Radionics[1]—also called electromagnetic therapy (EMT) and the Abrams method—is a form of alternative medicine that claims that disease can be diagnosed and treated by applying electromagnetic radiation (EMR), such as radio waves, to the body from an electrically powered device.[2] It is similar to magnet therapy, which also applies EMR to the body but uses a magnet that generates a static electromagnetic field.[2][3]
The concept behind radionics originated with two books published by American physician Albert Abrams in 1909 and 1910.[4] Over the next decade, Abrams became a millionaire by leasing EMT machines, which he designed himself.[2] This so-called treatment contradicts the principles of physics and biology and therefore is widely considered pseudoscientific.[5] The United States Food and Drug Administration does not recognize any legitimate medical use for radionic devices.[2][5][6]
Several systematic reviews have shown radionics is no more effective than placebo and falls into the category of pseudoscience.[7]
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- ^ "Radionic", Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. (1989), Vol. XIII, p. 105. The earliest citation in this sense (number 2) is from 1947. The related term "radiesthesia" dates from the mid-1930s (OED, Vol. XIII, p. 94), thus both terms post-date Abrams' death.
- ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference
ACSwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Gordon, G. A. (2007). "Designed electromagnetic pulsed therapy: Clinical applications". Journal of Cellular Physiology. 212 (3): 579–82. doi:10.1002/jcp.21025. PMID 17577213.
- ^ Spinal Therapeutics (1909) and Spondylotherapy (1910). Abrams more definitively launched his pseudoscience, which he called "Electronic Reactions of Abrams", or "ERA", when he published New Concepts in Diagnosis and Treatment in 1916.
- ^ a b Helwig, David (December 2004). "Radionics". In Longe, Jacqueline L. (ed.). The Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine. Gale Cengage. ISBN 978-0-7876-7424-3. Archived from the original on 2012-07-05. Retrieved 2008-02-07.
- ^ Fishbein, Morris, The New Medical Follies (1927) Boni and Liverlight, New York, pp. 39–41.
- ^ Basford, J. R. (September 2001). "A historical perspective of the popular use of electric and magnetic therapy". Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 82 (9): 1261–1269. doi:10.1053/apmr.2001.25905. PMID 11552201.
