DOES IT WORK IRL?
We trial a magnetic therapy treatment for chronic pain relief
When you talk about pain relief to most people, their minds will go to the usual suspects – paracetamol, ibuprofen, aspirin – where popping a pill can take the edge off or quash symptoms entirely. For me, it’s not that easy. I have fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition thought to be caused by abnormal levels of brain chemicals that affect the way the nervous system processes and carries pain messages. Symptoms include increased sensitivity to pain, extreme fatigue, stiff muscles, insomnia and IBS. I also suffer from hypermobility EDS (a type of Ehlers-danlos syndrome), which means my joints are loose and have a greater range of movement than normal, often leading to joint pain. Suffice to say, pain is part of my everyday life.
Enter Seqex: a treatment that uses magnetic therapy to treat medical issues. Initially, the science sounded kind of wacky to me; Anna Silsby, a nurse at Waterhouse Young Clinic (waterhouseyoung.com) explained during our initial telephone consultation that it involves administering waves of pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF). This helps the body re-establish its optimum frequency, in line with the earth’s natural EMF cycle, aiding cells in absorbing ‘good’ ions – calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium and some amino acids – and expelling toxic waste materials. Essentially, the treatment recalibrates the body at a cellular level to normalise its functions and achieve ideal health – in terms of pain, it helps to reduce inflammation, improve circulation and alleviate chronic aches.
The clinic usually recommends a course of 12 sessions; I ended up having six over a three-week period, with each lasting 36 minutes and costing £150. It isn’t the cheapest treatment out there, and travelling to London for the sessions could be prohibitive for many; there was no way I could make the trip daily or on a longer-term basis.
Over the phone, Silsby asked about my conditions and symptoms, and explained that all I’d need to do was lie on the Seqex mat and she would set an electromagnetic programme on the machine. There was no discomfort and no heat or vibration given off during the sessions, but I felt butterfly-type flutterings in my stomach and arms. The 36 minutes always passed so quickly, and after the first session,
I felt so shattered I could barely speak to my fiancé as he drove me home. But from the second treatment, something shifted. I risked travelling into London from my home in Surrey on the train – a journey that would usually wipe me out for at least a day and trigger serious aching – and I noticed such a difference in my energy levels. Daytime naps, which I realise sound dreamy, are usually a frustrating necessity, but even after I got home from the train station after the 90-minute round trip, I couldn’t nap.
As for the promise of pain relief, at the time of trying Seqex, I had a finger joint that was swollen and permanently throbbing. I would have had it checked by my GP, but held off to see if the Seqex treatment had any effect. By the end of session three, the swelling was gone and I had full joint movement back. I also noticed a significant improvement in pain around my jaw and the regular headaches I struggle with. By the end of the six sessions, my partner and I were referring to Seqex as ‘the magical mat’. The positive effects lasted a good few weeks and I was so impressed that I ended up ordering an at-home Seqex FAM mat. As part of a holistic plan that involves good sleep hygiene and targeted nutrition, I’ve since come off my pain medication and am sleeping so much better at night.