The History of Electrophysiology
Electrophysiology: Healing is Voltage
Electrophysiology is the study of the electrical properties of biological cells and tissues, particularly the nervous system and the heart. The history of electrophysiology dates back to ancient times but has advanced significantly over the past few centuries.
18th/19th Century: Early Foundations of Electrophysiology
1700's - Luigi Galvani (1737 - 1798)
The origins of electrophysiology are often attributed to Galvani, an Italian physician who discovered that electrical stimulation of a frog’s nerves caused muscle contractions. This led to the concept of “animal electricity,” which laid the foundation for bioelectricity.
1800's - Alessandro Volta (1745 – 1827)
Volta opposed Galvani’s theory and argued that electricity was generated by metals rather than living tissues, leading him to invent the first battery (Voltaic pile).
1800's - Emil du Bois-Reymond (1818 – 1896)
Emil expanded on Galvani’s work by studying nerve and muscle electrical activity, introducing the concept of “action potentials.”
1891 - Nikola Tesla (1856 – 1943)
Nikola made contributions that indirectly relate to the theory of voltage, energy, and human physiology, though he did not formally study bioelectricity in medicine like later researchers such as Robert O. Becker or Björn Nordenström. However, his discoveries in electromagnetic fields, resonance, and electrical currents laid the foundation for many later bioelectrical theories.
Tesla’s Contributions to Voltage and Human Physiology
- High-Frequency Electrical Stimulation and Healing
- Tesla experimented with high-frequency currents (Tesla coils and violet rays) and believed they could have therapeutic benefits.
- He proposed that applying certain electromagnetic fields to the body could promote healing and vitality.
- His Tesla Coil was later used in electrotherapy devices in the early 20th century.
- Electromagnetic Fields and Cellular Function
- Tesla hypothesized that the human body responds to electrical stimulation and that cells might have an electrical component essential for function.
- This idea aligns with modern theories by Dr. Jerry Tennant (Healing is Voltage) and Dr. Robert O. Becker (The Body Electric), which state that cells need optimal voltage for regeneration and healing.
- Tesla’s Work on Wireless Energy and the Human Biofield
- Tesla theorized that the body interacts with the Earth’s electromagnetic field, similar to how his wireless energy transmission systems worked.
- . His concepts influenced later research into biofields, energy medicine, and PEMF (Pulsed Electromagnetic Field) therapy.
- Potential Link to Disease and Voltage Deficiencies
- Though Tesla did not directly state that low voltage leads to disease, his work suggests that proper electrical function is crucial for health.
- . His ideas foreshadowed research into how disruptions in bioelectrical fields might contribute to disease, as studied by Becker, Nordenström, and Tennant.
Legacy of Tesla’s Ideas in Electrophysiology and Medicine
- His high-frequency Tesla currents were later developed into electrotherapy devices used in alternative medicine and pain management.
- His concept of energy transmission influenced biophoton research and PEMF therapy, now used in regenerative medicine.
- His vision of resonance and frequency effects on health inspired modern fields such as vibrational medicine, Rife frequencies, and bioelectromagnetics.
20th Century: The Rise of Modern Electrophysiology
1902 - Julius Bernstein (1839 - 1917)
Julius proposed the “membrane theory,” suggesting that resting and action potentials result from ion differences across the nerve cell membrane.
1903 - Electrocardiography (ECG/EKG): William Einthoven (1860 – 1927)
William developed the first practical ECG/EKG, which revolutionized cardiology by enabling the recording of heart electrical activity.
1926 - Defibrillation & Pacemakers (20th Century): Mark Lidwell (1878– 1969) & Edgar Booth (1893 - 1963)
Mark and Edgar were responsible for the development of devices that restored normal heart rhythms using electrical impulses.
1928 - Edgar Adrian (1889 – 1977)
Edgar measured and recorded action potentials in individual neurons, confirming their all-or-nothing nature.
1928 - Electroencephalography (EEG): Hans Berger (1873 – 1941)
Hans discovered and recorded brain waves, leading to advances in neurology and sleep studies.
1939 - Georges Lakhovsky (1869 – 1942)
Georges published the book “The Secret of Life“. He was a Russian-French engineer, author, and inventor, who was known for pioneering bioelectromagnetics work. He proposed that living cells function as oscillating circuits, emitting and receiving electromagnetic radiation, and that the harmony of these oscillations influences health. To support his theories, Lakhovsky developed the Multiple Wave Oscillator (MWO), a device designed to generate a broad spectrum of electromagnetic frequencies aimed at restoring cellular oscillatory balance.
1952 - Alan Hodgkin (1914 – 1998) & Andrew Huxley (1917 – 2012)
Alan and Andrew developed the Hodgkin-Huxley model, describing how ions (sodium and potassium) move across the neuron membrane to generate action potentials. This work earned them a Nobel Prize in 1963.
Contemporary Electrophysiology
1972 - Harold Burr (1889 – 1973)
Burr’s book, “Blueprint for Immortality: The Electric Patterns of Life” was published in 1972 by Neville Spearman in London. Dr. Burr was Chairman of Anatomy at Yale Medical School. On page 59-60 of his book he describes measuring the voltages in the axilla of mice. One side was implanted with a tumor-causing material and the other side was used as a control.
