Frequency-Specific Microcurrent (FSM): Resonance as Medicine
Every cell in the human body is a battery. The transmembrane potential — the voltage difference between the inside and outside of a cell — runs at negative 70 to negative 90 millivolts in healthy tissue.
Frequency-Specific Microcurrent (FSM): Resonance as Medicine
The Electrical Body
Every cell in the human body is a battery. The transmembrane potential — the voltage difference between the inside and outside of a cell — runs at negative 70 to negative 90 millivolts in healthy tissue. This is not metaphor. It is measured, quantified, biophysics. Ion channels pump sodium out and potassium in, maintaining the charge that drives every cellular process from nutrient transport to protein synthesis to nerve conduction.
Injury, inflammation, and disease reduce cellular voltage. An inflamed tissue is a tissue with diminished electrical potential. A scarred tissue is electrically insulated — its fibrotic collagen conducts current poorly, isolating the damaged region from the body’s electrical network. A degenerated disc, a chronically inflamed nerve, a fibrotic liver — these are not just biochemical problems. They are bioelectrical problems.
Frequency-Specific Microcurrent (FSM) addresses the electrical dimension of tissue dysfunction. Developed by Carolyn McMakin DC, based on frequencies from a list used with electromagnetic devices in the early 1900s, FSM applies specific microamperage current (millionths of an ampere — below the threshold of sensation) at precisely targeted frequency pairs to specific tissues for specific conditions. The current is so small the patient typically feels nothing. But the biological effects are measurable, reproducible, and in some cases, dramatic.
The Science of Microcurrent
Cheng 1982: The Foundational Study
Cheng and colleagues published the landmark study that legitimized microcurrent as biologically active. Using rat skin tissue, they measured ATP production at different current levels:
- At 500 microamps (millionths of an ampere): ATP production increased 500%
- At the same intensity: Amino acid transport increased 30-40%, protein synthesis increased
- At milliamp levels (the range of conventional TENS units): ATP production DECREASED
This finding explains why FSM (microamp) and TENS (milliamp) produce fundamentally different effects. TENS overwhelms sensory nerves to block pain signals — it is symptomatic. FSM operates at the cellular energy level — it is restorative. The two are not interchangeable. The current amplitude is not a matter of patient comfort; it is a matter of biology. More current is not better. The sweet spot is measured in millionths of an amp.
How the Frequencies Work
FSM uses a two-channel system. Each channel delivers a different frequency simultaneously.
Channel A: The condition frequency — describes what is wrong with the tissue. Different frequencies correspond to different pathological states:
- 40 Hz: Inflammation
- 81 Hz: Fibrosis and scarring
- 294 Hz: Torn or broken tissue
- 124 Hz: Mineral deposits/calcification
- 57 Hz: Toxicity
- Various frequencies for: congestion, edema, vitality, hemorrhage, spasm, allergy response
Channel B: The tissue frequency — identifies which tissue is targeted:
- 10 Hz: Nerve
- 396 Hz: Spinal cord
- 77 Hz: Vagus nerve
- 100 Hz: Disc
- 62 Hz: Muscle
- 191 Hz: Tendon
- 480 Hz: Ligament
- 142 Hz: Fascia
- 783 Hz: Bone
- Organ-specific frequencies for liver, kidney, thyroid, adrenal, gut, etc.
The combination is the treatment. Channel A at 40 Hz (inflammation) plus Channel B at 10 Hz (nerve) = treating inflammation in nerves. Change Channel B to 62 Hz and you are treating inflammation in muscle. The specificity of the frequency pair determines the specificity of the clinical effect.
McMakin’s key observation, confirmed across thousands of patients: the wrong frequency pair produces no effect. Not a harmful effect — simply nothing. The right frequency pair produces measurable, reproducible, sometimes dramatic clinical change. This specificity is what distinguishes FSM from generic microcurrent devices, TENS units, or interferential current machines. The frequencies matter. They are not arbitrary.
The Cytokine Evidence: Measuring the Unmeasurable
The most compelling published data for FSM comes from cytokine measurements.
McMakin and Oschman 2004 (Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies)
Fifty-four fibromyalgia patients treated with FSM had blood drawn before and after treatment. The protocol used 40 Hz (inflammation) on Channel A and 10 Hz (nerve) on Channel B — treating inflammation in the cervical spinal cord and associated nerves.
Results within 90 minutes of treatment:
- Interleukin-1 (IL-1): Decreased 10-fold
- Interleukin-6 (IL-6): Decreased 10-fold
- Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha): Decreased 5-fold
- Substance P: Decreased significantly
- Endorphin levels: Increased 10-fold
These are not subtle changes. A 10-fold decrease in inflammatory cytokines within 90 minutes is a magnitude of effect that most pharmaceutical interventions cannot match. And the effect was specific — when the frequencies were changed to non-matching pairs, the cytokine changes did not occur.
