IN A SPLIT second, my life was changed forever, and not in a good way, after a table saw accident in 2010 rendered the index and second fingers on my left hand almost useless.
I’d borrowed a small, portable table saw while laying a laminate-wood floor in a bedroom.
“Second to last cut,” I thought while bringing the blade down to cut. Finished, I raised the blade and glanced to the right to admire the new floor. That’s when I heard the loud horrible crunch of the table saw blade cutting through my knuckles and slicing the tendons. It seems my left hand had followed my gaze to the right.
After six surgeries, they almost look like regular fingers, but they never regained function, thus ending a lifetime of guitar-playing and the ability to type proficiently without much thought.
Through physical therapy, I learned the value and relief brought by pulsed electronic therapy and became a fan.
It was after meeting Dayna Killam, owner of 3 Arrows Pulse Works, that I learned about the greater benefits of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy to help heal damaged areas of the body and became a fan of that as well.
I met Killam while visiting Olympic Peninsula Equine Network’s (OPEN) farm to take a photo of its board of directors. She was in the middle of performing PEMF on a rescued horse that had arrived at OPEN with existing health issues caused by past trauma and neglect.
Because of the way the horse moved his lips, relaxed and put his head down as if to say, “Please don’t stop,” I could tell the horse was enjoying himself.
But, I wondered, how can he looked so relaxed as his body, at times, shivered and twitched?
“That twitching you’re seeing is just the muscles reacting to the magnetic field entering his body,” Killam said.
She said PEMF impacts both the brain and the tissues at the cellular level. Meaning the healing offered by PEMF therapy is deeper and pain management more helpful.
In my opinion, both methods can be used to help treat pain by releasing muscle tightness or fluid retention, but how many horses will gladly stand still while being zapped with electricity, however small, every few seconds as opposed to the feeling of a light, pulsating massage?
“NASA has been using the technology for years,” said Killam, who is also licensed to perform PEMF on people. “But it’s only been available to the public for about 10 years, so it’s kind of a newish technology that works on the cellular level by pushing toxins out of the cells, then rehydrates and re-oxygenates them to help the body heal naturally.”
PEMF helps combat inflammation, which, she said, is one of the first signs of damage to cells in the body. Damaged cells correlate to toxins and a lack of oxygen in cells. In turn, rejuvenating the cells promotes healing.
Literature about PEMF therapy states it accelerates healing and aids in quick recovery from injuries and reduces pain, swelling, soreness and fatigue after a long day of work or a hard race.
It’s used to help heal bone fractures and repair cracked hooves. Regular use of electromagnetic therapy can improve recovery time for horses by as much as 70 percent.
“We’ve had some amazing results with some of these alternative therapies like PEMF, so we’re grateful for Dayna’s help in rehabilitating some of our horses,” said OPEN co-founder Dianne Royall.
She said Dayna’s been an active supporter of OPEN since 2012, when they took in a large number of neglected horses seized from an individual by a Clallam County Animal Control Officer.
“At the time, Dayna was building up her horse training business in Port Townsend and came and worked with a lot of those horses for us,” Royall said. “She was very generous with her time.”
PEMF is a relaxing and restorative therapeutic agent that provides a sedation-free, gentle pulsing treatment. It can be used in conjunction with other wellness methods and as a complement to veterinarian-led treatment plans.
And don’t forget she also works on humans — oh, my aching back. Perhaps I’ll give Killam a call for myself.
Killam is a mobile certified PEMF practitioner for equine, bovine, canine and humans.
For more information, contact her at 3arrowspulseworks@gmail.com or phone 360-301-9524.
Coach wanted
Port Angeles High School’s equestrian team is in dire need of new coach. If you have horse experience and can help the team, please call Nancy McCaleb at 360-461-3938.
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Karen Griffiths’ column, Peninsula Horseplay, appears the second and fourth Sunday of each month.
If you have a horse event, clinic or seminar you would like listed, please email Griffiths at kbg@olympus.net at least two weeks in advance. You can also call her at 360-460-6299.
OPEN co-founder and ranch manager Diane Royall, right, holds one of the facility’s rescued horses as certified PEMF practitioner Dayna Killam applies pulsed electromagnetic field therapy to aid in the horse’s rehabilitation process, improving her chances of being adopted into a loving home. (Karen Griffiths/for Peninsula Daily News)
