Doctors want health fiends to stop mainlining electricity into their BRAINS
Experts publish open letter warning against dangerous DIY electroshock therapy
Doctors have written an open letter urging people to stop sending electrical currents into their own BRAIN in a misguided attempt to boost their health.
A total of 39 researchers have put their name to a piece of research about the dangers of "transcranial direct current stimulation" (TDCS), which involves sending electric shocks into their grey matter.
Health fiends place electrodes on certain parts of the scalp before switching on the current in the belief that it will provoke various states of emotion.
Advocates believe shocking themselves can boost creativity, aid relaxation or ramp up concentration.
But doctors don't know what the long term effect of this bizarre treatment might be.
They decided to speak out because previous studies have claimed DIY shock therapy can alleviate depression and quell anxiety, which has prompted people into electrifying their own brain.
: “Published results of these studies might lead TDCS users to believe that they can achieve the same results if they mimic the way stimulation is delivered in research studies. However, there are many reasons why this simply isn’t true.
“It is important for people to understand why outcomes of TDCS can be unpredictable, because we know that in some cases, the benefits that are seen after TDCS in certain mental abilities may come at the expense of others.
“Given the possibility that the improper use of our articles might cause harm, as a community we felt it necessary — an ethical obligation — to explain in a peer-reviewed journal why it is that we generally do not encourage do-it-yourself use of tDCS."
They said the effects of mainlining electricity into your brain can change depending on what you're doing.
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For instance, you might think it's a good idea to shock yourself whilst sitting in front of Eastenders, but you could end up triggering the wrong kind of emotion and having a total breakdown.
Also, there's no clear sense of what might happen if you really became hooked on DIY shock therapy.
“We know that stimulation from a few sessions can be quite lasting, but we do not yet know the possible risks of a larger cumulative dose over several years or a lifetime,” the doctors added.
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