The Healing Powers Of Magnets

By Author: Erwin Metius
Total Articles: 4762
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While alternative medical practitioners have touted magnets as healing devices for thousands of years, the mainstream medical community has been putting more effort into developing pharmaceutical drugs and high-tech devices than it has into exploring the scientific basis of traditional healing methods.

That trend is slowly changing as researchers begin to look at the healing powers of static magnetic fields and magnets from a strictly scientific viewpoint, using controlled double blind studies to calculate magnet doses for various ailments. Although the results of these explorations have not been published as of yet, a PubMed database search reveals that three studies started in 2008 (it typically takes two to three years to complete studies and analyze the results).

Complementary medical practitioners will continue to use magnets, and patients will continue to report their findings. The healing powers of magnets can't be denied, although they have not been proven by medical doctors yet.

Ailments Which Benefit from Using Magnets

Arthritis, especially of the knee, wrist, and shoulder, is a prime ...
... target for static magnetic field therapy. Commonly prescribed pharmaceutical medicines can cause damage to the liver or other body organs if taken over long periods of time, and magnets are reported to provide pain relief from the symptoms of arthritis with no known side effects.

Fibromyalgia is a notoriously difficult disease to treat because the symptoms are widespread and not attributable to any one cause. Fibromyalgia sufferers have found relief from aching joints and muscles by using static magnetic field therapy. Even wearing a bracelet has been enough for some patients to find relief.

Headaches and migraines can be treated either with low-powered static magnetic fields or with stronger magnetic fields focused on the head area. Magnet therapy is often accompanied by craniosacral manipulation-essentially, a specific type of head massage.

Athletes choose to wear magnets on the parts of their bodies they count on the most to perform their sports. This is to prevent injury as well as to heal from the day's workout. Golfers, tennis players, and football players have all testified that magnets have helped them recover from injuries faster.

Measuring Magnetism

Magnets vary in size and in power, with their power measured in gauss units. Magnet practitioners recommend using 1,000 to 3,000 gauss magnets to treat chronic pain, for instance.

Just so you can visualize what kind of magnet might have this power, a typical refrigerator magnet is 50 gauss. If your hard disk uses a neodymium magnet, it has a gauss of about 2,000. An MRI generates a field of 15,000-30,000 gauss, and the absolute upper limit of neutron star magnetism is 1 quintillion (1,000,000,000,000,000,000) gauss.

As you can see, a refrigerator magnet will have little to no effect on chronic pain, though it may cause laughter in yourself or those around you.

Choosing the Correct Magnet for Your Ailment

Before investing in magnets to deal with common ailments or chronic pain, talk to an alternative medical practitioner who has experience using this method. He or she will help you choose the proper strength, place it correctly on your body so it is effective and comfortable, and tell you how long you should expose yourself to a high-powered magnet.

Studies on MRI machines, which create much higher magnetic fields than common static field magnets used in therapy, have shown that there are no ill effects from occasional exposure to such high doses of magnetism. Some magnet practitioners feel that a constant low dose is beneficial; others may recommend stronger magnets for shorter periods of time.

Warnings Before Using Magnet Therapy

Always keep an open mind about both traditional and modern medical therapies, and talk to professionals you can trust.

Magnets are non-invasive and obviously non-addictive, unlike certain surgical procedures or certain pain medications. You should not expect magnets to cure all your ills. See your doctor if your pain is severe but do not dismiss this powerful healing method as doctors have been using magnets for thousands of years to treat a variety of ailments.

Magnet therapy is not recommended for people who use pacemakers or internal automatic defibrillators, as they will interact with these devices and cause them to not work properly. Pregnant women are advised not to use magnets as healing therapy. Children are much more delicate than adults, so low-powered magnets should be used under the supervision of an alternative medical practitioner. Finally, be careful around the eyes and ears, as these delicate areas may be more affected by magnets than a knee or wrist.
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