Success with the Alpha-Stim

Published in the Sunday Times, Style magazine:

Meditation made easy

ALPHA-STIM SCS

What is it? It’s a small, easy-to-use, hand-held device with electrodes that clip on to your ear lobes. Most people experience a comfortable tingling as it starts to work. Best of all, you can even use it while watching television or working.

How does it work? A cranial electrotherapy stimulator (CES) that uses tiny electrical currents to stimulate ;alpha-state; brainwave activity.

Who does it suit? Anyone who wants a machine to do it all for them.

Guidelines: some people are more sensitive to the effects than others. If you can only tolerate a low setting, you will need to use it for longer than 20 minutes — up to an hour. Make sure you allow three hours after treatment before going to bed, as increased alertness can interfere with sleep.

Added benefits: CES is excellent for controlling anxiety and can also help depression and insomnia.

Published in the YORKSHIRE POST:

Is it a personal stereo? No fear... this is science’s answer to high anxiety

It is compact, stylish and could be mistaken for a personal stereo, but this little box of tricks plays no music instead it conquers fear. The Alpha-Stim sends a stream of electricity through the brain that
re-tunes neurons wound up by stress and anxiety. In minutes it can take the terror out of
nightmarish job interviews, nail-biting exams or stomach-churning visits to the dentist.
It will also assist someone with a flying phobia to sit back and enjoy the flight, and alleviate depression and insomnia. Officially launched in Britain today, the device is already licensed as a medical treatment by the US Food and Drug Administration. In clinical trials it has produced at least a 25 per cent improvement in up to 80 to 90 per cent of patients suffering from anxiety. The Alpha-Stim is
described as a cranial electrotherapy stimulator Housed in a slim blue and white plastic container
small enough to fit in the hand, it has two electrodes that clip on to the earlobes. There are two settings which will leave it switched on for 20 minutes or an hour. the effects last for between three and eight hours, but are cumulative, so over time it can be used less frequently. Mr. O thought the device
could become a fashionable lifestyle accessory for stress-charged urban living. At first glance it looks just like a personal stereo, he said. You can slip it in your handbag or clip it on to a belt. It¹s not necessarily meant for people with extreme problems, although it will help them too. It¹s for anybody
or everybody who wants to feel less of a stress victim. You can put it on at breakfast every day before going to work, or whenever you need it. the effect is hard to describe you feel sort of light headed and Œcleaner¹. It gives you clarity and makes your thoughts more organised. Mr. O said he used the
Alpha-Stim to overcome claustrophobic panic attacks while traveling on the London Tube.
His wife uses it to overcome fear of flying. The device has been developed from a prototype designed 25 years ago by American neurobiologist Dr. Daniel Kirsch that was the size of a suitcase. At present it is only available by mail order in Britain.

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