From bigclivedotcom.

Since the dawn of electricity, it has been used for genuine medical reasons and some less "medical" reasons. In the Victorian era they made ridiculous claims about the healing power of electricity, and there was a huge industry in medical shock coils and the very stylish high voltage violet ray and violet wand units.

The design of the medical shock coils was very simple. Basically an electromagnet and vibrating reed contact like a traditional electromechanical buzzer, but with connections either across the contacts or the coil itself used to give tingles and zaps to various parts of the body.

Fast forward to the current era and similar devices are still being sold. But their use for "sensations" is more common than their use for actual medical purposes. It follows that there is a huge market for all manner of attachments for every part of the body. From stick-on electrode pads, clips, gloves, socks, wristbands, handheld electrodes and insertable electrodes for every orifice.

In Japan they even have spas where electrical current is passed through the water under the guise of being healthful. (Do not try to emulate this.)

The energisers used with these devices vary from simple mass produced units like the one shown, to more specialist units that allow the use of audio waveforms for creating a wide range of sensations.

It’s important to note that popping an electrode into a wet area makes an astoundingly good electrical connection to your interior flesh, and use of inappropriate equipment could potentially pose a huge electrocution hazard.

Electrodes similar to this are used as cattle pacifiers in the farming industry. When inserted into the rear of the cattle they cause a controlled voltage gradient that temporarily reduces the mobility of their legs to allow vets to work on them. They tend to have a slightly longer insulator than these units, probably to create more of a voltage gradient. In a way I’m surprised that the human version doesn’t do that too.

It’s also worth mentioning that there are genuine medical uses of electrical current flow in the body. DC current is used in a treatment called iontophoresis to control sweat. TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) is used for pain control. Electroosmosis can be used to deliver chemicals in a very controlled manner. Past research has also been done into the use of externally applied electrodes to induce invivo DC current flow through blood for claimed sterilising effects.

If you wish to explore these medical electrodes and many other exciting accessories then the Aliexpress store I got them from (not a sponsor) is here:-
https://vi.aliexpress.com/item/1005003312196129.html
I won’t link to the full store as it’s quite full-on.

The availability and diverse range of these products is staggering. It’s clear that they are widely used. And just like the Victorians – most people using these devices for healthfulness just don’t talk about it.

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#ElectronicsCreators