New York doctor uses electromagnetic pulses to fight depression

• For 10 years, Martha Franco was so depressed that she says she couldn't enjoy the smell of flowers or laugh at jokes on TV comedy shows.
• "I was suicidal a number of times," she said.
• "It was like, 'This is not worth it.
• Then Franco read about Dr. Sarah Lisanby's experimental treatment at Columbia University Medical Center in New York.
• The treatment, called transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, involves applying powerful electromagnets directly to the skull.
• TMS uses electromagnets to send pulses of energy directly into the left side of the brain, which is thought to control mood.
• The magnets create an electric current and get the brain cells to fire.
• "One can think of this as sort of getting a jumper cable and jump-starting your car because your battery has been drained," said Dr. Alvaro Pascual-Leone, who uses the treatment at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
• While TMS can cause twitching, doctors say it is safe and painless.
• Franco says the treatment restored her happiness and saved her marriage.
• "The sun seemed brighter, food tasted different," she said.
• "I mean, I could actually taste food.
• TMS is still in the research phase and has not been approved by the government for widespread use.
• Patients are generally treated for a few weeks and, if it works, the depression is staved off for months at a time.
• "I don't want to get there anymore, ever again," she said, laughing.