Encyclopedia of Health and Medicine

M
magnet therapy The use of static magnets to create
magnetic energy fields, which are alignments
of the atoms within them. The most common use
of magnet therapy is to treat chronic PAIN such as
from OSTEOARTHRITIS, RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS,
FIBROMYALGIA, and CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME.
People who have implanted medical
devices such as pacemakers, defibrillators,
and INSULIN pumps should not use
therapeutic magnets because they may
interfere with the electrical functions of
the devices.
Therapeutic magnets come in many strengths
and configurations, from adhesive-backed strips to
items of jewelry such as necklaces and bracelets to
magnets designed for placement under the mattress.
The only aspects of magnet therapy that fall
within regulatory reach are labeling and marketing.
Because there are no clinical studies to support
the therapeutic qualities of static magnets,
the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prohibits
therapeutic magnet manufacturers from
claiming health benefits from their products. Magnet
STRENGTH varies widely among manufacturers
and products, and often varies from the stated
strength on the product packaging.
MAGNETIC ENERGY MEASURES
Earth’s magnetic field
0.5 gauss
refrigerator magnets
35 to 200 gauss
therapeutic magnets
300 to 5,000 gauss
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING
200,000 gauss
(MRI) magnet
Source: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
(NCCAM)
The earliest documented use of magnets for
HEALING comes from medieval times, when surgeons
used lodestones and magnets made from
them to locate and remove iron fragments and
arrowheads from soldiers on the battlefield. With
understanding of the body’s functions in health or
disease considerably limited until the start of the
twentieth century, magnets remained among the
most popular tools in the doctor’s medicine bag.
Though several theories for how magnets may
exert therapeutic influence seem plausible, particularly
because neurologic and other cellular functions
generate electromagnetic fields. so far
clinical studies have not produced findings that
support them. A number of studies have shown
therapeutic benefit with pulsed electromagnetic
therapy, in which a rapidly pulsating electrical
current creates a temporary, powerful magnetic
field. Only health-care professionals may use electromagnetic
therapeutic devices under current
regulations in the United States.
Most health experts believe static magnets have
very limited therapeutic effect though are not
likely to cause harm in most people. Pregnant
women (because effects of magnetic energy fields
on a developing fetus remain unknown) and people
who have implanted electronic devices
(because the magnet may interfere with the
device’s electromagnetic field) should not use
magnet therapy. Magnets cannot treat or cure diseases
such as CANCER, DIABETES, and CARDIOVASCULAR
DISEASE (CVD), though some disreputable vendors
may represent them as being able to do so. A doctor
should evaluate any condition that does not
improve within 7 to 10 days.
See also ALTERNATIVE METHODS FOR PAIN RELIEF;
BIOFEEDBACK FOR PAIN RELIEF; TRANSCUTANEOUS ELEC-
TRICAL NERVE STIMULATION (TENS).
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