Subj : Auckland couple's magnetic massage helps wounded soldiers in Ukraine
To   : All
From : News
Date : Sun Apr 14 2024 11:18 am

An Auckland based couple are preparing to return to Ukraine for a third time
to continue teaching in rehabilitation facilities for wounded soldiers.


Chris Toal is a deep tissue therapist and his Ukrainian wife Alla Kalinina
specialises in facial tissue therapy.


The pair are skilled in the alternative practice of pulsed electromagnetic
massage therapy (PEMT) and use a plastic mitt embedded with small magnets to
massage wound sites and areas of pain.


"There's a lot of research showing pulsed electromagnetic fields can change
state in nerves but you can't get great big machines in with you and lug them
round in Ukraine," Toal said. "So we've got a small modified tool that allows
us to roll on someone's injuries."


He said the pair have been working with soldiers who have experienced serious
blast injuries resulting in amputations, head injuries and other nerve
trauma. And that the treatment has a calming effect, often within a short
time frame.


It means a great deal to the couple to have been invited back for another
visit.


They said they have already trained 60 therapists in PEMT on their previous
trips to Ukraine.


Kalinina gets emotional talking about helping people in her homeland and the
incredibly warm welcome the couple has received there.


"They are really shocked that we're there. We are Kiwis from the other side
of the planet," she said. "When we arrived everybody said, 'Wow!! Really? You
know about us?' Our people are very grateful we support them."


The couple plan to visit three hospitals on their next trip including a major
neurological treatment hospital in Vinnytsia and the Ukrainian National
Rehabilitation Hospital in Lviv.


"People ask, how can you do this? We say, how can you not?" Toal said. "These
are lovely people. They didn't ask for this war, they were minding their own
business."


He sighs and is close to tears describing how rewarding the couple find the
work.


They are now waiting for travel arrangements to be finalised but expect to
return by June.


What is pulsed electromagnetic massage therapy?
PEMT is practised globally and is considered an alternative therapy.


The NZ Defence Force says its medics do not administer PEMT and is not
considering its use.


One trauma specialist with experience in war zones told 1News holistic
medicine may better support patient psychological wellbeing than conventional
medicine.


Another trauma doctor who spent time in Ukraine said he can see how PEMT "may
alleviate neuropathic pains associated with traumatic amputation

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