Andullation therapy

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Get rid of your chronic pain by vibrations and infrared heat?

Efficacy andullation therapy has been demonstrated in mice
More and more physiotherapists offer andullation therapy to relieve chronic pain. During this treatment you are on a special massage mattress. During 15 to 30 minutes you get a program of varying pulsing vibrations and infrared deep heat. Andullation therapy is used, among other things, in people who suffer from osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, back pain, fibromyalgia, neuropathy and osteoporosis. Andullation therapy is an additional treatment that can only fight the symptoms and helps to reduce the pain.

What exactly is andullation therapy?

Andullation is a biophysical therapy that has been used for more than ten years to relieve chronic pain. The mechanism of action is based on a combination of alternating and pulsing vibrations and infrared depth heat. This heat allows the vibrations to penetrate deeper into tissues. Although you feel the vibrations throughout your body, specific parts of the body can be treated through multiple programs. Depending on your symptoms, the physical therapist can make the effect on your neck, shoulders or back stronger. During the treatment you lie horizontally on a comfortable andullation mattress. A treatment lasts 15 to 30 minutes. Multiple treatments in a short period are needed to relieve the pain complaints in a sustainable way. A number of physiotherapists report on their website that andullation therapy has a good result for 80 percent of the clients.

What is the effect of andullation therapy?

Andullation therapy is based on the five basic biophysical principles. This type of science is all about stimulating the self-recovering ability of the human body. The first principle is to give an ‘energy boost’ to the cells. The vibrations of the mattress generate electric currents that promote the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate). This molecule increases the amount of energy in the cells, which improves overall health.
The second effect of andullation is the creation of positive signals that displace the negative pain signals. The brain picks up these positive signals in order for the pain to decrease. Moreover, andullation therapy stimulates the production of the body’s own painkillers, the endorphins.
Furthermore, the combination of vibrations and infrared heat improves the circulation of the body. As a result, large quantities of nutrients and building materials can be transported to your body cells. An important function of andullation is to initiate lymph flow. This ensures a more stable immune system, because waste products and pathogens can be disposed of more quickly and completely. Finally, andullation therapy is relaxing for body and mind. This gives a wonderful relaxed feeling after a treatment.
How does science think about andullation therapy?
Although andullation therapy has been offered as an additional treatment for chronic pain for about ten years, hardly any scientific research has been done. Skeptics argue that this combination of mechanical vibration and infrared heat has the same effect as a hot bath or a massage.
Professor Pierre Lievens – professor at the Free University of Brussels – performed on the effects of vibrations, infrared and heat on mice research a few years ago. He concludes that with permanent stimulation of the mechanosensors – a mechanism in the body that perceives stimuli – more endorphins are released. This has an inhibitory effect on the transfer of pain stimuli via the nerve pathways. He finds it plausible that the micro-currents generated by andullation can reach the electrically charged antennas at the level of the cell membranes. This stimulates the production of ATP, which improves the metabolism at cell level.
Based on his research, Lievens concludes that andullation is more effective for promoting lymph transport than massage. With less than 6 minutes andullation, he could not find a positive effect on the improvement of blood flow. With longer stimulation he could observe a significant increase in blood circulation.

Andullation: do or don’t do?

The research of the Belgian professor thus only shows the effect of andullation on mice. Whether people can experience the same effect, has never been seriously scientifically examined. The fact is, however, that more and more physical therapists offer andullation therapy. If it had no effect on chronic pain, more and more treatment providers would stop this treatment. Whether andullation can mean anything for your chronic pain is best experienced by yourself. You pay about 100 euros for eight treatments. You can also purchase an andullation mattress yourself. However, these are very expensive.

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