THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MICROWAVE DIATHERMY THERAPY AS A HYPERTHERMIC AGENT UPON VASCULARIZED AND AVASCULAR TISSUE
Alfred W. Richardson · 1955
Early research showed microwave energy affects blood-rich and blood-poor tissues differently, establishing principles still relevant for modern wireless device safety.
Plain English Summary
This 1955 study examined how microwave diathermy therapy heats different types of tissue, comparing tissues with blood flow to those without. Richardson investigated the effectiveness of microwaves as a heating agent for medical therapy applications. The research provided early insights into how microwave energy interacts differently with vascular and avascular tissues.
Why This Matters
This research represents some of the earliest scientific investigation into how microwave energy affects living tissue, dating back to 1955 when medical diathermy was becoming established. What makes this study particularly relevant today is that it examined the fundamental differences in how tissues with and without blood circulation respond to microwave heating. The science demonstrates that blood flow significantly affects how tissue absorbs and dissipates microwave energy. This has direct implications for understanding modern EMF exposure, since our bodies contain both highly vascularized organs like the brain and less vascularized tissues like cartilage and bone. The reality is that this foundational research helped establish principles we still use today to understand how microwave radiation from cell phones, WiFi, and other wireless devices interacts with different parts of our bodies.
Finding
These studies revealed that microwave therapy can increase the rate of volume blood flow through peripheral skeletal muscle.
In their words
“These studies revealed that microwave therapy can increase the rate of volume blood flow through peripheral skeletal muscle.”
Figures from the Original Paper
Diagrams extracted from the original research document.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. Duration: 10 minutes
Study Details
To investigate the effectiveness of microwave diathermy therapy as a hyperthermic agent upon vascularized and avascular tissue, specifically examining blood flow increases and temperature effects in peripheral regions.
In vivo studies utilized 12 mongrel dogs, 9 to 18 kilograms, anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium,...
Microwaves effectively increased blood circulation in the vascularized periphery. Blood flow increas...
Microwave diathermy therapy is effective to produce an increased rate of volume blood flow in the periphery both at the depth of subcutaneous tissue and in the underlying muscles. A hyperthermic threshold of 43°C. was required to initiate a significant blood flow increase. Since blood flow acceleration aids in the control of hyperthermia, avascular sites in the body may require some precautionary procedure for their protection. Certain precautions have been delineated for protecting avascular areas from excessive heating.
Show BibTeX
@article{the_effectiveness_of_microwave_diathermy_therapy_as_a_hyperthermic_agent_upon_va_g4802,
author = {Alfred W. Richardson},
title = {THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MICROWAVE DIATHERMY THERAPY AS A HYPERTHERMIC AGENT UPON VASCULARIZED AND AVASCULAR TISSUE},
year = {1955},
}