Magnetic Therapy
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By Rich Maloof for MSN Health & Fitness
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For over 25 years it has been widely accepted that pulsed electromagnetic fields can help treat bone fractures, and there is growing evidence to suggest a process known as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is effective in treating mental disorders such as severe depression.
There is less convincing evidence for the popular self-help therapy based on applying small magnets to various body parts. A great number of alternative health sources have advertised that wearing magnetic jewelry can speed healing from injuries, “aid blood flow,” ease arthritic pain and relax aching muscles. The inevitable result of citing unsubstantiated health claims like these—and then trying to sell magnetic bangles, necklaces, rings, blankets, mattresses and insoles—is strained credibility. However, one 2004 study did show decreased pain from osteoarthritis of the hip and knee.
Magnets may have healing potential similar to acupuncture needles.
Agatha Colbert, a physician with over 20 years’ experience in clinical practice, is studying the restorative effects of magnet therapy on the body. She has seen the benefits of acupuncture clearly demonstrated and hypothesizes that magnetic fields may help establish homeostatic balance in a similar way.
“I tend to think of magnets as potentially working through the same mechanisms as acupuncture: Not with a dramatic change or a magic bullet, but by kind of ‘nudging’ the body back towards health,” she says.
If magnetic therapy does work, wearing a bracelet is probably not an adequate application.
It’s not the magnet itself but the magnetic field that may have therapeutic properties. Once a specific ailment or pain is identified, the shape and strength of that field may need to be directly applied to a precise location on the body, whether it is the actual pain site or an acupuncture point. If magnets gain legitimacy, it will be as a carefully executed therapy—not as some kind of groovy, magic force. Those curious should consult a licensed acupuncturist or homeopathic practitioner rather than the guy at the head shop.
Few studies have controlled the parameters that would offer solid proof.
“In most of the clinical trials to date, researchers have not figured out beforehand what is the best magnetic dose to use,” says Colbert, who estimates some 55 legitimate studies have been conducted. “Where do you put the magnet, how long do you leave it there, and how often do you apply it? What material is the magnet made of, and what is the polar configuration? The approach needs to be refined.”
Colbert, currently at the National College of Natural Medicine, is working on a research grant funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM, which is part of the National Institutes of Health) to examine the effectiveness of using magnets of different strengths to treat carpal tunnel syndrome.
Magnets sure do have a polarizing effect.
A 1997 study at Baylor College of Medicine showed favorable results of using magnets to treat painful trigger points in former polio victims. Sellers of magnetic products, seizing an opportunity to validate the therapy, cited the study in droves—and stretched its implications far beyond the actual findings. An article on Quackwatch.com promptly shot holes in the Baylor study.
Says Colbert, “There’s a lot of skepticism and fear about magnet therapy, and I don’t know why. What do we have to lose by studying magnetic therapy or even trying it? Magnets don’t cost much and are unlikely to hurt anyone. If it turns out they are helpful, people will have a readily available resource for keeping themselves healthy.” She continues, cautiously noting that pregnant women and people with pacemakers, and anyone physically close to them, should not experiment with magnets: “There seems to be a lot of emotion tied up in it. Maybe we can reduce the emotion and seek more information; a little less heat and a little more light.”
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