Abstract

A quasistatic biological cell and tissue modifier is provided that presents a controlled electromagnetic environment which produces beneficial effects in biological material. The electromagnetic environment consists of a static magnetic field and a time-varying field. The static magnetic field potentiates the effect of the time-varying magnetic field and further modulates the amplitude at which the time-varying field is biologically active. The static field is provided by a permanent magnet or through electromagnetic means. In one embodiment the coil that produces the time-varying field is a single coplanar helical coil. In another embodiment it is a plurality of coplanar helical coil segments connected in parallel. In these two embodiments the coil is a flexible printed circuit that can be contoured around an organ. The static magnetic component is provided by a flexible permanent magnet or by the net bias of the time-varying field itself. A third embodiment with two small rigid coils uses a clamp to attach the coils to a patient's ear or other part of the body.