Magnetic Therapy: The Facts (and Some Myths)

Is magnet therapy regarded yet as a mainstream therapy? I consider it is not and through this series of articles I hope to raise awareness by examining a number of issues that have stood in the way of mass acceptance.

There is a useful parallel to be drawn between magnetic therapy and acupuncture. Acupuncture today is an accepted alternative therapy but 20 or 30 years ago it was regarded with deep suspicion. So what has happened to make it so popular now that many conventional health clinics have a professional acupuncturist on hand to provide the therapy?

Well, the passage of time has allowed communication of the obvious benefits actual patients have enjoyed by having a wide variety of symptoms relieved. If one reads the information available at http://acupuncture.com/ the science behind acupuncture is still largely theoretical and involves the common ground shared among meridian system, chakra system and modern sciences Basically, acupuncture is a successful discipline that encourages the body to heal itself.

(It is worth noting here that the general description of what acupuncture does, includes words such as electromagnetic fields and polarity. Terms which also are used in any consideration of magnetic therapy.)

So, acupuncture has become accepted mainly because of anecdotal results and any number of successful blind trials. Virtually the same situation that magnetic therapy finds itself in today!

The sceptics and doubters will tell you there is no basis on which magnet therapy can work; but they said the same words with regard to acupuncture all those years ago. They will tell you there is no clinical proof that magnetic therapy does anything. This too is untrue, but like anything it depends on how tests are carried out and what is being measured.

It is also good to keep in mind; these are both alternative therapies. Alternative, to what? To the medical and veterinary establishment who maintain they have the monopoly on curing all biological bodies with drugs and surgery and radiation. (I acknowledge there are dedicated individual health professionals and vets, who do have wellness as their main priority for us and our animals.) There have been many occasions down the ages when new innovations and discoveries have been discredited by those with a vested interest in their failure.

Further fuel for the sceptics and doubters rhetoric is that there are many companies and individuals out there who, looking to jump on a band, will sell you a product that may be totally inappropriate for your needs. Dealers who sell magnetic therapy items have, in my experience little or no knowledge of how the therapy works or able to provide help and advice as to the correct application. It is these people who generally cannot be bothered to find out, will tell you, it is not known why magnets work only that they do. This is untrue and in my next article I will examine why and how magnets effect the functioning of the biological body.

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What is magnetic therapy?

Magnet therapy, or magnetic therapy, is a pseudoscientific form of alternative medicine based on the concept that certain medical disorders can be effectively treated by exposure to magnetic fields. Some believe that magnetic fields emanating from permanent magnets placed close to the body can cause bones to heal faster, relieve pain, and perform other forms of healing to the body. It is most commonly recommended by practitioners as a cure for joint disorders and back problems. ...
Practitioners of this therapy use negative magnetic fields which have a beneficial effect on health. By placing magnets near or on an injury site, a force field is created that encourages muscle relaxation and increased blood flow, while reducing inflammation. Devices range from small, simple magnets to large machines capable of generating high magnitudes of field strength.