Millimeter waves: acoustic and electromagnetic

Abstract

This article is the presentation I gave at the D'Arsonval Award Ceremony on June 14, 2011 at the Bioelectromagnetics Society Annual Meeting in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It summarizes my research activities in acoustic and electromagnetic millimeter waves over the past 47 years. My earliest research involved acoustic millimeter waves, with a special interest in diagnostic ultrasound imaging and its safety. For the last 21 years my research expanded to include electromagnetic millimeter waves, with a special interest in the mechanisms underlying millimeter wave therapy. Millimeter wave therapy has been widely used in the former Soviet Union with great reported success for many diseases, but is virtually unknown to Western physicians. I and the very capable members of my laboratory were able to demonstrate that the local exposure of skin to low intensity millimeter waves caused the release of endogenous opioids, and the transport of these agents by blood flow to all parts of the body resulted in pain relief and other beneficial effects.

Figure 1

Cover of LIFE magazine showing the fetal head during an ultrasound examination of a pregnant woman.

Figure 2

Thermal thresholds for various fetal developmental abnormalities. Solid lines link the same abnormality occurring at different temperature-duration combinations. Dashed line denotes a boundary on the temperature-duration graph below which no hyperthermia-induced abnormalities have been observed.

Figure 3

Typical application of millimeter wave (MMW) treatment. The MMW device is brought in contact with the lower end of the sternum and the MMWs are applied for 20 min. The patient perceives no pain or temperature elevation.

Figure 4

Diagram of human skin. The skin is divided into three major layers: epidermis (E), dermis (D), and subcutaneous fat. The outermost layer of the epidermis is the stratum corneum (SC). Also shown are hair follicles, sweat glands, nerves, and blood vessels.