Clinical &
Pre-Clinical Data

Effects in chronic pain

Studies assessed the efficacy of a single CNP® treatment as compared to placebo in chronic pain subjects (rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia). One study employed an early prototype of the portable OPERA™ Device, using a single treatment of 30 minute exposure. The results demonstrated statistically significant pain reduction within the treatment groups of both conditions, as compared to baseline.


A second study was a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial, conducted in 2004 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in London, Ontario, designed to assess the efficacy of CNP® in a chronic musculoskeletal pain population. Treatment was applied through use of the device for 40 minutes twice daily in an out-patient setting. For the active group, the device delivered the analgesia pulseform; for the placebo group, no pulseform was delivered. The treatment period lasted for seven days with a four-week follow-up. A Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used to record pain measurements before and after each of the two daily treatments.

Thomas AW et al. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial using a low-frequency magnetic field in the treatment of musculoskeletal
chronic pain.
Pain Res Management 2007: 12 p249-258.

Shupak NM et al. Exposure to a specific-pulsed low-frequency magnetic field: A double-blind placebo-controlled study of effects on pain ratings in rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia patients.
Pain Res Management 2006: 11 p85–90.

Chari SM and Thomas AW. The analgesic efficiency of the complex neuroelectromagnetic pulse (CNP®) as compared to oral opioid analgesia.
XXVIIth URSI (Union of Radio Science International) General Assembly, October 2005, New Delhi, India.

Effect on central nervous system

Studies demonstrated measurable changes in human electroencephalograms (EEG) caused by the CNP® pulseform, showing that CNP® has an effect on the electrical activity of the brain.

Cook CM et al. Resting EEG Is Affected by Exposure to a Pulsed
ELF Magnetic Field.
Bioelectromagnetics 25:196–203 (2004).

Cook CM et al. Resting EEG Effects During Exposure to a Pulsed
ELF Magnetic Field.
Bioelectromagnetics 26:367–376 (2005).

Effects on specific area of the brain

A study was conducted using fMRI to investigate the effect of CNP® on specific areas of the brain. fMRI demonstrated that CNP® has an effect in modulating activity in specific areas of the brain.

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Effects on acute pain sensation in humans

Studies assessed the analgesic effect of the CNP® pulseform on acute pain sensation with a single-dose exposure. Subjects received single treatment exposures of 30 or 40 continuous minutes.


The studies examined the effectiveness of the CNP® pulseform to induce analgesia in acute pain conditions, such as pain induced by hot/cold stimuli. The results demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in pain perception in the active group, as compared to placebo.

Shupak NM et al., Human exposure to a specific-pulsed magnetic field: effects on thermal sensory and pain thresholds.
Neuroscience Letters 363 (2004) 157–162.



Pre-Clinical Studies 

A series of animal studies were performed in order to establish the scientific basis for CNP®. Studies were performed at Lawson Health Research Centre on land snails and rodents, exploring possible mechanisms of action.


The early studies demonstrated that a pulsed electro-magnetic field (PEMF) of low-field strength (100 µT) can modulate the degree of analgesia experienced by the test subject — i.e., reduce or increase endogenous opioid-mediated analgesia, depending on the characteristics of the PEMF waveform.


While the early studies showed that magnetic fields have a non-specific effect on the brain, later work performed by Drs. Thomas, Prato and their scientific team were able to demonstrate in a series of experiments that the CNP® pulseforms demonstrated specific predictable effects on animal models. Several of these studies are listed below.

Thomas AW et al., Pulsed Magnetic Field Induced “Analgesia” in the Land Snail, Cepaea nemoralis, and the Effects of µ, d, and Opioid Receptor Agonists /Antagonists.
Peptides, Vol. 18, No. 5, pp. 703–709, 1997.

Thomas AW et al., Antinociceptive effects of a pulsed magnetic field in the land snail, Cepaea nemoralis.
Neuroscience Letters 222 (1997) 107–110.

Prato FS et al., Light-Dependent and Independent Behavioral Effects of Extremely Low-Frequency Magnetic Fields in a Land Snail Are Consistent With a Parametric Resonance Mechanism.
Bioelectromagnetics 18:284–291 (1997).

Shupak NM et al., Analgesic and behavioral effects of a 100 mT specific-pulsed extremely low-frequency magnetic field on control and morphine-treated CF-1 mice.
Neuroscience Letters 354 (2004) 30–33.

Thomas AW et al., Analgesic Effects of a Specific-Pulsed Magnetic Field in the Land Snail, Cepaea nemoralis: Consequences of Repeated Exposures, Relations to Tolerance and Cross-Tolerance with DPDPE.
Peptides, Vol. 19, No. 2, pp. 333–342, 1998.


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