The effects lasted 48-72 hours after a single treatment. With repeated treatments, the duration of relief extended progressively.
McMakin’s Fibromyalgia Insight
McMakin observed that a high proportion of fibromyalgia patients had a history of cervical spine trauma — whiplash, falls, sports injuries. She hypothesized that the injury created chronic inflammation and facilitated sensitization in the cervical spinal cord (central sensitization), which then generated the widespread pain, fatigue, and cognitive dysfunction characteristic of fibromyalgia.
When she treated these patients with the frequency pair for inflammation in the spinal cord (40/396), the response was often dramatic: pain levels dropped from 7-8/10 to 1-2/10 within a single session. The cytokine data confirmed that something real and measurable was happening.
This does not mean all fibromyalgia is cervical in origin. But it suggests that a significant subset — those with a history of neck trauma — may respond to FSM in ways they would never respond to gabapentin, duloxetine, or pregabalin.
Clinical Applications
Fibromyalgia and Myofascial Pain
The most studied and most established FSM application. McMakin’s practice and teaching have generated extensive case series data, with the cytokine study providing the mechanistic backbone.
Protocol: 40/10 (inflammation/nerve) and 40/396 (inflammation/spinal cord) as primary frequency pairs. Additional pairs for fibrosis, scarring, and congestion in cervical tissue. Sessions: 60-90 minutes, lying on warm wet towels. Series of 6-12 sessions initially, then as needed.
Clinical pearl: The warm wet towels are not optional. Water conducts microcurrent. Dry skin resists it. The patient lies between warm, moist towels while graphite-impregnated gloves or pad electrodes deliver the current. Hydration matters — the patient should drink 1-2 liters of water before treatment. Dehydrated tissue does not conduct.
Concussion and Traumatic Brain Injury
McMakin describes treating acute concussion patients with specific frequency sequences targeting inflammation, edema, and hemorrhage in brain tissue. In her book The Resonance Effect, she reports cases of athletes returning to function within hours to days of concussion treatment with FSM — outcomes dramatically faster than standard rest-and-wait protocols.
Protocol: Specific frequency sequences (proprietary to FSM training) applied through the skull via wet graphite contacts. The frequencies cycle through different pathological states (edema, inflammation, hemorrhage, torn tissue) in different brain tissues (cortex, dura, blood vessels, nerve). Sessions may last 60-120 minutes for acute TBI.
Neuropathic Pain
Peripheral neuropathy, post-surgical nerve pain, trigeminal neuralgia, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). The frequencies for inflammation and fibrosis in nerve tissue (40/10, 81/10) address the two dominant pathological processes in chronic nerve dysfunction.
Disc Injuries
Herniated and degenerated intervertebral discs. Frequency pairs target inflammation and torn tissue in the disc (40/100, 294/100), followed by frequencies for the associated nerve root inflammation. McMakin reports significant improvement in disc patients who have been told surgery is their only option.
Scar Tissue and Adhesions
Post-surgical adhesions, internal scarring, keloids. The frequencies for fibrosis (81) applied to the relevant tissue frequency. FSM practitioners report visible and palpable softening of scar tissue during treatment. Abdominal adhesions after surgery can be treated with FSM before considering surgical lysis.
Organ Dysfunction
Each organ has its own tissue frequency. FSM can target conditions in the liver, kidney, thyroid, adrenal glands, and gut. For example:
- Inflammation in the liver (40/liver frequency): Support for hepatic inflammation
- Toxicity in the kidney (57/kidney frequency): Support for renal detoxification
- Congestion in the thyroid (glandular frequency pairs): Support for thyroid dysfunction
These applications are less studied than the musculoskeletal and neurological uses, but experienced practitioners report clinical value.
Vagal Toning
The frequency pair 284/77 (increase secretions/vagus nerve) is used to stimulate vagal tone. In the IFM model, vagal tone is foundational — it governs the parasympathetic rest-and-digest state, modulates inflammation via the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway, and influences gut motility, heart rate variability, and emotional regulation. FSM vagal toning is a non-invasive alternative to vagal nerve stimulation devices.
Emotional and Trauma Release
Specific frequency pairs correspond to emotional states stored in tissue — a concept that bridges FSM into the realm of somatic experiencing and body-based trauma processing. While the evidence here is clinical and anecdotal rather than from controlled trials, practitioners report that specific frequency pairs applied to the limbic system, amygdala, or associated tissues can trigger emotional releases, catharsis, and resolution of stored trauma.
Treatment Logistics
A Typical Session
The patient lies comfortably on a treatment table, sandwiched between warm, moist towels. Graphite-impregnated gloves, electrode pads, or wraps deliver the microcurrent. The practitioner programs the frequency pairs into the FSM device based on the clinical assessment and diagnosis.
