Considering Magnet Therapy for Alternative and Natural Methods of Healing

For thousands of years, magnet therapy (also known as magnetic therapy) had been known to be a safe, simple, effective and economical form of alternative therapy. From a scientific point of view, magnets had been proven to help the body to regain its self-healing electromagnetic balance naturally.

There had been evidence that suggests that magnet therapy can help relieve pain, reduce inflammation, restore natural energy, increase blood circulation, and prevent infection and promote natural metabolic processes to help support the healing process.

From the proponents of magnet therapy, the claim is that it is a non-invasive treatment method with a high success rate.

Short history

There may have been a revival of sorts regarding the role of magnets in a person’s health and well-being, but this association goes a long way into the past.

For over 2,000 years, magnet therapy in China had occupied a central role in Chinese medicine. It had also been mentioned in the earliest writings in Egypt, India and Greece.

How it works

For the layman, magnet therapy works on the natural energy of magnetism and its relations to a person’s overall health. A magnetic field provides a natural method in helping the body’s normal healing processes.

Studies had shown that magnets had been an effective therapy for pain relief through the method of blocking pain sensations. Applying magnetic fields to an injured area improves blood flow and oxygen which in turn enhances the body’s natural healing process.

With the improved blood flow and the fluid exchange to the injured tissue helps reduce pain and inflammation.

Magnetic therapy today

In Japan and other Asian countries, therapeutic magnets are licensed as medical devices. There is growing popularity in the use of magnet therapy in such countries as Australia, Russia, Germany and many other European countries.

Lately, western medicine had used magnetic energy for diagnosis with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and as an alternative method of accelerating the healing of bone fractures.

Alternative therapy

Magnetic therapy is increasingly popular among progressive health care practitioners, veterinarians, professional athletes and the general population as well. 

With the spiraling cost of traditional health care and the continual aging of the general population, magnetic therapy had been included by many as among the options in relation to health. For reasons of effectiveness and economy as well as simplicity, magnet therapy might be well on its way of becoming an important part of alternative therapy in the future.

Clinical trials

There were some clinical trials in the U.S. reporting on some successes on their results. In 1997, the Baylor College of Medicine published a study where 76% of treated patients using permanent magnets had reported a decrease in arthritic joint and muscle pains compared to the 19% placebo patients.

The New York Medical College also released a study showing a significant reduction rate of foot pain in millions of diabetic patients. Employing magnetic insoles in their shoes, nine out of ten diabetics reported a decrease in painful burning sensations, numbness, and tingling. 

Understanding

For a long time, the medical community and the practitioners (and users) of magnet therapy had been at odds on the many aspects of this particular alternative therapy. Some consensus had been arrived at in the past, but only on minor points.

The major point is the medical community’s flat-out non-recognition of the medical efficacy of magnet therapy. The story continues.

For most patients suffering from chronic pain, arthritis, illness, or any kind of disease, constantly taking medication can cause uneasiness. Its side-effects or long term impact on the patient’s health is something to worry about. This is why a lot of patients are trying to look for alternative and natural methods of healing.  One of these methods is magnet therapy.

Magnet therapy is actually not something new.  As early as 2000 BC, magnet healing was already used in Chinese, and other early civilizations.  There are historical records showing the use magnetic therapy in Egyptian, Indian and Greek civilizations. 

With magnet therapy, the body is thought to be controlled by magnetic fields.  When a body is hurt or injured, the area affected becomes loaded with positive ions.  With the use of medical magnets, the positive ion from the injured area is removed, thus returning the body to its normal negative state. This would allow the blood to circulate easier and allowing oxygen to be distributed in the injured area and cells.

Medical magnets are easy to use and applied.  You just have to make sure that it’ll come in contact with the injured part of the body.  You just have to put a tape or bandage the magnet to the injured area.  If you are not experiencing any improvement, you could easily move it to another area.

There are many health benefits that magnet therapy brings:

1. Magnetic therapy is used for dealing and easing chronic pains like back pains, arthritis or tendonitis.


2. Athletes and non-athletes also used medicinal magnets for muscle pains.


3. Aside from easing muscular and joint pains, it could also help in reducing or even effectively removing and healing recurring headaches.


4. Since it could help in improving blood circulation, more oxygen is distributed in the cells.  The cells would release more toxins.


5. In addition to toxins that the body would shed because of magnetic therapy, you could also shed some pounds while on therapy.


6. Toxins and body waste are expelled by the body regularly since  magnet therapy could improve bowel movements.


7. There are also several patients who testified that magnet therapy was able to lessen their stress levels.


8. There are studies showing that magnetic therapy can help patients deal with depression.


9. Magnet therapy can help in improving sleeping habits.  There are some people who claimed that the therapy could even cure insomnia.


10. Magnetic therapy can increase energy levels.


11. Aside from pain relief, magnet therapy are also anti-inflammatory, anti-ageing, and helps the injury to heal faster.

There are several magnetic products that patients could easily wear to fit the injured areas.  There are bracelets which could work on joints and muscles in the hand and wrists.  There are also necklaces, rings, and earrings which a person could easily slip on.  Some of these magnetic jewelries are meant to balance the magnetic charge of the body.

