Magnet Therapy
Treating illnesses and injuries with magnets or magnetic devices is growing in popularity, but it is not a new treatment. Throughout recorded history, many different civilizations have used magnets to improve health. Ancient Egyptian priests and Hippocrates, a Greek physician in the fourth century BC, documented the use of magnets. In the 15th century AD, the Swiss physician and chemist Paracelsus hypothesized that magnets might attract diseases and draw them out of the body. In Chinese medicine, magnets have occupied a central role for over 2,000 years. Magnetic wave therapy has its roots in the oriental philosophy of health called chi (qi), the energy flow which is the body’s principal life force and the key to well being. In this respect, magnetic wave therapy has a close kinship to acupuncture and acupressure.
Contemporary western medicine uses certain forms of magnetic energy for diagnosis, for example in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and as experimental stimulatory techniques to accelerate the healing process. Magnets are now gaining more acceptance from the US medical community and the use of magnets is becoming increasingly popular among osteopaths, physiotherapists and chiropractors as a means of treating a wide range of health problems, including chronic back discomfort, arthritis and sporting injuries.
There are many types, sizes and strengths of magnets. Patients sometimes use magnets on their own initiative or health care providers can administer the treatment. Magnets may be applied to the whole body or only to areas affected by illness. Devices may be implanted or used externally to deliver pulsed electromagnetic field therapy. Constant (static) magnets are also used. Magnet wraps are available for most human body parts, as well as for animals such as dogs, cats, and horses. Magnetic jewelry such as earrings and necklaces, shoe inserts, mattress pads, and magnet-conditioned water are commercially sold. Lodestones, rocks that possess natural magnetic properties, are sometimes sold as healthcare products.
Some practitioners theorize that magnets may improve circulation, increase blood oxygen, alkalinize bodily fluids, decrease deposition of toxic materials in blood vessel walls (such as cholesterol plaque) or relax blood vessels through effects on cellular calcium channels. Other theories describe altered nerve impulses, reduced edema or fluid retention, increased endorphins, muscle relaxation, cell membrane effects or stimulation of acupoints. Some traditional Chinese medicine practitioners suggest that magnets may affect patterns of flow of the body’s life force, known as chi.
The magnetic fields produced by static magnets are different from electromagnetic radiation and may have different effects on the body. Scientific evidence suggests that pulsed electromagnetic fields may help repair bone fractures that have not adequately healed after several weeks. Medical and scientific studies of magnet treatments are ongoing and increasing as popular awareness of magnets grows and anecdotal evidence of the efficacy of magnets continues to accumulate. In plain English, while a lot of people swear it works for them and their pets, scientists are still trying to figure out if and how magnets work to heal.
Magnets have been suggested for many health conditions. We’re not, of course, qualified to recommend any medical treatment. Do not rely on magnetic treatment alone to treat potentially dangerous medical conditions. Speak with your health care provider if you are considering the use of magnets for yourself or your pets.
Magnet Therapy
Treating illnesses and injuries with magnets or magnetic devices is growing in popularity, but it is not a new treatment. Throughout recorded history, many different civilizations have used magnets to improve health. Ancient Egyptian priests and Hippocrates, a Greek physician in the fourth century BC, documented the use of magnets. In the 15th century AD, the Swiss physician and chemist Paracelsus hypothesized that magnets might attract diseases and draw them out of the body. In Chinese medicine, magnets have occupied a central role for over 2,000 years. Magnetic wave therapy has its roots in the oriental philosophy of health called chi (qi), the energy flow which is the body’s principal life force and the key to well being. In this respect, magnetic wave therapy has a close kinship to acupuncture and acupressure.
Contemporary western medicine uses certain forms of magnetic energy for diagnosis, for example in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and as experimental stimulatory techniques to accelerate the healing process. Magnets are now gaining more acceptance from the US medical community and the use of magnets is becoming increasingly popular among osteopaths, physiotherapists and chiropractors as a means of treating a wide range of health problems, including chronic back discomfort, arthritis and sporting injuries.There are many types, sizes and strengths of magnets. Patients sometimes use magnets on their own initiative or health care providers can administer the treatment. Magnets may be applied to the whole body or only to areas affected by illness. Devices may be implanted or used externally to deliver pulsed electromagnetic field therapy. Constant (static) magnets are also used. Magnet wraps are available for most human body parts, as well as for animals such as dogs, cats, and horses. Magnetic jewelry such as earrings and necklaces, shoe inserts, mattress pads, and magnet-conditioned water are commercially sold. Lodestones, rocks that possess natural magnetic properties, are sometimes sold as healthcare products.
Some practitioners theorize that magnets may improve circulation, increase blood oxygen, alkalinize bodily fluids, decrease deposition of toxic materials in blood vessel walls (such as cholesterol plaque) or relax blood vessels through effects on cellular calcium channels. Other theories describe altered nerve impulses, reduced edema or fluid retention, increased endorphins, muscle relaxation, cell membrane effects or stimulation of acupoints. Some traditional Chinese medicine practitioners suggest that magnets may affect patterns of flow of the body’s life force, known as chi.
The magnetic fields produced by static magnets are different from electromagnetic radiation and may have different effects on the body. Scientific evidence suggests that pulsed electromagnetic fields may help repair bone fractures that have not adequately healed after several weeks. Medical and scientific studies of magnet treatments are ongoing and increasing as popular awareness of magnets grows and anecdotal evidence of the efficacy of magnets continues to accumulate. In plain English, while a lot of people swear it works for them and their pets, scientists are still trying to figure out if and how magnets work to heal.
Magnets have been suggested for many health conditions. We’re not, of course, qualified to recommend any medical treatment. Do not rely on magnetic treatment alone to treat potentially dangerous medical conditions. Speak with your health care provider if you are considering the use of magnets for yourself or your pets.
Magnet Therapy
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