Centre for painless arthritis and cancer therapy in the city

Arthritis caused due to breakdown of joint cartilage and underlying bone, is a lifelong disease and leaves the person with only a surgical option of total knee replacement. When Shankari (73) developed the condition, she was hesitant to undergo the surgery, but she didn’t want to resign to a lifetime of pain. A non-invasive Sequentially Programmed Magnetic Field (SPMF) therapy promised a ray of hope and today she is happy and relieved of pain. 

An advanced treatment for arthritis that affects a sizeable population in India, it is the brain child of Wg Cdr (Dr) VG Vasishta (Retd), an Indian Air Force veteran and the former Head of Radio Diagnosis at the Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Bengaluru, Indian Air Force. Pioneered and patented by him, following extensive research and several clinical trials, the therapy has been used for 7000 cases of arthritis, including former president Dr Pratibha Patil, and 300 cases of cancer in the last 10 years. It was earlier available only in Mumbai and Bengaluru. 

“Bringing it to Chennai was important as we have had a number of patients from here seeking treatment,” said Dr Vasishta, the founder and chairman of SBF Healthcare. He has been working on the alterations in cell behaviour by radio frequencies of MRI for nearly 20 years. 

Through highly complex sequentially-programmed magnetic fields, which are computer-controlled and can be precisely focused on the target tissues with the help of laser guides. The treatment helps degenerate or regenerate cells without any side effects. Following a one-hour schedule each day over 21 days, the patient can go about their normal task. 

Dr Vasishta says that the success rate of the technology is higher at 80 per cent. “It is most suited in the earlier stages of osteoarthritis, one of the commonest forms of arthiritis and in most cases, it is both the legs that is affected. Costing about Rs 1.25 lakh, it is an economical treatment option, as against total knee replacement which comes to close to Rs 4 lakh,” he adds. 

SPMF also promises hope for cancer patients. It has catered to those, who have already undergone the other treatment options available for the disease, including chemotherapy. Of them 60 per cent have seen an increased in longevity, 25 per cent has gone back to work and a sizeable number has seen an improvement in the quality of life. The therapy will be made available across 20 cities in India, and other countries in the next one year.