Magnets have been used for centuries to treat chronic pain that is caused by a variety of conditions including arthritis, painful swollen joints, and blood diseases. By the third century AD, Greeks were using magnetic rings to treat arthritis and magnetic pills to stop bleeding. In the Middle Ages, magnets were used to treat poisonings and gout, and to probe and clean wounds. Doctors used magnets to pull arrowheads and other metal objects from the bodies of injured patients. In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, magnets are being used for chronic pain treatment, respiratory problems, high blood pressure, circulatory problems, arthritis, and stress. Scientific evidence for their effectiveness as a pain treatment is spotty at best, although there are users who swear by them. Conservative estimates say Americans spend more than $500 million a year for magnet therapy. Most modern medical practitioners are uncommitted on magnet therapy for chronic pain treatment. Even for practitioners who insist magnets relieve pain, why the magnets work is still a mystery. Some theorize that magnets may change how cells function, change how the brain processes pain, raise the temperature of the area being treated by the magnets, restore the equilibrium between cell growth and death, change how nerves transmit pain signals, and/or have an effect on the iron content in blood. In 1979, the Food and Drug Administration approved using electromagnets to treat bone fractures that did not heal well. Some doctors use magnetic stimulation to help bone grafts heal following orthopedic surgery. In general, practitioners place magnets with a constant flow of energy in contact with the area of the body they wish to affect. This “static magnet treatment” is being used in a number of different ways, including having the magnets in clothing, belts, jewelry, and beds. This blog post is an excerpt from A Day Without Pain (Revised) by Mel Pohl, MD, FASAM; Published by Central Recovery Press (CRP). photo credit: kaibara87 via photopin cc
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