounds

Is Frequency-Specific Microcurrent Painful?

Treatment with FSM is non-invasive and painless. The currents used in FSM are so low that the patient often does not feel them. During FSM treatment, patients may notice certain effects, including warmth and a softening of affected tissues.

How Is Frequency-Specific Microcurrent Applied?

To treat a patient with FSM, the caregiver first sets the frequencies to be used for that particular condition. In many cases, the frequencies are set at two different levels; for example, one microcurrent channel might be set at 10 Hz, and the second at 40 Hz.

The current is most often applied with a moistened towel or with skin patches. It’s very important for the patient to be well hydrated (drink plenty of fluids) before FSM treatment.

How Long Do The Effects of an FSM Treatment Last?

Depending on the condition and the patient’s level of pain, the effects of an FSM treatment for pain can last several days or longer. For acute injuries, lasting pain relief can often be achieved.

    –Cleveland Clinic

 

Integrative and Functional Family Medicine

The Integrative approach to medicine combines conventional and natural alternatives for optimal health management and disease prevention.  

All factors that influence health are taken into consideration when treating the patient, including the mind, body, and spiritual well being of each individual.  Dr. Caskey uses effective natural interventions whenever possible, with the foundation of traditional medicine when needed. The patient and physician work together on finding the right path for a wholesome, healthy, and fulfilling life!

Fitness and Exercise Counseling

Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT)

A Doctor of Osteopathy (DO) is a medical doctor with additional specialized training in osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT).  OMT is hands-on care that involves using the hands to diagnose, treat, and prevent illness or injury. Using OMT, Dr. Caskey will move your muscles and joints using techniques including stretching, gentle pressure and resistance.

OMT can help people of all ages and backgrounds. The treatment can be used to ease pain, promote healing and increase overall mobility. OMT is often used to treat muscle pain. But it can also help patients with a number of other health problems such as:

• Asthma
• Sinus disorders
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Migraines
• Menstrual pain

When appropriate, OMT can complement, and even replace, drugs or surgery. In this way, OMT brings an important dimension to standard medical care.

–The University of Arizona, Center for Integrative Medicine

Medical Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a technique that involves inserting very thin metal needles into the skin at precise points on the body to clear energy channels, with the aim of restoring and maintaining health. The spots of insertion are picked based on a complex network of lines of energy, termed meridians. Meridians are thought to encircle the body like global lines of longitude and latitude.

Acupuncture is a mainstay of traditional Chinese medicine, which has been practiced for thousands of years. The Chinese healing tradition sees the body as a delicate balance of yin and yang. These are two opposing, but inseparable forces. According to traditional Chinese medicine, disease occurs when the forces of yin and yang are out of balance.

Imbalance, it is believed, blocks the flow of qi, a vital energy that regulates spiritual, emotional, mental and physical balance, along meridians. By inserting needles at specific points on the body that connect with these meridians, acupuncture is believed to unblock the flow of qi, restoring health to the body and mind.

Western medicine explains acupuncture’s effects within a different framework. Some Western scientists believe that acupuncture stimulates the central nervous system, signaling the body to release various substances including endorphins, immune system cells, opioids, neurotransmitters, and neurohormones. These may help control pain, change how the body experiences pain, and promote physical and emotional well-being. Some research also indicates that acupuncture influences involuntary central nervous functions, such as blood pressure, blood flow, and body temperature regulation.

What It’s Used For:

Acupuncture is used for a wide variety of ailments, such as:

• Persistent painful conditions including low back pain and pain related to arthritis
• Headaches
• Post operative pain
• Adverse reactions to chemotherapy and radiation therapy
• Addiction
• Hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms

It can be used as a stand alone treatment, or alongside more traditional medical treatments like prescription medication or surgery.

How It’s Done:

During your first appointment, Dr. Caskey is likely to ask you detailed questions about your health, lifestyle, and behaviors. The questions will range far beyond the specific symptoms for which you are seeking treatment. This is in keeping with the holistic nature of traditional Chinese medicine. You will also be asked about any medical conditions you have, which may or may not be related to your current symptoms, and about all medications and other treatments you are currently receiving.

Before the acupuncture treatment begins, you will be asked to lie down. You may lie face down, face up, or on your side, depending on where the needles are to be placed. Alternatively Dr. Caskey may want you to sit in a chair. You may be asked to roll up your sleeves or pant legs, or otherwise adjust your clothing to allow your acupuncturist access to the required body parts.

Dr. Caskey will wipe the spots where needles will be inserted with alcohol or another disinfectant. He will then begin to place the acupuncture needles at various locations on your body. The needles are metallic, solid, and hair-thin. You should feel no or minimal discomfort as the needles are inserted. Most people either feel relaxed or energized when the needles are inserted.

Acupuncture may be used as a stand-alone treatment. But it can also be used in combination with more conventional, Western medical treatments.

   — Harvard Medical School