When using different products for magnet therapy, it is important to learn about the specific products and what area, injury and illness it could treat.  This is the key in achieving results in magnet therapy.

Millions of people have attested to the effectiveness of magnetic therapy to alleviate pain and as alternative treatment for a variety of ailments. And the number of people who discover magnetic therapy is increasing every year. With more formal studies finding positive results for magnetic therapy, it would be just a matter of time before the scientific community accepts formally magnetic therapy as a legitimate form of treatment. But for now, the therapeutic use of magnets remains under the alternative and complementary category. Nonetheless, based on the increasing number of people who use magnets as complementary treatment it would be best for them to know at least the basic Dos and Donts of magnetic therapy.

As you probably already know, magnetic therapy uses the magnetic fields to help relieve pain and induce healing. The magnetic field has varying effects. It can relax the capillary walls increasing the blood flow to a certain area. This means more oxygen and nutrients are flowing into an area of pain which helps in the healing process. The magnets are also known to help prevent muscle stiffness and muscle spasms. And finally, the magnetic field can go to the cellular level and helps prevent pain from ending up to the brain. Magnetic therapy is therefore a little bit like pain killers but without the side effects.

The therapy is ideally performed in the mornings. It is not recommended that you undergo magnetic therapy just after you ate a meal. It is possible that you feel some nausea if you do so. But some would suggest that you eat or drink hot foods and hot liquids before your treatment. The hot food and liquid will keep the body warm during the magnetic treatment. If you do need to take meals, do the therapy at least after two hours of eating a full meal.

Very strong magnets should not be used in sensitive areas. The brain, heart and eyes are areas that you should avoid applying strong magnets to. Ceramic magnets would be ideal for these areas.

Use the correct poles for each kind of treatment. Magnets have north and south poles pretty much like the earth. The north pole is the magnetically negative side of the magnet and the south pole is magnetically positive one. Each pole affects the body differently. It has been found out that the negative north pole charge stops the development of growth and infection while the positive south pole assists in tissue growth.

With this in mind, it is recommended that you use the negative charge north pole of magnets to fight infections such as the common cold and use on inflammations. The north pole magnets are also ideal for use to correct spine injuries or help relieve back pains, headaches and even joint pains. For tissue healing like burns, the north pole magnet has proven to be effective as well. However, you should avoid using north pole magnets on pregnant women and to treat muscle weakness.

You will need the magnet’s south pole for that. South pole magnets are pretty helpful in fixing prostate problems and addressing infertility issues. These are some basics Dos and Donts of magnetic therapy. If you need to learn more, always consult a professional.

Using the right magnets for magnet therapy is pretty much a standard thing to know when using this alternative form of treatment. You cannot use just any kind of magnet. Although, magnet therapy is in itself a very safe and non-invasive form of treatment using the right kind of magnet will produce better results. The therapy uses magnetic fields from the magnets to relieve body pains, muscle spasms, stiffness and even inflammation. The therapy is quite effective and a lot of people, millions in fact, will attest to how the treatment helped them cope with their pain. And more and more medical professionals are jumping on board and recommending the therapy as a complementary form of treatment.

There are different kinds of magnets used in this kind of therapy. Those horse-shoe magnets that we often see in comics and cartoons are useless for magnet therapies. The most common magnets for therapeutic use are the flat ceramic magnets or at best the neodymium magnets. Neodymiums are stronger magnets than the ceramic types and are probably the best ones for therapeutic use. The Neodymium magnets range in strength from N24 to N55 with the latter one being the strongest one. The stronger the magnet the deeper the magnetic field can penetrate the body. The deeper the field goes, the more effective the results would be.

Magnet strength is measured in gauss. Ideally a magnet used in therapy produces a field in the range of 200 to 2,000 gauss. Be aware, however, that magnets can sometimes have varying gauss measurements. The magnet surface strength might be different from its core so read the labels of your magnet carefully. Also, selecting a large and thick magnet with a stronger magnetic field can help reach specific areas better allowing treatment to work faster and more effectively.

When looking for the proper magnets, it is absolutely necessary to consider only high quality grades available in the market. Using magnets that are too small, too thin or just too low quality would result only to wasted time and efforts.

Another important aspect of using magnets in therapies is the difference between unipolar and bipolar magnets. There are contrasting views on which kind is better to use. Some say unipolars are the ideal kinds of magnets to use in therapies. However, since only one area is being used to penetrate the body you probably will need a very strong magnet to achieve significant results. This is where people who use bipolar magnets say that they have an advantage. By using two kinds of magnetic polarity, a magnetic field is created strong enough to go inside the body or affected area to induce treatment.

Using the right magnets for magnet therapy and positioning them in the correct areas can easily help aching feet, arthritic fingers and joins, back pains and even headaches. Again the key is to use the correct magnet with an appropriate amount of strength. But if pain do persists it is best to go and consult your doctor.

We may have read about it or seen the numerous advertisements for magnetic products.  There are different anecdotal claims that magnet therapy could reduce chronic pains.  There are several studies conducted to figure out the effects or benefits of magnetic therapy. 

