Apparatus and method for treatment with magnetic fields

• US 20080146865A1
• Filed: 02/22/2008
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Axel Muttermann
• Original Assignee: Axel Muttermann
• Inventors: Muntermann, Axel
• Granted Patent: US 8,313,421 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/15
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2/02 using magnetic fields produced by coils, including single turn loops or electromagnets A61N2/12 takes precedence

Abstract

A device for treatment with magnetic fields is provided, which provides an easily transportable and storable device for the treatment with magnetic fields, which is also convenient for patients and in particular is economical to produce. The device comprises: a first device for generation of a first magnetic field, a second device for generation of a second magnetic field and a support with an upper side and a lower side, whereby the support is embodied for applying the treated body regions of the patient thereto.

Claims

1. An apparatus for the treatment of animals with magnetic fields, comprising:

a first device for production of a first magnetic field,

a second device for production of a second magnetic field, wherein the first device and the second device form an arrangement for production of nuclear magnetic resonance, and

a mount, with an upper face and a lower face, the mount being designed to be placed on body areas of an animal to be treated.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in a treatment area above the upper face of the mount, the first magnetic field is disposed at an acute angle with respect to the upper face or the second magnetic field is disposed at an obtuse angle with respect to the upper face.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein elements or compounds that are contained in the body areas to be treated have at least one spin resonance frequency in the first magnetic field, and wherein the second magnetic field oscillates, at least at times, at a frequency that corresponds to the spin resonance frequency.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second device comprises a toroidal coil having a coil axis that is disposed essentially at right angles to a surface of the mount.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mount comprises a filling in which the first or second device is embedded.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a cushioned casing with an opening, which can be closed, for introduction or removal of the first or second device.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mount is subdivided into a plurality of sections, and the mount can be folded between the plurality of sections.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mount is chosen from the group consisting essentially of a mat, a treatment couch, a treatment stool, a multi-winged arrangement that can be placed around a body part of a patient, leggings, a cover, and any combinations thereof.

9. An apparatus for therapeutic treatment of animals with magnetic fields, comprising:

a treatment area wherein tissue of at least one body area of the animal to be treated can be disposed,

a first device for production of a first magnetic field in the treatment area,

a second device for production of a second magnetic field that is superimposed on the first magnetic field to form a treatment field in the treatment area, wherein elements or compounds that are contained in the tissue have at least one spin resonance frequency in the treatment field, and the second magnetic field comprising a magnetic alternating field which, at least at times, is at a frequency that corresponds to the spin resonance frequency, and

a control device for controlling at least one of the first and second devices, wherein the control device can vary the treatment field with time, and wherein the alignment of the spins can be varied by the variation of the treatment field with time, or a macroscopic magnetization that is produced by the spins can be varied in such a way as to simulate movement in the earth'"'"'s magnetic field of the at least one body area that is disposed in the treatment area.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first magnetic field has a strength in the treatment area of 0.5 gauss to 500 gauss.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the second magnetic field is at a frequency in the treatment area of 1 kHz to 1 MHz.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first magnetic field is amplitude-modulated and a period duration of the amplitude modulation is matched to a spin lattice relaxation time of the tissue to be treated.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the period duration of the variation in the first magnetic field is 1 ms to 10 s.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first device comprises a third device with a fixed magnet for production of a static third magnetic field and a fourth device for production of a fourth magnetic field that varies with time, wherein the first magnetic field comprises a superimposition of the third and fourth magnetic fields.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the fixed magnet comprises a ferrite magnet or the fourth device comprises a coil.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the third and fourth magnetic fields run essentially parallel, or parallel in opposite directions, in the treatment area.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the third magnetic field has a strength in the treatment area of 0.5 gauss to 500 gauss.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the fourth magnetic field can be varied in the treatment area from 0 gauss to ±

5 gauss.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, comprising a controller for variation of the frequency of the second magnetic field between 1 kHz and 1 MHz.

20. A method for therapeutic treatment of animals, comprising:

placing tissue of at least one body area of the animal to be treated in a treatment area,

producing and superimposing a first magnetic field and a second magnetic field in the treatment area to form a treatment field, wherein elements or compounds which are contained in the tissue in the treatment field have at least one spin resonance frequency, wherein the second magnetic field comprises a magnetic alternating field which, at least at times, is at a frequency that corresponds to the spin resonance frequency, wherein the treatment field can be varied with time by variation of at least one of the two first and second magnetic fields, and wherein the alignment of the spins is varied by variation of the treatment field with time.