Social Impediment to Neuromodulation

Neuromodulation is a new modality of medical treatment (more in healthcare tab of website). It predominantly relies on the delivery of controlled amounts of electricity into the body. We need a new conceptual model of the interaction between electricity and the body for this new treatment modality to become more socially accepted and widespread.

Social impediment to the adoption of neurmodulation therapy is seen in the numbers for depression. Depression is treated with a first and then a second drug if the first fails. Drugs that cause several debilitating side effects. If the second drug also fails, the patient is presented with the option of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) or a third drug. Although ECT has been shown to be several times more effective than trying a third drug, most patients go on to try a third, fourth, fifth, and even sixth drug. The idea of electricity coursing through your body with – unvalidated – images of violent spasms is not reassuring.

In another more personal example, I recently got my mother the Tivic device which delivers mild electrical simulation around the eyes for the treatment of pain from sinusitis. The user is able to self select the stimulation level. I did not provide any additional instructions on the usage of the device. My mother would use a low level of stimulation, feeling that a tingling sensation at the higher level indicated the negative consequences of a side effect. When in fact the tingling sensation indicated proper engagement of the underlying nerves.

As a field, we cannot rely on out-of-this-world clinical efficacy results (rare in the field of medicine) to pull the field of neuromodulation into social acceptance. We need something more.