In 2006 the Foundation for Alternative and Integrative Medicine (FAIM) staff conducted a randomized pilot study to evaluate the effect of standard drug therapy plus electromagnetic (EM) therapy on symptoms and function in patients with advanced congestive heart disease.

The study was conducted at the Instituto Nacional del Corazon (National Heart Institute) in Lima, Peru. FAIM has obtained approval from the Instituto Nacional de Salud (Peruvian National Institute of Health) to conduct a second pilot followed by a larger, prospective Phase II trial evaluating EM therapy with 82 patients.

Objective

Congestive heart failure is a major contributor to mortality and elevated health care costs. Electromagnetic therapy has shown great promise in reversing this disease and returning patients to an improved quality of life. The ultimate goal is to combine electromagnetic therapy with herbal treatments to synergize the effectiveness of the protocol.

Research design

The Phase II trial will be a double blind randomized sham controlled study to evaluate the efficacy of the electromagnetic therapy in Stage 2 and Stage 3 congestive heart failure patients.