Medical applications of radio frequency

Medical applications of radio frequency (RF) energy, in the form of electromagnetic waves (radio waves), have been used for over 125 years. These applications now include treatments like hyperthermy for cancer, electrosurgery scalpels used during operations, and radiofrequency ablation. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) also uses radio frequency waves to create images of the human body.

Radio frequencies at lower energy levels are often used in beauty treatments. These can help tighten skin, reduce fat, and support healing.

RF diathermy is a treatment that uses heat from RF energy as a form of physical therapy. It helps relax muscles and warm deeper tissues in the body. In surgeries, the heat from diathermy can remove damaged tissue and close blood vessels to prevent bleeding. This method is useful in neurosurgery and eye surgeries. Diathermy equipment usually works with short-wave radio frequencies or microwave energy.

Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF) is another treatment that may help heal bone tissue. This therapy uses electromagnetic radiation of various frequencies, including radio frequencies, given in short bursts.

History

In the late 1800s, two scientists, a French doctor named Jacques Arsene d'Arsonval and an engineer from Serbia and America named Nikola Tesla, found that special electricity could help heal the body. They learned that certain kinds of electricity could warm the body without hurting it.

By around 1900, doctors started using this electricity to treat many health problems. In the 1920s, they made new machines that used higher frequencies. These were safer and caused fewer burns. Later, doctors found that this electricity could also help cut and close wounds during surgeries, and people still use this tool today.