You’ve probably heard about this pain-relief tool called a TENS Unit. Can it really make a difference? The answer is yes, it can help! Here are five reasons why every Medicine Cabinet should include a TENS Unit for pain relief therapy and why you should trust electrotherapy to work for you. Your family may come to count on it.

Top 5 Reasons to Have a TENS Unit

#1) TENS Units are Safe

Some people may be skeptical about using electrotherapy because they worry that it’s dangerous. It’s an electrical machine that you use at home—how can that be safe?

Electrotherapy devices (like all medical equipment) are divided into two groups: prescription devices and over-the-counter (OTC) devices. Prescription devices are intended only for use with the supervision of a medical professional. OTC devices, however, are made to be safe for home-use.

In recent years, companies like iReliev.com have begun producing OTC electrotherapy devices. In order to legally market a device as OTC, a company must apply for premarket approval with the FDA. It’s the FDA who gets the ultimate say on whether or not a device is safe for home-use.

Companies like iReliev have produced OTC electrotherapy devices that made it onto the FDA’s list of approved medical devices. The FDA has deemed OTC electrotherapy devices as a Class II OTC device, which means that they require some amount of regulatory controls to ensure user safety. Devices like iReliev’s TENS unit have these controls built in to protect users.

#2) TENS Units are Effective

There are two things that explain why TENS works. The first is the gate control theory, which says that a “painful” signal and a “non-painful” signal cannot travel to the central nervous system at the same time. For example, let’s say a person is experiencing pain in their lower back. When they apply the TENS unit, it sends gentle, massage-like electrical impulses. These impulses take the place of the pain.

The other reason why electrotherapy works is because the electrical impulses used in TENS and EMS encourage the release of endorphins. Endorphins are the body’s natural painkiller, named after morphine because they provide a similar high.

#3) History of Clinical Use

Over the last 30 years, electrotherapy has become a reputable treatment used by medical professionals. Many physical therapists, athletic trainers and chiropractors treat patients with electrotherapy in their offices. This practice still continues, but as electrotherapy evolves, so does its availability. Thankfully, many reputable companies such as iReliev.com offer affordable home-use devices that are intuitive and effective.

#4) TENS Provides an All Natural Relief

TENS, EMS and other electrotherapy treatments use only natural processes to help with pain and recovery. Nothing about it is intravenous. As mentioned above, the electrical pulses stimulate the production of endorphins, the body’s all-natural painkiller.

#5) TENS is Drug-Free Alternative

One of the most appealing reasons to use electrotherapy is that it’s completely drug-free. America is currently facing a prescription-drug epidemic. Many people are forced to turn to vicodin or other narcotics for pain relief. However, these drugs are dangerous and addictive and take their toll on the body over time.

Using electrotherapy for pain relief, one can avoid relying on narcotics. Nothing about electrotherapy is addictive and it can be used multiple times a day without threatening one’s health or safety.

Now that you have read the top five reasons why you should have a TENS Unit in your medicine cabinet and why you should trust electrotherapy to work for you, there’s only one question left to ask: What’s in your medicine cabinet?