What is the story of how you decided to create NeoRhythm? What was the initial inspiration?
Marko Kadunc (MK): Well, some things are just meant to happen, and NeoRhythm was one of them. With PEMF being one of the most user-friendly technologies, recognized by science, well tested and safe to use, we thought why not take advantage of it. Initial research showed there is still a lot of room for improvement and upgrade, and that’s when we realized for the first time, this might be a beginning of a great journey.
With technology development, IoT, and other modern solutions that are becoming more and more available on the market, it gives scientists, developers, and entrepreneurs unlimited possibilities to create solutions that could change people’s lives for the better in many ways.
As NeoRhythm CEO, how/when did you know that you and the team had a good idea?
MK: Most people believe that once the product is developed, (in our case, scientifically confirmed), tested and launched, that’s when you know. But the truth is, that’s only the beginning. We only knew our idea was good after receiving feedback from the first 3000 customers that confirmed we are on the right track. But it’s an ongoing journey, and improvement never really ends as the initial idea keeps getting upgraded.
Could you explain what Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields (PEMF) technology is and why you and your team at MDCN Technologies, Inc. wanted to make this specific technology widely accessible to consumers?
PEMF technology has been used in big, expensive wellness devices for decades with great success. It is used as a treatment for various medical conditions such as chronic pain, fractures and depression and has been shown as promising and safe to treat cancer in studies. It is a form of neurostimulation that encourages your brain to mimic external signals provided by the device in a non-invasive and entirely safe way. With PEMF being scientifically proven, non-invasive and FDA approved as well as safe, we thought it was the right choice to make it accessible to practically everyone.
So how does PEMF really work? If you’ve ever felt yourself sleepy while on a train ride, the repetitive chug-a-chug of the wheels lulling you to sleep, there’s a neurological reason for that. The rhythm of the wheels matches a brain wave state that encourages relaxing and sleep. Our brains take a cue from the movements of the train and mirror the rhythm. The result is that your state of mind shifts into sleep mode.
We want to bring PEMF to people to help them train their brains to work for them, not against them. They are to use it in the comfort of their own home for self-care and consequently avoid the development of a clinical condition.
How does PEMF compare to other forms of neurostimulation such as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS), which uses much higher stimuli approaching neuronal firing level? How do the impacts and potential benefits of these two modalities differ?
MK: Firstly, NeoRhythm is built for a variety of purposes, unlike other rTMS (brain stimulation therapies used to treat depression) devices are, although it uses the same technology. As opposed to rTMS, we can use PEMF every day, meaning we do not need to wait for a clinical condition to appear and start treating it when too late. We all know it’s better to prevent rather than cure, and that is what NeoRhythm helps you do. It also provides brainwave entrainment, which rTMS devices don’t. There is also, of course, the price-performance ratio.
How did you and your scientific team determine an ideal intensity for the magnetic fields generated by NeoRhythm in terms of maximizing efficacy while maintaining optimal safety for a consumer device?
Well, this wasn’t hard with a team of experts and a multidisciplinary board of advisers, as well as PEMF, being so thoroughly studied, proven safe, non-invasive, and used through decades. Over the years, we have assembled an ambitious team of 15+ experts in various fields and have invited prominent experts in the areas of neuroscience and technology to work with us in various phases of development.
When you consider the potential applications of your technology for the medical and professional sphere, are there specific ailments that you would like to target, and why? Without getting into anything proprietary, how would you tweak or adjust the basic design of the consumer-targeted NeoRhythm in order to create a clinical device? To what general degree (if any) would clinical disorders require a higher magnetic field intensity for a therapeutic response?
MK: We believe that there are three things you need in order to solve most of your problems – a good night’s sleep, being able to relax and concentrate fully. And that’s what we help people to reach with NeoRhythm. Although it is designed as a wellness device, there is a thin line between clinical and wellness.
The basic design, with some minor adaptions, is already pre-prepared for the medical up-grade to treat depression and migraines. NeoRhythm could already be the answer to some of these issues. But, all these clinical conditions deserve more attention and broader understanding of the client/patient needs, and this has to be integrated into hardware, software, and above all, into communication channels of the company. This will, of course, influence the final price, as it takes the initial NeoRhythm to a higher level.
NeoRhythm is built on the experiences of our research team, especially Bion Institute, and also on the experiences of other scientific and clinical studies. Higher magnetic field intensity is proved to be effective, especially in treating depression, but why using higher intensities, if we can achieve the same results with low-intensity solutions. All PEMF solutions should be based on the scientific/clinical studies but also be confirmed by users so there is a confirmation both by science and people, who are the users after all.
Last but not least, that core NeoRhythm advantage is brainwave entrainment, and this is one of the functionalities where NeoRhythm differs from the higher intensity solutions on the market.
Could you explain the regenerative effects seen with PEMF and what is responsible for them?
MK: There are many studies on PEMF being proven effective on tissue regeneration, but what is mentioned mostly is nerve regeneration – which is one of the main reasons to use PEMF. Nerve regeneration means that the nervous tissues, cells, and cell products are able to repair, and PEMF has been proven effective even with individuals suffering from neurological issues such as spine pain, multiple sclerosis, or even stroke, which proves its power.
What inspired you to create a neurostimulation wearable that can be positioned different ways to target specific areas of the brain? Could you tell us a little about how you determined the ideal placement and frequencies for each of your unique programs?