Magnet therapy can help those who are suffering from arthritis.  Through the use of magnets, the pain can be treated by increasing the circulation of the blood.  Actually, it is not only arthritis that magnets can heal.  There are also users who have testified the effectiveness of magnets on carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis.  In fact, the use of magnets could be traced as early as the Chinese, Indian, Egyptian and Greek civilizations.

Magnetic treatment or healing can balance the body’s positive and negative energies.  When the body is full of positive charge, the body is in an acid-producing stage.  This can cause the person to experience, arthritis pain, general pain, fatigue, insomnia and stress. It could also be the cause for fat accumulation and weight gain.

The use of magnets in specific areas of the body could release these positive charges and return the body to its alkaline stage.  The blood would have better circulation, which would allow more oxygenated cells to flow in the body.  This could result into better sleep, clearer mental focus and activity, reduce inflammation and lessen or totally remove pain.

According to Arthritis Foundation, arthritis is one of the major health problems and leading causes of disability for Americans who are aged fifteen and above.  More women suffer from this compared to men. And those half of the affected Americans, tend to believe that there is nothing that could help them relieve the pain.

When it comes to arthritis,  the magnets can increase the oxygen circulation.  Oxygen is very important in revitalizing and the healing process of the body.  It would help in releasing toxins and remove excess calcium in the joints.  Magnet healing could also increase the production of enzymes which are important in reducing inflammation.

There are studies who are trying to prove the benefits of magnets of arthritis.  The studies are not that conclusive since the results showed  improvement, the effects or the statistics are too minimal be considered significant like in the study published in the The New York Times in 2009 by Anahad O’Conner.

Although, there are medical professionals and institutions who are still sceptical of the effects and benefits of magnets on arthritis, the number of people who are interested in trying out the alternative method are increasing.

There are different forms of magnetic healing products to suit the different parts of the body which suffer from arthritis. There are bracelets, rings and wraps and foot insoles that can be used daily.  There are also magnetic mattresses and head pads which can be used while at home.

If you are still figuring out if magnetic therapy is something you would like to try, I suggest you start with a basic product like a magnetic bracelet or wrap.  This would help you get an idea if the treatment is working for you and if you are willing to invest into a bigger magnetic product like a mattress.

Chronic pains are among the major health problems that patients suffer.  There are about 5 million Americans who would suffer from chronic pain, lack of sleep, and fatigue because of fibromyalgia (FM).  Taking constant medications may not only hurt your budget, it could also cause side effects.  Which is why there are some patients who have arthritis, experience frequent migraines, and similar cases are on the hunt of alternative treatment.   Magnet therapy is one of alternative methods of treatment.

To justify the claims, there are several studies conducted on determining if magnet therapy is indeed useful in pain relief.  One of the several studies conducted on magnetic therapy is that of the University of Virginia.  In their study,  patients were divided into groups.  The first group received fake magnet, the second group continued with their original treatment methods.  The third group exposed their entire body to a uniform magnetic field.  While the fourth group only exposed specific body parts to magnetic field.

After six months, the study showed that there are positive results from patients who have exposed themselves to magnetic field.  Improvement was measured based on the frequency and intensity of the pain and the number of tender points in the body.

A similar study conducted in Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, showed that about 76% of patients with Post Polio Syndrome and Fibromyalgia who used magnets for pain relief, were experiencing less or no pain at all.   This is compared to the 18% of those provided with fake magnets or placebo. 

The New York Medical College conducted a study among patients suffering from diabetes and the tingling/burning sensation that sufferers would usually feel in their legs.  The pain was reduced by using polarized magnets .

When patients use magnets, the blood flow increases in the area where the magnet is applied and this could help in reducing pain.  The capillary walls would relax boosting blood circulation.  Increased circulation would allow toxins to be released and flushed away.  Aside from pain relief, better blood circulation could also result into better sleep.

Aside from that, magnets could also stop or intervene with muscle contraction and spasms. Spasms would only tighten the muscles and joints which could make movements or the area more painful. Medical magnets could help in relaxing and decreasing muscle tightness. They could also stop the nerves from transmitting electrochemical reactions or messages to the brain that would signal pain. 

When using magnets for pain relief, it is important to consider the gauss or the power of the magnet.   For medicinal purposes, magnets with about 400 to 10,000 gauss can be used.  An ordinary refrigerator magnet would have about 10 gauss, so you would no be able to use that since it lacks power. Just attach the magnet on the area where the pain is felt.  When desired results are not met, then adjust the position of the magnet.

Some would question the lack of scientific evidences supporting magnet therapy’s claims, but there is no denying the amount of interest it generates from the public.  More and more people are trying to figure out if magnet therapy and alternative medication would be able to help them with their chronic pain. 

What makes magnet therapy ideal, is that it is natural and works on three different aspects for pain relief: increase blood circulation, reducing muscle contraction and of course, interrupting electrochemical signals. However, before dropping your existing medication and shifting to magnet therapy for treatment, it is best to consult your physician, first.  Your overall health and condition should always comes first.