Various theories address how magnetic healing works--and according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, most of them remain just that: theories. Magnetic healing is suggested for a variety of ailments, such as lower back pain, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. Whether or not you give credence to magnetic healing, its fascinating history dates back thousands of years.
History
Magnetic healing dates back to the time of the ancient Egypt, according to Naturalstandard.com. Hippocrates mentioned the healing properties of magnets in the 4th century B.C. During the Middle Ages, magnets were used to address a disparate number of conditions, reports the American Cancer Society, including gout, poisoning and baldness. They were also used on wounds to draw arrow tips and other iron objects from the body. Swiss physician Paracelsus, born in the late 15th century, took a keen interest in magnets, hypothesizing that since they attract iron, they could also draw various diseases out of the human body.
Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine sometimes uses magnets instead of needles on acupuncture points. In this context, magnets purportedly realign the pathways of the "qi," the vital energy in living things, creating a flow of energy through the affected area.
U.S. Medicine
Magnetic healing became popular in the United States after the Civil War. It was believed that magnets cured numerous ailments, such as headaches, back pain, insomnia, upset stomach and paralysis. People living in remote areas where doctors were in short supply turned to magnetic hairbrushes and insoles, magnetic ointments and clothing. The theory behind magnetic healing was that illness was the result of the magnetic fields in the human body becoming depleted. Magnets were believed to reverse this process and restore the body's magnetic fields.
Contemporary Use
During the 1970s, a researcher named Albert Roy Davis alleged that magnets not only treated arthritis, infertility and glaucoma, but that they had the potential to cure cancer. The American Cancer Society points out that magnetic therapy is now a booming industry in the U.S. and Europe. Magnetic products and devices sold to consumers include mattress pads, belts and jewelry, such as bracelets. Magnetic sole inserts are still around. These consumer products are applied to the area of the body that causes pain, such as the lower back.
Scant Evidence
NCCAM says that given the clinical research conducted on magnetic healing, there's little evidence that magnets relieve pain. The studies that have looked at magnetic healing in humans either contained too few participants, were too short in duration or weren't well designed. Even if magnets did yield positive benefits, states Quackwatch.org, a site maintained by the National Council Against Health Fraud, the magnetic products sold to consumers are very weak, producing little magnetic field either at or beneath the surface of the skin.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved magnetic therapy as a way to treat or cure any specific health condition. Unless you have a pacemaker, defibrillator or similar implanted medical device, magnets are considered harmless. However, some of the medical conditions magnetic healing claims to address, such as multiple sclerosis, are quite serious. Speak with your physician before using magnetic healing for your health concerns.
