I’ve been using the below listed product since just before this last Christmas, 2007. The website is available at “rebuildermedical.com.” If the theory behind the device is correct then it may provide beneficial therapy for MS patients. I copied the following information from the website:
A Note from the Inventor of the ReBuilder, Dr. David Phillips, Ph.D
By the time most people reach this site they are feeling frustrated, discounted and a bit discouraged. I felt that way when I searched for a solution to my dad's leg pain. It felt like we were getting "the bum's rush" when we visited the doctor. The visits were rushed and short, and all we were offered was the advice to "live with it. It's going to get worse over time. You might wind up in a wheelchair." He was prescribed expensive prescription pain meds that caused his thinking to become fuzzy and made the tingling and numbness worse. Sleeping was becoming a problem so he began to avoid planning social events because he could not predict his balance and gait. I had experienced similar feelings when my four children were very young and I was uncomfortable with mercury glass thermometers. I did some research on my own and invented the very first infrared ear thermometer (FirsTemp) for which I received the Inventor Of The Year Award in 1987.
So I went back to the lab and developed the ReBuilder™. I reasoned that the problem was similar to the feeling one has when he sits on his foot and it "goes asleep." The tingling, the heaviness had a known cause...pressure on the nerve and pressure on the blood supply feeding the nerve that resulted in a temporary oxygen deprivation. The body had its own simple remedy: remove the pressure and then wake up the nerve by sending a larger than normal signal up the nerve by tapping your foot on the ground.
If that was the solution, then perhaps I could design a simple device to duplicate that natural solution. I had to develop our own lab equipment to measure what a healthy nerve signal looked like, and then I could develop an instrument that duplicated that signal precisely. I wanted the treatment to be simple, comfortable and dignified. I also wanted to increase blood flow to provide more oxygen and nutrients to the newly awakened nerves, so I used a warm water footbath to transmit the ReBuilder's healing signals to the feet. This warm water has the effect of opening up blood vessels by the process called vasodilation. By separating the water into 2 separate compartments, I could direct these signals up one leg, across the nerve roots in the lower back and then down the other leg. This would treat all the nerves, not just some of them.
Finally, I added another signal, overlaid on the nerve stimulation signal, that would exercise the calf muscles and strengthen them. This would increase blood supply to the legs and strengthen them because he had lost some muscle mass by his avoidance of walking because of the pain and tingling in his feet from the peripheral neuropathy.
An unexpected benefit was what these signals had on the brain. The soothing signals caused the brain to release endorphins, internal pain relievers that travel via the blood stream to reduce pain and anxiety all over the body. Now he could sleep better, and the pain from arthritis and his sore back were temporarily relieved as well!
Now you too can benefit from the ReBuilder™. I decided to sell the ReBuilder™ directly to the patient, bypassing the middleman, to reduce the cost. I decided to offer the ReBuilder™ on the internet so that you would have access to as much information as possible to help determine if the ReBuilder™ is the right choice for you.
Because credibility is an issue on the Internet, and because most neuropathy sufferers have tried so many other things unsuccessfully, I decided to offer a 100% money back guarantee so that you can try it in your own home to see if it can help you. If, after 30 days of using the ReBuilder™, you decide that it was not the best solution for you, you can return it in the next 30 days for a full refund. Wouldn't it have been nice if your prescriptions came with that sort of guarantee? Wouldn't it be great if our doctors offered guarantees?....
The ReBuilder® is a hand held, electronic, FDA approved medical device, that rebuilds your nerves to stop numbness and pain, increases blood flow to your legs and feet to support the nutritional needs of these newly awakened nerves, and increases calf muscle strength to restore your mobility.
The ReBuilder® sends its healing signals to your feet, hands or back. You simply place the small signal pads on your skin or in the water of the twin compartment footbath. Then, sit back and enjoy your relaxing thirty minute treatment. Your feet will feel refreshed, warm, flexible and pain free. It feels like a relaxing massage.
This 30 minute twice daily reprieve sends tiny electrical impulses from one foot, to the knee, to your hip, across the nerve roots of your lower back, and then down the other hip, knee, ankle and all the way to your other foot. Then the signal reverses itself and travels up that leg, across the nerve roots again, and then down to the original foot. This signal, that precisely duplicates a strong, healthy nerve impulse, enervated dormant nerve cells, improves blood circulation, strengthens leg muscles, helps you sleep better at night, and restores your sense of balance. You can walk with confidence again without relying on expensive drugs that have dangerous side effects.
People just like you, all over the globe, have discovered that their nerves can be rebuilt and full function restored. It does not matter what the cause of your neuropathy is: idiopathic, diabetic, chemotherapy induced, or trauma to the lower back. The basic cause is all the same. Portions of your nerves were starved for oxygen. They responded with the only survival tool they had: they shriveled themselves inward, they reduced their length to conserve energy, and the gaps between the nerves were stretched to the point that a normal sized nerve signal could no longer jump this gap. Like the gap on the spark plug in your car or lawn mower, if that gap gets too big, the spark cannot jump across.
(Note: I tried to paste a diagram of the nerve process here, but it wouldn't take).
This increased gap, like the spark plug that has too big a gap, made it difficult for normal nerve impulses to pass from one nerve to the other. This means that some of the impulses accumulated until they were big enough to violently jump the gap. You may have felt this as a shooting pain. These blocked nerve signals may have been perceived as numbness. Without proper connection to your brain, the blood vessels in your skin respond unpredictably and this can be perceived as burning or tingling. This process can be progressive and eventually result in gangrene and amputations.
