New Study Shows that TMS Magnet Therapy Eases Depression Symptoms within a Week
By Marc Lallanilla
Published Nov. 21, 2023, 1:13 p.m. ET
Using magnets to treat depression might sound like a wild sci-fi experiment, but it’s actually a proven therapy that works. The treatment, known as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), has been extensively researched and is FDA-approved. TMS is a noninvasive therapy that delivers magnetic pulses to stimulate nerve cells in the part of the brain associated with mood control and depression. A recent study from UCLA Health has found that a specific type of TMS is effective in patients with major depression, even in cases where multiple courses of antidepressant drugs have failed. The therapy, called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), works quickly and can alleviate depression symptoms within just a few days.
Dr. Michael Leuchter of the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior expressed excitement about the rapid improvements seen in patients within a week of starting rTMS treatment. The best part is that some insurance plans will cover the procedure, providing hope for patients with treatment-resistant depression.
TMS is a therapy that uses a magnetic coil or paddle to create powerful magnetic fields that can modify the electrical activity in the brain. It’s a non-invasive procedure that doesn’t involve surgery, injections, or anesthesia. Although it’s not entirely clear to medical researchers how TMS works, it’s believed to stimulate regions of the brain associated with decreased activity during depression. TMS has also been approved for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and migraines, and for smoking cessation.
In a 2016 article from The Post, a patient named Michele Pagano shared how overwhelming it was to laugh for the first time in months after receiving TMS treatment for depression. She described the procedure as life-changing and stated that it helped her reprogram herself after years of living with depression, anxiety, and sadness.
For the recent study, researchers at the UCLA Semel Institute reviewed the results of hundreds of patients treated at UCLA Health with rTMS therapy. Most patients received 20- to 30-minute treatment sessions five days per week for six to eight weeks. The study found that over half of the patients experienced at least a 50% improvement in depression symptoms from rTMS therapy.
The approach at UCLA involves precision TMS, where patients see a psychiatrist at every treatment session and symptoms are measured weekly. Early improvements reported within five or 10 treatments predicted how well a patient responded throughout their course of treatment, providing helpful insights for doctors to tailor treatment for each patient.
To read the full article, visit https://nypost.com/2023/11/21/lifestyle/depression-symptoms-eased-within-a-week-using-tms-magnet-therapy-new-study/?utm_source=url_sitebuttons&utm_medium=site%20buttons&utm_campaign=site%20buttons
