How Well Does Magnet Therapy Work for Pain?
Many civilizations throughout the years have used the power found within magnets to alleviate pain. During ancient times magnets were thought to drive diseases from the body. Sounds like they were on to something! Now, magnets are used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and some are implanted or used outside the body to convey electromagnetic pulses for healing.
Magnets are also available for use in belts, jewelry, shoes and mattress pads. These static magnets are believed to help bones repair themselves after fractures. Some practitioners use magnets for treatment of blood disorders such as circulation, decreasing toxic materials and increasing blood oxygen.
There is a large amount of evidence today that supports the fact that magnets are useful in managing pain, proponents claim that when you expose parts of the body to magnetic fields, the result is positive. Naturopathic health professionals agree that magnets work by blocking pain in the body.
Medical magnets are effective for the following illnesses:
- Neuropathy from Diabetes – When neuropathy from diabetes occurs, magnetic foot pads are sometimes used to relieve numbness and pain in the feet.
- Chronic Back Pain – Strip magnets taped to the back or using a magnetic back brace can alleviate back pain.
- Fibromyalgia – This debilitating disease can be helped by sleeping on a magnetic mattress.
- Headaches – Magnetic headbands are available to help rid yourself of headaches – or you can tape magnets to the back of your head.
- Acupoint Stimulation – Magnets are often used to stimulate acupoints in place of needles. The North side of the magnet sedates acupoints and the South side stimulates these points.
Some studies suggest that most pain sufferers can be helped by magnetic therapy. Also, magnets are safe and have no risk of side effects. Magnets can boost the flow of blood to painful areas on the body by calming the capillary walls and can also prevent painful muscle spasms by preventing the “pain message” from being transmitted to the brain.
The search for products to relieve pain has come to the forefront of medical research in the past few years. Because of the positive results of recent studies using magnets to control pain, more research is being planned for the future.
Magnets used for medical purposes can cost from about $4.00 to $100.00 and come in a wide array of shapes, strengths and sizes.
Live Like You Love Life
Dr R
