Good Vibrations

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Findings in mice may lead to a drug-free, noninvasive way to treat chronic wounds in people with type 2 diabetes. Credit: Stock image.

For people living with type 2 diabetes, wounds often heal slowly, sometimes even becoming chronic. Now, scientists have shown that low-intensity vibrations can speed up the healing process in a strain of diabetic mice commonly used to study delayed wound healing. The research team, led by Timothy Kohof the University of Illinois at Chicago, found that exposing the mice to barely perceptible vibrations five times a week for just 30 minutes promoted wound healing by increasing the formation of new blood vessels and of granulation tissue, a type of tissue critical in the early stages of healing. If researchers can show that the vibration technique also works in humans, this approach could one day offer a drug-free, non-invasive therapy for chronic wounds in people with diabetes.

This work also was funded by NIH’s National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.

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3 Replies to “Good Vibrations”

  1. This sparked a memory. I can remember my dad lying his injured hand on top of a tape recorder that was making a rhythmic thumping noise he called the Alpha sound. He said it might aid healing. This was in the 1980’s and I was a snarky teen that thought he was weird. Well, I think he was ahead of his time. He is 72 now and has survived three open hearts surgeries, pacemaker, defib, and multiple stents. An amazing man.

  2. Yes the vibrations can use more of the glucose in blood…quick healing possible..thanks for the Vibrations technique.

  3. I never heard such method in my country (Indonesia). Hope someday we have access to new method to help people with diabetes.

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