“If you make a small cut on the tip of your finger, and you then put it above a candle flame, you will only feel the most intense one,” he adds. “The body cannot respond to two forms of pain at the same time in the same place,” explains Nachum. The science at work here can be explained by the Gate Control Theory, a widely-accepted view of how pain is expressed by the body proposed in 1965 by psychologist Ronald Melzack and neuroscientist Patrick Wall.Īlthough the field of pain has evolved to show that certain aspects of the original theory were not wholly accurate, the core argument – that the spinal cord contains a neurological “gate” that can block pain signals from reaching the brain – is still generally accepted.
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Chen Nachum, CEO of Livia creator iPulse Medical (Credit: Livia) What makes Livia an effective tool for suppressing menstrual pain?Ī TENS machine attaches to the skin using pads and sends electric pulses into it that reduce pain by sending signals to the spinal cord and brain through the nerves. It’s these dramatic results that iPulse characterises as an “off switch” for period pain – but even the firm’s own clinical evidence suggests this is a bit of an exaggeration. “When you use Livia, you get dramatic results after 30 to 60 seconds.” “If you take a regular TENS machine and use it for menstrual pain, the result would be relief after 20 or 30 minutes. “Livia is based on the technology of TENS machines, but we improved it, and the secret is the wave shape and its accuracy,” says iPulse Medical CEO Chen Nachum. The difference, however, is that Livia manufacturer iPulse Medical claims the device is specialised to give relief from an experience from which roughly half of the world’s population suffer – period pain. The fundamentals behind Livia are similar to those of the TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) machine – a device invented in the 1970s and since used to ease the pain of childbirth, alongside a range of medical conditions that cause chronic pain. The electrical nature of the treatment was illuminated during the European enlightenment period, and the learnings paved the way for modern e-stim technologies – like Livia. Of course, the Electric Ray in question had no idea it was being attached to the feet or head of a human in an effort to relieve the pain of gout or a headache respectively, but remarkably it was successful enough to become a regular treatment option for thousands of years to follow. Peter Littlejohns speaks to the founder behind it.Įlectrical stimulation (e-stim) has been around since ancient Greece – only back then it was administered by a fish. Livia is the company proposing a device that does just that at such a price point. Period pain can be the bane of a woman’s existence – so much so that handing over $140 might not seem so painful if it means adequate relief. Livia operates under the same foundations as a TENS machine, but with one patented tweak (Credit: Livia) The company behind Livia makes bold claims about its ability to switch off period pain better than a TENS unit, especially when it's a lot pricier
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