What is the combined effect of these two pieces of information?

Consider the predicament: The tissue in the area of involvement needs energy in the form of electricity. The patient's body contains more that an adequate quantity of energy to produce the desired effect. Unfortunately, the electrical resistance in the area of involvement is so elevated that the body's energy flow cannot enter the area because the laws of physics require that energy travel only via the path of least resistance. The result, energy traveling in the body will circumvent the area of pathology because it always takes the path of least resistance, which is around, rather than through, the area of pathology. If there is an inflammatory process in the area of involvement, the inflamed tissue, which naturally has a very high electrical conductance, takes the body's energy and transforms it into heat. (Like a toaster's elements heat up and turn red when electricity is applied) The heating process is like a constant energy leak and can easily drain the body of massive amounts of critically needed energy similar to a slow drip in the bathroom using up many gallons of water.

Since we can't change the laws of physics, we must enable the energy to pass into the area of pathology while obeying the laws. In addition, we can aid our cause by increasing the body's ability to actually produce and store energy in the area of involvement. This is done by charging the tissue in a manner comparable to charging a battery. Tissue cells, like battery cells, have the ability to hold an electrical charge. The greater the charge on the cell the lower the resistance to the flow of electrical energy. The term for the quantity of charge a cell can maintain is called capacitance. As the health of a cell improves, capacitance increases. The capacitance is directly proportional to the concentration of ATP in the cell and ranges from about 1 to 3 microfarads (units of charge). It has been demonstrated that areas of the body which have pain, often have deficiencies in ATP and high electrical resistance. The charge in those areas is generally low because the body's natural electrical currents cannot penetrate the resistance.

ATP serves a direct vital function in the active transport mechanism known as the sodium pump. This molecular and ionic transport system is directly responsible for the movement of sodium, potassium, and calcium across the cell's membranes. Large amounts of energy is required to move ions in and out of the cell.

When the pump is not functioning, cellular metabolic waste builds up in toxic concentrations. What we have when the sodium pump is not functioning is a hypo-polarized, toxic, starving cell, not a pretty sight. Re-establishment of the sodium pump occurs as ATP concentrations rise. The work of Cheng has shown that under the influence of microcurrent electrical stimulation, ATP concentrations increase when the applied electrical flow is in the 25 to less than 5000 microamp range. Old type millicurrent tens devices operate in the 20 to 80 milliamp and higher ranges. Far into the levels which have been shown by Cheng to deplete the cell's ATP concentrations and metabolic processing capabilities.