MK: Electromagnetism is one of the four fundamental forces in the universe and is responsible for innumerable observable phenomena in everyday life. NeoRhythm harnesses its power to produce frequencies that encourage the mind to function in your preferred state, from energy and concentration to sleep to pain control and beyond. And it does so like no other device – it features five inverted coils, strategically placed across the comfortable headband, to produce harmless electromagnetic fields that emit waves in patterns that your mind seeks to imitate. Because of well-thought positioning of 5 magnetic-field-generating inverted coils, which separately and in-tune target specific areas in the brain (prefrontal cortex, temporal lobes, cerebellum, parietal lobe, occipital lobe) or spinal cord to offer the largest and most precise stimulation area on the market today.
NeoRhythm can be placed in any of the 5 predetermined stimulation positions; each one designed access directly to the right part of the brain to provoke the desired state of mind. For example, if you choose the Energy & Vitality mode, it is best to wear the headband over the prefrontal cortex region. For Pain Control, the headband should be worn in a slightly lower position, at the back of the head or even around the back of the neck, to better access the parietal and temporal lobes.
A little bit about frequencies: gamma brainwaves have the highest frequencies (30 Hz+) and are dominant in states with heightened perception. Beta brainwaves (14-30 Hz) are dominant when we are awake, and our consciousness is normally alert. Alpha brainwaves (9-13 Hz) are dominant when we are relaxed – still awake but less alert and perceptive. Theta brainwaves (4-8 Hz) are dominant when we are in a state of reduced consciousness – light and REM sleep, dreaming, or deep meditation. Delta brainwaves (less than 4 Hz) are dominant when we are in a deep sleep without awareness of our surroundings.
NeoRhythm has been carefully programmed by a team of scientists to generate specific dominant rhythm (through controlled low and medium-intensity magnetic fields that develop a minimum flux density of 2.5 gauses and a maximum of 25 gauses) that mirror the mind’s naturally-occurring wave frequencies. Each frequency matches a “state of mind” that we associate with specific activities. In this way, you can choose your preferred state of mind by selecting one of the NeoRhythm programs, and your mind will seek to match NeoRhythm’s suggestion. The intensities created have been proven effective, yet still non-invasive and safe to use.
For example, the program for sleep improvement uses the dominant frequency of 4 Hz, a magnetic flux density of 2.5 mT, and the accompanying frequency of 2.67 Hz with a magnetic flux density of 0.25mT.
What are the most remarkable things you have learned about the power and benefit of PEMF since launching MDCN Technologies, Inc. and developing NeoRhythm?
MK: How it can truly change your life when you make other changes in it, besides using PEMF. It is incredible what kind of power our brain has over our lives, and we’re just starting to understand and take advantage of it fully. No magic pill is needed. What we need is a good night’s sleep, healthy nutrition, and an active lifestyle that will help us take full advantage of PEMF and truly change our lives for the better.
The Sleek NeoRhythm Headband
Your company is very committed to science and clinical (scientific) testing. In addition to using scientifically-confirmed frequencies that have been widely studied and FDA-approved for medical and wellness purposes, NeoRhythm has also undergone two double-blind, placebo-controlled studies to formally demonstrate its safety and effectiveness. Why is this commitment to science important to you, and what sorts of further studies are either underway or planned?
MK: Well, without being backed by science, you cannot prove it to be effective, right? If it weren’t backed by science, it would have been just guessing what it could do. That’s why we decided to use PEMF, which is already used widely and proven effective and safe.
We are already preparing for our next research – tackling sleep. Our goal is to define frequencies better so we can then address different sleep disorders and problems. As we are all different, we find it essential to find solutions to various problems in order to help as many people as possible. Unfortunately, there is no universal device, but with modern software solutions (mostly in connection with smartphones) we see options to research and therefore adapt our technology for different needs easily and cost-effectively.
What is the greatest lesson you have learned so far in your career as an entrepreneur?
MK: It’s all about people. I mean it. I’ve learned that you have to connect with people you trust and how important mutual respect is, among co-workers, partners, and customers. I also find it important to have clear goals and always know what your next step is.
What was your mission at the outset of creating MDCN Technologies, and has the mission evolved over time or with new discoveries? If so, how?
MK: Our long-term vision was and is still the same. We want to become the reference point for life quality improvement, where we use transcranial magnetic field technology. We want to optimize our technology by making it invincible and trying to be as customer-centric as possible. We have always kept our customer’s needs in mind. We learned a lot from the first users’ feedback and used it to improve our product. The first headband was redesigned and made much lighter, more comfortable, and more flexible. We developed a new and comprehensive app. We added features to address a broader range of different issues. Over the years, we have developed new ideas and solutions together in the field of PEMF devices with a common goal: to improve the quality of life for all, and the mission stays the same.
What are the biggest problems you hope to solve through NeoRhythm and future endeavors?
MK: We strive to develop medical devices and other devices with high efficiency, that are based on PEMF technology so we can make PEMF available for all people – improving people’s lives is our mission after all. We have set a few goals we want to reach in the next 3 years – to optimize the frequency and include other technical solutions that would make our PEMF technology smarter are two of the most important for us. And of course, helping people improve their lives in the process. We try to offer our customers as much advice as we can to make their lives better, besides using our product.
When it comes to NeoRhythm, we believe in its power to change the world by changing people’s lives for the better first. This is why, to get a chance to make our revolutionary innovation visible to the global population, we decided to join the Innovation World Cup this year. Thousands of contestants from over 80 countries have taken part, and we are ready to join them and shake the future! The most important thing for us right now is to bring NeoRhythm to the spotlight across the WT (wearable technology) scene, so it can improve the lives of people worldwide and begin its global journey. It’s ready to do that by being proven effective and helping thousands of people worldwide already.