Nov 2018 – Ann Thompson with Cincinnati WVXU radio did an interview with Dayton Police Department Chief Richard Biehl and Dayton Police Psychologist Kathy Platoni.
A third of Dayton’s police force is part of a pilot study to reduce stress using brain stimulation. One hundred officers are now in the fourth week of a six-week study for the therapy, already proven effective in both civilians and military.
Chief Richard Biehl knows his department is under a lot of stress and he says if that stress is not managed properly, potential outcomes can include burnout and poor performance and decision making in the wake of difficult circumstances.
“I can’t think of a more trying time to be in policing than in more of these recent years,” he says. “With all the complex roles for police officers dealing with arrest to domestic terrorism to active shooters.”
Biehl learned about the technology from Centerville Clinical Psychologist Kathy Platoni. She’s been prescribing it for years, both to civilians and to military in Iraq and Afghanistan when she was a colonel in the Army. The Alpha-Stim device, as it’s called, has wires that clip to the user’s ear lobes.
According to Platoni, the Alpha-Stim device “is called cranial electrotherapy stimulation at a sub-sensational level, which means you’re not supposed to feel the effects of the device.” She adds, “It passes a microcurrent through the brain and causes internal quiet.”
She says Alpha-Stim benefits users the more they use it. Dayton officers usually use it at home for up to 40 minutes a day.
“I applaud the F.O.P. leadership and membership for deciding to take advantage of this opportunity to allow officers to try this device,” says Biehl.
Alpha-Stim was developed by Texas-based Electromedical Products International, Inc. Dr. Platoni says she is not a paid spokesperson.
Dayton police are in the process of reporting their results. Based on that, the department will decide if it will continue using the devices and how much it would cost.
About Alpha-Stim®
Alpha-Stim® is an FDA cleared, handheld medical device that is proven to be fast, safe, and effective. Alpha-Stim is not a drug, so there is no risk of addiction or lasting side effects. It brings clinically significant relief to 9 out of 10 users.
Alpha-Stim delivers cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) through earclip electrodes. Treatments last 20 to 60 minutes and are easy and pain-free. Relief is long lasting and often immediate, and the results are cumulative – unlike with medications, users may need fewer and fewer treatments over time.
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