Duration: 60-90 minutes per session. Some conditions require longer (120 minutes for acute TBI). The frequencies often run in sequences — multiple pairs targeting different aspects of the pathology in succession.
Sensation: Most patients feel nothing from the current itself (it is below sensory threshold). Some report subtle warmth, tingling, or a sense of deep relaxation. When the correct frequencies engage with the target tissue, patients often experience a palpable shift — a release of tension, reduction in pain, or change in sensation that both patient and practitioner can identify in real time.
Frequency of sessions: 2-3 times per week for acute conditions. 1-2 times per week for chronic conditions. Series of 6-12 sessions initially. Some conditions require ongoing maintenance (monthly or as needed).
Post-treatment: Patients are often deeply relaxed — almost euphoric in some cases (the endorphin increase measured in the McMakin 2004 study). Advise rest for the remainder of the day. Continue hydration. Some patients experience a “treatment reaction” — temporary worsening or emotional release 12-24 hours after treatment (especially with detoxification or emotional protocols). This is self-limiting.
Equipment
The FSM device is a two-channel precision microcurrent generator. It is NOT a TENS unit, NOT an interferential current device, NOT a generic microcurrent unit. The specificity of the frequency programming is the entire point.
Practitioners program the device with specific frequency pairs for each patient’s condition. Some protocols are pre-programmed sequences (concussion protocol, fibromyalgia protocol, disc protocol). Others are customized based on clinical assessment.
Home devices: Available with practitioner prescription. The practitioner programs customized frequency sequences for the patient’s specific condition. The patient applies the treatment at home using wet wraps or graphite contacts. This makes long-term maintenance feasible and affordable.
Research and Evidence Landscape
Published Studies
- McMakin and Oschman 2004: Cytokine changes in fibromyalgia (the landmark study described above)
- Curtis 2010 (Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies): FSM significantly reduced recovery time from delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) compared to sham treatment
- McMakin 2017: Published case series on chronic pain conditions showing significant improvements across multiple diagnostic categories
- Reilly 2004: FSM for chronic low back pain — positive results
- Yurkiw 2021: FSM for chronic myofascial pain — significant VAS pain reduction
The Evidence Gap
FSM suffers from the funding problem that plagues all non-patentable therapies. There are no pharmaceutical companies to fund multi-million-dollar randomized controlled trials for frequency-specific microcurrent. The studies that exist are predominantly case series, pilot studies, and small RCTs. The cytokine data is compelling but has not been replicated in a large, multi-center trial.
However, the clinical evidence — thousands of practitioners treating tens of thousands of patients over 25 years with consistent, reproducible results — represents a body of pragmatic evidence that should not be dismissed because it does not fit the RCT paradigm. McMakin’s training seminars produce practitioners who immediately begin reproducing the clinical results in their own practices, which speaks to the reliability of the frequency model.
Training and Access
FSM Core Seminar: The foundational training, taught by Carolyn McMakin and certified instructors. Covers the frequency model, the evidence, hands-on protocols, and clinical reasoning. Required before purchasing FSM devices or accessing the full frequency list.
Who can practice: Licensed healthcare providers — MDs, DOs, DCs (chiropractors), NDs (naturopathic doctors), PTs (physical therapists), OTs, acupuncturists, advanced practice nurses. Some states have scope-of-practice limitations on electrical modalities.
The Resonance Effect (McMakin 2017): The definitive book on FSM. Written for both practitioners and patients. Contains the science, the clinical stories, and the frequency model in accessible language. Essential reading for anyone interested in this modality.
The Deeper Pattern
FSM touches something that Vietnamese traditional medicine has always understood — the body is an energetic system, not just a biochemical one. The meridians of acupuncture, the prana of yoga, the qi of Chinese medicine — these traditions describe an electrical and electromagnetic dimension of health that Western reductionism has largely ignored.
FSM provides a Western scientific framework for engaging that dimension. The frequencies are measurable. The current is quantified. The cytokine changes are documented. The clinical outcomes are reproducible. This is not mysticism wrapped in technology — it is bioelectrical medicine that happens to validate what traditional healers observed for millennia.
The body runs on electricity. When the voltage drops, the tissue fails. Restore the frequency, restore the current, restore the tissue. McMakin’s insight was not that microcurrent heals — that was known since Cheng 1982. Her insight was that the frequency specificity makes the difference between a generalized electrical nudge and a precisely targeted therapeutic intervention. The right frequency, applied to the right tissue, at the right current, produces effects that no drug can replicate — because drugs operate in the chemical domain, and FSM operates in the electrical one. Both domains are real. Both are necessary. And the best practitioners work in both.