Bioresonance is a type of therapy used in holistic or complementary medicine.

It uses a machine to measure the frequency of energy wavelengths coming from the body. Those measures are then used to diagnose disease. Promoters say it can also cure certain diseases.

However, there’s no sound scientific evidence that bioresonance has a role in diagnosing or treating disease.

Keep reading to learn more about:

  • bioresonance
  • what it has been used for
  • whether or not it’s effective
  • possible side effects

Bioresonance is based on the idea that unhealthy cells or organs emit altered electromagnetic waves due to DNA damage.

Proponents of bioresonance believe that detection of these waves can be used to diagnose disease, while changing these waves back to their normal frequency will treat disease.

To use bioresonance, electrodes are placed on the skin and hooked up to a machine that “reads” the energy wavelengths coming from the body. This is process of diagnosis.

Then, those energy frequencies can be manipulated by the machine to allow the body’s cells to vibrate at their “natural frequency,” which purportedly treats the condition.

Bioresonance therapy is purported to diagnose and treat a number of health-related conditions. These include:

Research is limited regarding how effective bioresonance is in diagnosing and treating health conditions. Here are the studies we found related to its use.

Smoking cessation

A 2014 study compared bioresonance used for smoking cessation to a placebo.

It found that 77.2 percent of people in the bioresonance group quit smoking after one week after therapy versus 54.8 percent in the placebo group.

The study also found that after a year from treatment — which was only done once — 28.6 percent of people in the bioresonance group had stopped smoking, versus 16.1 percent in the placebo group.

Stomach pain

Bioresonance has been used to treat stomach pain. One study found that this therapy was useful specifically for reducing stomach pain not associated with a specific diagnosis.

Allergies and related conditions

Using bioresonance to treat allergies and related conditions such as eczema and asthma is one of the most well-studied areas of bioresonance treatment.

There have been a number of both controlled (using a placebo) and uncontrolled (observational) studies in this area.

Controlled studies are generally considered of a higher caliber than uncontrolled studies due to their ability to compare treatment to a placebo.

Controlled studies have had mixed or negative results as to whether bioresonance can help treat allergies.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Some studies suggest that bioresonance might be effective in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by normalizing how antioxidants function within the body.

These antioxidants help fight free radicals, which may help lessen tissue damage in people with RA. No formalized studies on the effectiveness of bioresonance in treating RA have been undertaken.

Cancer

Some users of bioresonance say that it can activate tumor suppressor genes or lessen the effects of overactive cells, both of which can “kill” cancer.

However, most cancer-causing genetic mutations cannot be reversed. Additionally, there are no studies demonstrating the effectiveness of bioresonance in treating cancer.

Fibromyalgia

One study compared the combination of bioresonance therapy, manual therapy, and point massage for treatment of fibromyalgia to manual therapy and point therapy without bioresonance therapy.

While both groups saw improvement, the study found a 72 percent improvement in muscular pain for the group that got bioresonance therapy versus a 37 percent improvement for the other group.

Improvements in sleep issues and sensitivity to weather changes were also found.

Overtraining syndrome in athletes

Overtraining syndrome, also known as burnout, occurs when an athlete doesn’t fully recover from training and competition.

It can lead to:

One study found bioresonance to be helpful in overtraining syndrome by:

More research is needed

As noted above, there are some studies that show positive effects from bioresonance. However, these studies only include a small number of people, and research has been limited.

In addition, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has successfully sued at least one person for making “unsubstantiated” and “potentially harmful” claims that bioresonance can cure cancer.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in the United Kingdom, which regulates advertising, also found that “none of the efficacy claims for bioresonance therapy had been supported by evidence.”

Most healthcare professionals agree that bioresonance can’t diagnose or treat medical conditions or illnesses. At best, there’s currently no clear evidence for the use and effectiveness of bioresonance.

To date, studies on bioresonance haven’t found any side effects. It has generally been called a painless procedure.

The biggest risk is that using bioresonance could stop people from receiving other, evidence-based treatments. If bioresonance doesn’t work, this could have a negative effect on health outcomes.

While some small studies show positive effects from bioresonance, these are limited.

In addition, advertising for bioresonance as an effective treatment for various conditions has been categorized as misleading in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

Although bioresonance most likely has no negative side effects, it should not be used as a first-line or only treatment for any condition.