Here is what one doctor, a board certified neurologist, says about the ReBuilder™:
I found out about the ReBuilder™ in an unusual way. Normally, a detail man, employed by a pharmaceutical company buys the girls in my office lunch and then informs me about the latest drug, hoping I will write prescriptions for his product instead of the competitor's.
What is unusual about the ReBuilder™ is that a referring physician, a family practice MD in our community, called me to follow up and report the success of a patient we had both seen who had presented with severe neuropathy, primarily pain and tingling in his feet and with concurrent difficulty sleeping. After unsuccessful treatments with Cymbalta, Lyrica and Neurontin, the patient was referred to me. I performed a nerve conduction velocity exam and found that there was a significant delay in the transmission of nerve signals in both of his legs. After exhaustive blood work I could find no reason for his symptoms and since he had already tried drug therapy with no resolution of his symptoms I referred him back to his GP.
My friend reported that our patient had found a new device on the internet, bought it, used it, and now was asymptomatic after two months without drugs. I was cautiously intrigued, and requested that he return for a follow up so I could test him again to see if there was any objective, measurable, improvement. To my surprise and delight, I found that his NCV test was now normal. I requested full documentation from ReBuilder™ Medical and read with interest their monograph from the inventor, David B. Phillips, and found it to be highly accurate, educational, and taxing to read because of its intensive technical nature. However, it explained a new concept that makes total sense. I now prescribe the ReBuilder™ routinely. Of the 20 patients in my practice who have used the ReBuilder™, all but one have experienced significant relief. Six patients were diagnosed with idiopathic neuropathy, 7 were diagnosed with impingement syndrome in the lower back or buttocks, and 6 suffered from diabetes. The one who did not respond suffers from long term uncontrolled diabetes and has the "stocking feet" dark discoloration of his ankles and feet and has periodic glucose levels exceeding 500, with an A1c of 13.
I urge all medical professionals who see patients with neuropathic symptoms to prescribe the ReBuilder™ as the preferred treatment before they have to resort to prescription drugs.
I bought the model #2407, which is the larger unit. The smaller one can be clipped to your belt and used on the go. The larger one lets you really amp up the voltage. I’ve been using this once a day—sometimes twice—since just before Christmas 2007. It might be fairly difficult to evaluate any perceived benefits. However, I’ll try to give an objective view.
First of all, I believe the placebo effect will always be a factor. In my opinion, this is a positive element. I automatically expected the ReBuilder to revitalize my nerves at least a little. I think it’s probably a good therapy for most people just like taking vitamins is beneficial. Even if you can’t pinpoint definite affects, I think the stimulation has to be good for circulation and for the nerves being targeted.
For example, I like to use the footbath. This allows the electrical impulse, which is identical to the ones normally passing through the nerves, to travel through one foot, up the leg, across the lower back and down to the other foot again. Then the signal is shot back and forth faster than my normal reflexes. Thus, those nerves have to be getting some type of workout. Plus, the muscles jump a little too which gives them a small amount of exercise and better circulation.
Now with MS we’ve all probably had MRI’s which show lesions in our brains and spines where the nerves get slowed down or blocked. Shooting electrical impulses through the feet and legs may not affect that at all. However, instead of having the nerves in your legs and feet atrophy because there’s a blockage in the brain, at least with the ReBuilder the peripheral nerves can stay healthier. But they may not help you walk much better. Still, they might improve circulation and sensation.
I also normally attach an electrode to my upper neck area and lower spine. The manual for the ReBuilder advises not to stimulate the spine directly, but doesn’t explain why. However, this was even before I tried the upper cervical chiropractic and I wanted to treat an old neck injury and lower back pain. I also thought maybe I could blast some signals into the blockages in my brain and spine this way. From this background I’ll make some observations.
The right side of my body is slowed down by the MS. I can’t tap my fingers or feet as fast on that side as on the left. Of course, this screws up walking and coordination and even speech a little.
When I first started using the ReBuilder my right foot would draw up and shake much more than the left. When I cranked up the amps the water would start splashing. According to the product documentation, when a nerve is atrophied it shrinks up. It becomes more difficult for a signal to transfer through. This can result in slower actions and reactions like in my right foot and leg.
By pushing the nerve impulse with more intensity and speed the signal can build up on one side of the nerve until it has enough force to jump across the gaps caused by shrinking. This can result in a shooting pain or a spastic muscle reaction.
My right foot has gradually calmed down during treatments. I can turn it up full bore without kneeing myself in the chin now. I think the foot may be a little less numb as well. However, I don’t walk any better. I think maybe I’ve re-vitalized the peripheral nerves, but the blockages still interfere overall.
When I first started attaching an electrode to my upper neck it would spasm and bounce at high intensities like my right foot. Over time, and especially after upper cervical treatments, that area calmed down too.
By attaching an electrode to my lower spine I hoped I was shooting signals back and forth from the brain to the butt. I also hoped to counteract pain from various back injuries. I’ve started a treatment with a very sore back and by the end felt much better.
Another benefit advertised is a release of endorphins during treatment which calms the mind and reduces pain. Of course, I generally precede a ReBuilder session with some cannabis therapy so I’m already in the zone.
It’s kind of a hassle to do this everyday for 30 minutes. At first, I planned to discipline myself to use the ReBuilder for at least three or four months before I’d admit it wasn’t worth it. But now I enjoy getting wired up and I imagine I’ll at least keep using it until it breaks. I might even buy another one.