Although the use of magnets to heal pain dates back to the Ancient Greeks, its effectiveness remains scientifically unproven. Individual and random accounts seem to promise real potential for magnetic healing, if adequate trials are conducted to prove these claims.
Claims for Magnets Unsupported
Despite a few random studies that suggest magnets may provide pain relief and promote healing, "scientific evidence does not support the use of magnets for pain relief," according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), a branch of the National Institutes of Health.
In the realm of alternative medicine, the hypothesis is that magnets align the molecules of blood by acting directly on the iron in blood to improve circulation. There is a brisk market in magnetic shoe inserts, bracelets, bands, back braces, mattresses and other devices, NCCAM says.
Magnets Ineffective but Harmless
Even though they may be ineffective in pain control, magnets are generally harmless, according to the NCCAM, although they should probably not be used by people with heart pacemakers or defibrillators because they might impair the functioning of those devices.
The power of a magnet is measured in Gauss (G) units or Tesla (T) units. One Tesla equals 10,000 Gauss. Magnets sold in pain relief products range in power from 300 to 5,000 G. One of the difficulties in measuring the effectiveness of magnets for pain reduction is quantifying the effects of the magnet's strength; others are frequency of use, length of time the magnet was applied and specific body parts treated, according to the NCCAM.
Promising Study at Baylor
A 1997 study of magnets at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, published in the "Archives of Physical Medical Rehabilitation," reported "significant and prompt relief of pain" in 50 patients with postpolio syndrome. This was a double-blind, randomized clinical trial.
Postpolio patients who received the magnet were treated with application of 300 to 500 G magnetic devices for 45 minutes. The proportion of patients treated with magnets who experienced pain reduction greater than that of the placebo group was 76 percent.
Authors of the study concluded that "application of a device delivering static magnetic fields of 300 to 500 G over a pain trigger point results in significant and prompt relief of pain in postpolio patients."
Magnet Helps Heal Hand
Another often-cited case in support of magnetic therapy involves a 70-year-old man who was shot in the left hand and suffered extensive muscle and bone trauma. He was treated at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida, by Richard Rogachefsky, MD, of the University of Miami Medical School.
Reconstructive surgery for the thumb and left wrist involved bone graft and extensive removal of damaged tissue. Four days after surgery, a magnetic device was applied to the surgical site and remained in place for five weeks. The bone graft and wound site were "completely healed" within five weeks. Dr. Rogachefsky was astounded, since "usually fusion of this magnitude with extensive bone loss does not fuse for at least two to three months."
Additional Research
Magnetic healing is controversial. There are a few anecdotal cases of magnetic healing and a few scientific studies that are flawed because they are poorly designed or do not include a large sample of patients. NCCAM-funded research is under way to measure the effectiveness of magnets in treating carpal tunnel syndrome, fibromyalgia, low back pain, knee osteoarthritis and networks of blood vessels.
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