elcctronic pulse wave and makos it more acceptable Lo Lhe brain), and a
frequency sclecLor knob which allows you to choose any frequency from
6 Hz (in the Thc~a range) up lo 14 Hz (low Bela). FourelccLrodcs arc held
against the skull with a hcadband.

	The user selects an appropnatc frequency (the invcntor's research has
led him to recommend cerLain frequencies for specific goals or states: e.g.
12 H~for "centcring,"relaxation and mcntal stability; 10.5 Hzforhcaling
of the body and exLremc relaxation; 7.5 for inner awareness wEth a sharp
senseof focus and attention,guided meditation and creative thinking; and
6.3 Hz for accelerated ]earning and increased memory.) T hen, whcn the
signal is turncd on, Lhe user feols a mild pulsing. At this point, says
Hcrculcs, "the brain locks onto and falls into stop wilh thc frcquency
selcctcd." This entrainment, according to EEG analysis done by Fler-
cules, '`takes place throughout the entire cerebral cor~cx and puts both
brain hemispheres inro synchronization."

	EIcrcules notes Lhat the device produces whal we have called the
Bicycle Training Whcels Effect: "As a {eaching device, its main purpose
is lo directly instruct lhe uscr how to duplicate the desired frequency at
will. Once a particular frequency has becn leamed, the machine is no
longer required."

	While users report that the device is effective for a variety of uses,
inclnding acceleratcd learning, stress reduction, creativity enhancomenL,
meditation, aLhEcLic or fiLness training, sleep redacLion, and pain conkol,
one of the most intriguing areas is that of healing and cellular regenera-
tion. Several medical and scientific research organizations are investi-
gating the effects of Pulstar in these areas, and there are indications that
atcertain frequenciesthe device stimulatcs the release of growth hormone
and specds the healing and growth of colls.

	Mcrcu]cs offers himsclf as an example of the Pulstar's powers in this
area. In 1986 he su ffercd a sovere stroke tbat, as a result of Lhe destruction
of brain cells, tolally paralyzed his lcft side. "I used the Pulsta~, and ~vent
from bed lo whcclcha~r lo walker to cane to almost total recovcry in five
wceks." When I talkcd wi~h him about six months afLer the stroke,
Hercules was prepanng to go off to Mexico for scuba diving. Recovery
from such extcnsive destruction of neurons clearly involves substantial
rewiring and otherstructural changes in the brain, establishing newroutes
of neural comrnunication. Hercules claims, and thcre is some evidence to
bear cut his claims, that the Pulstar is effective in stimulating just such
brain growth.

The
Brain Tuner

The ETectric
Martinl

	One of [he most highly respecLed figures in
the field of elecLromagnetics is engineer/
physicist Dr. Robcrt Beck. I rccently asked
Bcck what was thc most effcctive way to
produce enhanccd mcntal functioning and
alLered states of consciousucss, and he quickly
answered "non-linear orthogonal EM fields."
He cited studies showing thaL proper elecLrical sLimulaLion increascd I.~.
by 2(}30 points.

	Beck has invented a neuro-electrical sLimulator called The Brain
Tuner that is arousing great interest. Unlike adjustable devices that
deliver relatively simple waveforms at frequencies selected by [he user,
the Brain Tuner is said to em.it 256 simultaneous frequenciesÄwhat the
distributor calls "all known beneticial frequencies for the natural
stimulation of the brain's neurotransrnitters." (According to Dr. Beck,
Lhis is made possible by the device's unique integrated circuits,
contaEning some 50 transistors and 4 diodes, that produce "nested
modulations of short-duration rectangular non-linear waves in pulsod
bursts. Very short rise-times insure harmonic output at bcneficial spectral
'windows."') Thus, in a complex inLerrningling of frequencies, the device
seems to be capable of stimulating [he brain Lo pour out an
electrochernical cockLail (in fact one woman who was trying this device
for thc first time tumcd to mc aftcr a fcw minurcs, hcr face alight wiLh
suddcn undcrstanding, and said, "Oh, I scc, iL's an clccLric marLini!")

	Ihe device seems to bc a sLep beyond the "B lack Box" of Dr. Margarct
Cameron that gained aLLcntion several years ago when a varicty of rock
slars such as Pctcr Townshend and Keith Richard uscd it to ovcrcome
addiclions to hcroin, alcohol, and other drugs. Thc Brain Tuner itself has

been used successEully to treat addictions (and relieve wilhdrawal
symptoms) involving cocaine, heroin, alcohol, and Inbacco. Among Lhc
results noted most commooly by users arc stress reduclion, raising of
stress tolerance levcls, allcviation of deprcssion and anxicty, normalizcd
sleep pattems, reduced slecp rcquirement, more REM slccp, more vivid
and lucid drcams, improvcmcnt of both short Lcrm and long tcrm mcmory,
improvcd conccntralion, and increascd encrgy lcvcls. Bcck laughingly
told me of a woman who had lost mcmory as a rcsult of ancsthcsia during
surgery, and tcn years latcr began using the Brain Tuncr. She was
astonishcd to find hersclf suddcnly remcmbcring hundreds of phonc
numbcrs of thc people she had worked wi[h over a dccadc bcfore!

	The device is quite simple to uscÄLwo elcctrodcs arc applicd to
acupuncture points in thc hollows just bcncath thc earlobcs. Thc elcc-
trodcs arc pluggcd inro a console sma]lcr than a pack of cigarct~cs. A
singl~knob tumsthc dcviceon and adJusts ihe inlcnsityof~he stimulalion,
v~hich feels likc a mild, pleasant tingling. During the period of use (about
40 minutes) many people notc a mild euphoria, and a scnsaLion of
increased mental energy and clarity. These effects can lingcr for hours and
in some cases days.

Alphatron ic

111

Su bt ly
Stl mu lating

	1 H ~ AL I3HATRON I C LI I. Anvthcr brain
stimulation device many users are finding
effeclive is the Alphatronic lII designcd by
elcc~rical enginccr Lowell Pope. Unlike the
Brain Tuner, this little box dclivcrs a modificd
sine wave atan extremcly low amplitude (in the
microampcrage range, about 100 timcs bclow
normal neuro-firing levels). Pope insists Lhat this is a kcy to its
effectiveness: "It's not 'driving' or 'entraining' lhe brain's elec~rical
aclivity," hc says, "but inslcad is genlly, subily slimulaling the brain in a
way that is vcry nalural, and is pcrccivcd by lhc brain nol as somc~hing
extcrnal buL as a part of its own ac~iviLy."

	The dcvice is about thc sizc of a box of slick rnatches, and has a
frcqucncy selcctor knob which allows you to choosc any frcqucncy from
2 Hz (in the Delta rangc) up to 12 Eiz (high Alpha). Two electrodcs are
placed against~hemastoid bonc bchind theear. Most userswillnotbeable

