HOW DO CES THERAPY DEVICES EAR ELECTRODES COMPARE? (VIDEO)

by Aiza Leano February 19, 2019

WHAT ARE THE BEST KIND OF EAR CLIP ELECTRODES TO USE WITH CES THERAPY & TENS UNITS?

There are several types of ear clips to use with CES therapy devices: plastic & alloy, plastic/carbon & cloth are the main types that you will encounter. Actually, in general, ear clip electrodes should not be used with a "regular" TENS device. TENS devices are for pain relief on the surface of your skin and not for treating anxiety, insomnia or depression conditions. Ear clip electrodes should be used with CES therapy devices also known as cranial electrotherapy stimulation. CES therapy devices offer specific frequencies and waveforms for improving anxiety, insomnia & depression symptoms. Also, make sure the device is FDA cleared or you may just waste your time giving yourself a headache.

TYPES OF ELECTRODES USED FOR CES THERAPY

The three main types of ear clip electrodes are discussed in the video below, they are:

CARBON/PLASTIC EAR CLIP ELECTRODES: These are typically black, offer superior comfort & performance and last a very long time. They may be used with conductive gel or water. There are really no negatives to these, other than they can be somewhat pricey for an initial purchase. Fortunately, they are reusable over and over.

PLASTIC/ALLOY EAR CLIP ELECTRODES: These are similar to the black, carbon ear clip electrodes but are typically white and have a metal/alloy conductive surface that clips to your ear. Like the carbon, they are reusable and can work with gel or water. The positive is that they are inexpensive. On the negative side, they can be more likely to cause irritation on the skin due to the warmth of the metal surface or allergies that some may have to certain metals.

CLOTH EAR ELECTRODES: These are small cloth electrodes that are also used with CES devices. They are actually placed just behind the ear and not on the ear lobe. Some prefer these to ear clips and the feedback for these is pretty positive. On the negative side, you do have to replace them after about 5 sessions or so.