He states, “In the animals with the foetal implant representing, therefore, a rapidly growing mass of embryonic tissue, the difference began to appear a little later, and reached a peak on approximately the sixth day, following which the potential difference dropped to zero and reversed its POLARITY until the end of the experiment. In the slow-growing tumors potential.—-ro and reversed its POLARITY until the end of the experiment. In the slow-growing tumors potential differences began to emerge on the third or fourth day but reached their maximum of approximately three millivolts on the tenth or eleventh day. From there, until the end of the experiment, the differences in potential fell steadily to zero. The control, and those without growth, showed a variable between the two sides of less than a millivolt for the entire experiment. In all of these measurements, the axilla containing the implanted foreign material was negative to the opposite axillary region.
It is clear from these findings that the crest of atypical growth in the host organism produced measurable and reproducible electro-metric correlates. The rapidly growing tumors developed higher potentials more quickly than the slow-growing implant. The foetal tissue started off rather promptly but early reached an electro-metric peak and thereafter declined to zero, subsequently to appear as a polar reversal which, in turn, returned to zero. The slow-growing implants started late but exhibited an electro-metric curve paralleling the essential slope of the rapidly growing tumors, but reached their lower maximum at approximately the same time as the rapidly growing tumors.”
Thus Burr was likely the first to determine that cancer occurs when the voltage reverses its polarity as cancer develops.
1970's - Intracellular Recordings: Erwin Neher (1944 – Present) & Bert Sakmann (1942 – Present)
Erwin and Bert developed Intracellular Recordings (1950s to Present) – Techniques in the 1970’s, such as patch-clamp recording, which allowed detailed studying of ion channels in individual cells.
1960's - C. Norman Shealy, MD (1932 - 2024)
1973-1975 - Alexander Karasev
Alexander released the ENS-01. This is the first model designed to treat disease, not just eliminate pain. This was the first prototype of S.C.E.N.A.R. (Self Controlled Energetic Neuro Adaptive Regulator). It was tested, trialed and put into practice at the sanatorium “Automobilist” in Sochi, under the supervision of Dr. Leontiev, who later became one of the best S.C.E.N.A.R. Therapists. The ENS was manufactured in Krasnodar until 1981. The first Russian patent for the SCENAR (Self-Controlled Energo-Neuro-Adaptive Regulator) device was issued in the former Soviet Union in 1986 to Vladislav Zakharevich, Alexander Nechushkin, Alexander Karasev, Alexander Revenko and Alexander Kibirevin.
1983 - Björn E.W. Nordenström, MD (1920 - 2006)
Dr. Nordenström published his book, “Biologically Closed Electric Circuits: Clinical, Experimental and Theoretical Evidence for an Additional Circulatory System”. He was a distinguished radiologist affiliated with the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. He served as a professor of diagnostic radiology and held the position of chairman of the Department of Diagnostic Radiology at the Karolinska Hospital from 1967 to 1979. His tenure at these esteemed institutions underscored his significant contributions to medical science, particularly in the fields of radiology and oncology. In this work, he proposed that the body contains closed electrical circuits that play a crucial role in physiological processes, including tissue repair and tumor growth. Nordenström’s theory suggested that manipulating these electrical circuits could have therapeutic applications, particularly in oncology. Nordenstrom used a Bovie cautery (ten volts) to destroy tumors by placing one needle in the tumor and one nearby.
1984 - A. Keith Brewer, Ph.D. (1893 – 1986)
Dr. Brewer, a physicist and researcher, is known for his work on the alkaline pH (electron donor) theory of cancer and the role of alkali metal ions in cellular function. His research focused on the relationship between cellular voltage, pH, and cancer growth, emphasizing that raising intracellular voltage could inhibit tumor formation. He found that cancer occurs when cells reverse polarity from -25 millivolts to +30 millivolts.
1983-1985 - Alexander Revenko (1954 – Present)
1985 - Robert Becker, MD (1923 – 2008)
Dr. Becker, co-authored “The Body Electric: Electromagnetism and the Foundation of Life” with Gary Selden. He was a pioneering orthopedic surgeon and researcher renowned for his work in bioelectromagnetics and regeneration. His medical affiliations included State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical Center: He served as a full professor of orthopedic surgery at this institution. In this work, Dr. Becker explored the role of bioelectromagnetism in healing and regeneration, challenging traditional mechanistic views of the body.
2002 - Jerry Tennant, MD (1940 - Present)
Dr. Tennant brought SCENAR to the United States. He began to train American physicians and others to use Electrophysiology to address their medical issues using the Russian protocols. In 2004 he created an evolution of the SCENAR using frequencies and protocols he had personally developed. His device was called the Tennant BioModulator. An advanced model was released in 2012 called the Tennant BioModulator Pro. In 2025, he again joined forces with Dr. Revenko with a model that combined features from the SCENAR and the Tenant Biomodulator protocols and frequencies called the Tennant BioModulator Plus Elite and Pro. Advantage.
2012 - Jerry Tennant, MD (1940 - Present)
2015 - Jerry Tennant, MD (1940 - Present)
Dr. Tennant published his work, “Healing is Voltage: Acupuncture Muscle Batteries“, in which he defined that our muscles are piezoelectric, rechargeable batteries, stacked one on top of each other to form battery packs. They are surrounded by fascia, which serves as the human wiring system to carry the voltage to each organ and cell in the body. A stack of muscle batteries is what has been called an acupuncture meridian. Fascia is a semiconductor which carries electrons in one direction at a high rate of speed. This discovery explains centuries of speculation of what an acupuncture is and how Electrophysiology can be measured and manipulated to restore the body to normal physiology. He has now mapped the circuits through the brain and will be published soon (2025.).
21st Century: Neural Interface Technology
Advancements in brain-computer interfaces, deep brain stimulation (DBS) for neurological disorders, and optogenetics (light-based control of neurons).