Discovering Rife
By
James E. Bare, D.C.

This is a paper in progress - The first portion discusses electrode type frequency instruments. The second half, which is not completed, discusses plasma based devices. There will eventually be two associated spread sheets with this paper. One for conversion of light wavelengths to frequency, and one for conversion of chemical compounds to frequency.

There is a lot of information about frequency therapies and devices on the web. For most people, which web sites have validity, and which web sites are little more than urban legends and marketing hype is impossible to differentiate. This paper will try to help people understand what is true, what is plausible, and what is untrue from the overwhelming amount of publicly available material on Rife related frequency instruments.

The author has spent over 10 years investigating and trying to sort out fact from fiction. Frequency therapies work, and they work amazingly well. It has been the authors over riding intent to create a new science based on fact, research, and understanding.

An examination of Dr. Rife’s work and what he was doing is necessary for our understanding.

Of primary regard is this one fact “ All Results That Made Dr. Rife Famous, Were Accomplished Via A Modulated Radio Frequency Transmitter Exciting A Gas Plasma Tube. “ It’s all really that simple.

Electrode therapy devices are the most common type of frequency therapy devices in use today . They are reasonably priced, are produced by many different manufacturers, and can be found all over the internet. Electrode instruments are all based upon concepts originated and promoted by John Crane and John Marsh in the early 1950’s. Dr. Rife, did endorse the use of the electrode devices, but these are not what he used in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Basically, what Crane and Marsh did , was pull the frequency modulator circuit out of the RF plasma device and add a couple of electrodes so that frequencies could be applied directly to the body. It is obvious there is no operational equivalence between an electrode device and an RF excited gas plasma device.

Electrode type devices suffer from many weaknesses and failings. Primary among them is that of power delivery and depth of tissue penetration. If the power output of an electrode device is raised beyond a certain level, a risk of electrocution ensues. Thus, electrode devices are power limited to a maximum of around 1/2 watt of power ( 15 to 20 ma @ 30 V typical ) delivered to the entire body. 1/2 watt is less power than a standard home flashlight consumes.

It is well known by Physical Therapists that electrical devices attached directly to the body suffer from two major drawbacks. The first drawback is that of an electrical law known as “The Path of Least Resistance”. Electricity flows along lines of least resistance. Meaning it may or may not flow in a straight line between the electrodes. The electricity may, and in fact often does flow AROUND the area where treatment is desired due to this law. The second drawback is that of penetration.The law of least resistance means that the electricity is primarily going to flow in the highly ionized body fluids. Resistance to the electricity ( impedance ) is lowest in the bodies lean tissues such as muscles, and highest in fat tissues. This means that even though the current will flow through the body, it will flow through some areas better than others. The applied frequency will not equally saturate all the body, for the electricity will flow to via lines of least resistance. If there is too much resistance in an area or even between electrodes, no current will flow.

Skin and local tissue resistance is very important when working with an electrode device. Physical Therapists know that when an electrode is left in one place for a prolonged amount of time a phenomena known as “tissue accommodation “ occurs. There is a polarity to the electrodes which causes oppositely charged ions inside the body to be attracted to each electrode. This collection of opposing charges creates a resistance to current flow, and thus, after about 15 minutes, treatment effectiveness diminishes. Small resistances to current flow is highly significant when one has only about 1/2 watt of total power to work with.

As electricity is applied to the body, and the treatment frequency is raised beyond a certain level, the frequency will not penetrate the body, the frequency stays on the surface of the body. This is known as the “Skin Effect”. For the most part, the skin effect does not affect modern electrode frequency instruments. Treatment frequencies are generally too low to initiate this effect. What is important is that the skin effect limits the effective treatment frequency range of electrode instruments.

Another aspect of electronics intervenes when high frequency electricity is applied to the body via electrodes. This is known as reactance. Reactance is a form of electrical resistance that is highly frequency dependent.The higher the frequency the greater the reactance and thus the greater the resistance. Reactance occurs especially in the cells of the body where a slight degree of capacitance exists. Although a particular frequency may penetrate a cell, as it does so, a resistance is created, thus the more cells of the same type an electrically applied frequency penetrates the higher the total resistance. With only 1/2 watt total power to work with, even small reactances can cause large issues with current flow between electrodes.

Although Electrode pad devices are generally safe, like all therapeutic instruments they need to be used with some caution. Electrode devices have a problem with the rise and fall times of the square wave that is utilized for treatment. The fast rise time and fall times of a square wave can create radio frequency emissions from the electrodes. These radio frequency emissions can cause local tissue damage. I have heard reports from a few people that used hand and foot held electrodes for many hours at a time developing localized tissue and nerve damage from this effect. If you have an electrode frequency instrument, you can easily prove this to yourself. Take an inexpensive AM broadcast band radio and place it near the electrodes. Tune the dial on the radio until you hear the RF signal being generated by the harmonics of the square wave. Consequently, just like any other therapeutic device, use an electrode device only when necessary , and only for as long as necessary.

Let us sum this up. If one is trying to treat an entire body at one time using electrodes then only about 1/2 watt of power is available for the entire body. This power is distributed throughout the body fluids primarily along lines of least resistance and is thus distributed unevenly. Lines of least resistance are primarily lean tissues with little fat. As the power moves from cell to cell, it looses energy due to resistance. Tissue accommodation occurs after about 15 minutes diminishing effectiveness. Electrode type devices are treatment frequency limited due to the skin effect and reactance.

Rife Plasma Based Instruments