Magnets have been used for centuries as part of traditional and folk medicine and today are marketed primarily for the relief of pain. To date there is no conclusive scientific evidence to support claims that magnets have any therapeutic benefit, but they are considered harmless.
Features and Theorized Mechanism of Action
Magnets used for healing come in the form of jewelry, shoe insoles, mattress pads, adhesive patches, belts and headbands. They can vary in strength, measured in units of gauss (G) or tesla (1 tesla = 10,000 G). Magnets used for the treatment of pain conditions are around 300 to 5,000 G, much weaker than the magnets used in magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, at 15,000 G or higher.
The magnets are usually made of iron or a mixture of metals called an alloy, and produce a measurable force called a magnetic field. While there is no proven theory for how magnets affect human physiology, some researchers and magnet manufacturers theorize that magnets can change the way nerve cells function and block pain signals to the brain. They are thought to affect the cellular life cycle, increase the temperature of the body at the region they are placed, and increase blood flow and nutrient delivery to body tissues.
Magnets In Medical History
Magnets were applied for health purposes as far back as the third century when Greek physicians used them to stop bleeding and treat arthritis. Physicians in the Middle Ages used magnets to extract iron-containing objects, like arrowheads, from the body as well as clean wounds and treat poisoning, baldness and gout. Magnets came into wider use in the U.S. after the Civil War, mostly in rural areas where physicians were scarce. The theory posited by healers of the time was that magnetic fields existed in the blood and disease was the result of their depletion. Magnets were purported to restore the strength of the fields, treating a variety of medical conditions.
Modern magnetic therapy began in the 1970s when Dr. Albert Roy Davis observed that positive and negative magnetic charges affected human physiology in different ways. Today magnets are primarily marketed for the treatment of various pain conditions, including fibromyalgia and arthritis, and see distribution through the U.S., Europe, China and Japan.
Research Findings
Both the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the National Cancer Society report that research has been inconclusive on any therapeutic benefit derived from magnetic therapy. Most rigorous clinical trials have found no effect on the treatment of pain. Some studies suggest that outcomes might depend on the strength of the magnets used, the type of pain treated and the length of time treatment was administered. However, the quality of many studies has been subpar, having too few participants, poor study design or too short an observation period.
Difficulties In Designing Research Studies
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine reports that placebo effect may be responsible for some of the reported healing effects, coming from a comfortable insole or a heated patch. It is also difficult to blind the patient to a sham vs. active magnet. If the patient knows he has an active magnet, this can affect results. It is also possible that low-strength magnets, which have also been used as sham magnets in some studies, may have therapeutic benefits. And finally, opinions on the magnetic strength required to produce a therapeutic effect, where to place them on the body and the time period required for treatment differ widely.
Warning
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not recognize any therapeutic benefit associated with magnets and deems them harmless in most cases. Exceptions are patients with any implanted medical device, such as a defibrillator, pacemaker or infusion pump, in which case magnetic therapy may have adverse effects and is not advised. Magnetic therapy is not meant to be a substitute for conventional medical care. Allowing symptoms to go unchecked by a licensed physician could lead to the development of a more serious medical condition.
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