METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING A PRESCRIPTIVE ELECTRICAL SIGNAL

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING A PRESCRIPTIVE ELECTRICAL SIGNAL Apparatus and method of transcranial electrical nerve stimulation is disclosed including the generation of a reliable, reproducible, programmable, prescriptive waveform. The applied signal has a therapeutic effect which, depending on the prescription, ameliorates pain, assists in ameliorating stress or anxiety-related disorders, minimizes the withdrawal symptoms in drug detoxification and the like. The electrical signal is a continuous and interrupted complex of pulses and has a zero net cummulative charge. The preferred application of the prescribed signal is via selected contact points on the skin of the ear. The contact points are chosen because of their known affinity for changing endogenous concentrations of neurotransmitters and neuromodulators in the brain. The parameters of the electrical prescription include current amplitude, pulse width, zero net charge delivered in any pulse, time between adjacent pulses, number of pulses in a packet, the time between adjacent packets in a pulse train and the number of pulse, trains in the prescription. Monitoring of the acutal delivered signal to the patient is performed. The monitored response is used to correct system output to insure adherence with the signal parameters that are prescribed to optimize accuracy of signal application and therapeutic results.