The Effect of Schumann Resonance on Preterm Newborns

Body weight gain is crucial for preterm newborns, especially those with a low birth weight. Owing to their noninvasive, noncontact, and non-pharmaceutical properties, extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) are a promising medium of alternative and complementary therapy.

Sixty-one preterm newborns of 32-35 weeks' gestational age were recruited from the neonatal intensive care unit of the Chung Shan Medical University Hospital and randomly assigned to one of two groups: the experimental group (n = 31) or the control group (n = 30). Both groups received the same medical care, but the experimental group was exposed to ELF-EMFs until discharge.

After parental permission for participation was obtained, the preterm newborns were enrolled and divided into the experimental group, which received ELF-EMF therapy after a pretest in addition to regular medical care, and the control group, which received regular medical care only, using a random number table.

Although the preterm newborns' body weight was recorded daily, the differences in body weight gain between the two groups were compared every week.The body weights of the preterm newborns were recorded using the same weighing scale at the same time every day.

The preterm newborns' sleep quality was recorded daily, the differences in sleep quality between the two groups were compared every week. The preterm' sleep quality was recorded by the sleep tracking devices of Fitbit Alta HR. The correlation coefficient between Alta HR and PSG was 0.85~0.87.

Inclusion Criteria: gestational age (GA) between 32 and 35 weeks Neonatal Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System (NTISS) score <9 Exclusion Criteria: (1) a diagnosis of congenital anomaly, intrauterine growth retardation, cerebral palsy, or hydrocephalus; (2) an NTISS score>9