Electricity can heal wounds three times as fast (2023)

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

DIY and Consumer Electrotherapy

  • Several comments joke about “homebrew” approaches (cattle prods, fireplace lighters, wall sockets, tasers), but also mention more realistic options like TENS units and consumer microcurrent/face devices.
  • There is interest in an eventual non‑prescription device or “step‑by‑step guide,” though others implicitly flag safety concerns about applying electricity to open wounds without clear parameters.

Biological Mechanisms and Prior Work

  • Commenters note that cells already use endogenous electric fields generated by ion gradients to guide movement and growth; flatworm experiments manipulating these fields are cited as precedent.
  • For diabetics and people with poor circulation, natural ion gradients may be impaired, making external fields particularly helpful.
  • One commenter with materials science experience relates that electric fields can turn random growth into directed growth, making the wound‑healing effect unsurprising.
  • Another outlines a long history of “healing currents” from the 1800s onward, including DC microcurrent wound therapy, bone growth stimulators, and modern bioelectronic dressings.
  • Distinction is made between DC (directional wound closure) and AC (conditioning, circulation, comfort), with combinations seen as optimal.

Clinical Use, Evidence, and Anecdotes

  • Electro‑stimulation is already used in physical therapy (e.g., dry needling with current, post‑surgical rehab, partially torn muscles). Some report strong personal benefit; others report no effect.
  • A long subthread debates how much weight to give anecdotes. Points raised:
    • Many injuries (especially tendons) improve over ~12 weeks regardless of intervention.
    • Anecdotes can suggest hypotheses but don’t disprove the null (“it would have healed anyway”).
    • Some argue adults may rationally act on low‑risk anecdotal evidence; others warn this invites pseudoscience.
  • There is curiosity about adapting consumer TENS devices but no concrete DIY protocol, and repeated implicit cautions about safety and confounders.

Diabetes, Chronic Wounds, and Prevention

  • The article’s focus on diabetic wound healing triggers a tangent: should society emphasize preventing diabetes (obesity, diet, ultra‑processed food, cheap grains/sugar, “addictive” foods) rather than just treating complications?
  • Commenters disagree on root causes (abundant food vs. food design vs. “capitalism”) but generally accept that both prevention and new therapies are needed.

Other Wound-Healing Approaches

  • Separate anecdotes discuss non‑electrical interventions: topical collagen powder for non‑closing wounds, diet and supplements (spirulina/chlorella, anti‑inflammatory diets) improving chronic inflammation.
  • These generate additional debate about mechanisms, sterility, and whether oral collagen offers benefits beyond adequate protein intake.