What Is Magnet Therapy?
Magnet therapy, sometimes called magnetic therapy or bioenergy therapy, is a pain management technique that uses magnets placed at particular points along the body, according to the American Cancer Society. Magnetic therapy has been used to treat pain caused by migraines and other headaches as well as arthritis. It's also been used to manage stress, boost circulation, as well as to treat cancer, broken bones and degenerative conditions.
What It Does
In magnet therapy, narrow magnets are placed on the body on strong or sticky pads that keep them in the right spot on the body. You can also use magnets that are contained in a belt, bracelet or wrap to be placed all over the body--from the feet to the elbows to the back. Magnets can be worn anywhere from minutes to weeks. It's thought that magnetic therapy works by playing off of the electromagnetic waves emitted by certain parts of the body.
Effectiveness
Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration notes that magnet therapy typically poses little risk for most people (with the exception of those who have implanted objects like defibrillators or pacemakers), they haven't been found to be particularly effective in studies. One small study by the Baylor College of Medicine found that magnet therapy did alleviate pain in polio patients, but more and larger studies are needed to determine whether magnet therapy is truly effective at managing pain or treating health conditions.
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