Benefits and Harms of Cranial Electrical Stimulation
Authors: Jeff Marksberry
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2018)

Letters21 August 2018Benefits and Harms of Cranial Electrical StimulationJeff Marksberry, MD, CCRPJeff Marksberry, MD, CCRPElectromedical Products International, Mineral Wells, Texas (J.M.)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L18-0292 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:I believe that Shekelle and colleagues' (1) search strategy to identify relevant studies and their review itself was biased. Lande and Gragnani's 5-day insomnia study of service members at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center was reported as showing no difference between those who received cranial electric stimulation and the sham group (2). In reality, significant effects were seen with treatment on days 1 and 4 and a trend toward clinical significance was seen on day 5 (P < 0.079). More important, service members slept an average of 43 minutes more per night with cranial electrotherapy stimulation ...References1. Shekelle PG, Cook IA, Miake-Lye IM, Booth MS, Beroes JM, Mak S. Benefits and harms of cranial electrical stimulation for chronic painful conditions, depression, anxiety, and insomnia: a systematic review. Ann Intern Med. 2018;168:414-21. [PMID: 29435567]. doi:10.7326/M17-1970 LinkGoogle Scholar2. Lande RG, Gragnani C. Efficacy of cranial electric stimulation for the treatment of insomnia: a randomized pilot study. Complement Ther Med. 2013;21:8-13. [PMID: 23374200] doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2012.11.007 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. 21 C.F.R. § 860.7 (2017). Google Scholar4. Electromedical Products International. Scientific and Clinical Literature Examination for the Alpha-Stim® M Microcurrent and Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulator. Mineral Wells, TX: Electromedical Products International; 20 October 2016. Accessed at www.alpha-stim.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Alpha-Stim-Clinical-Examination-Report.pdf on 10 July 2018. Google Scholar5. Yennurajalingam S, Kang DH, Hwu WJ, Padhye NS, Masino C, Dibaj SS, et al. Cranial electrotherapy stimulation for the management of depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, and pain in patients with advanced cancer: a preliminary study. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2018;55:198-206. [PMID: 28870799] doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2017.08.027 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Electromedical Products International, Mineral Wells, Texas (J.M.)Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=L18-0292. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoBenefits and Harms of Cranial Electrical Stimulation for Chronic Painful Conditions, Depression, Anxiety, and Insomnia Paul G. Shekelle , Ian A. Cook , Isomi M. Miake-Lye , Marika Suttorp Booth , Jessica M. Beroes , and Selene Mak Benefits and Harms of Cranial Electrical Stimulation Paul G. Shekelle , Ian A. Cook , and Selene Mak Metrics 21 August 2018Volume 169, Issue 4Page: 268-269KeywordsAnxietyCancer treatmentDisclosureDrugsFood and Drug AdministrationInsomniaInstitutional review boardsMagnetic resonance imagingSafetySedatives ePublished: 21 August 2018 Issue Published: 21 August 2018 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2018 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...