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Magnet Therapy
Eric Spencer
Fact or
Fiction?
What is Magnet Therapy?
Magnetic
therapy is the use of the natural properties of magnetic fields in order to
alleviate pain. Proper placement of these
magnets can improve the healing process after trauma or even just the minor
aches and pains of day-to-day life. The
use of magnets for this medical benefit dates back to ancient Greece when
Hippocrates (the father of medicine) used magnetic lodestone to treat sterility
(Hawkins 1998). Much later, it is
recorded that a 16th century Swiss doctor used magnets to treat
epilepsy, diarrhea, and hemorrhage (Health News 2001). While the effectiveness of the treatment for
these diseases is unknown, recent research has been done showing that magnets
do have a beneficial result on chronic pain.
How does it work?
First,
a quick lesson in neuroscience. Neurons
communicate with each other through the use of electrical charges called action
potentials (AP). These AP are carried
all the way to certain parts of the brain where they are properly
interpreted. They are caused by a
series of events involving an interaction of sodium and potassium ions within
each neuron sequentially. Transmission
of information can be halted if the AP are altered or slowed. This alteration is the basis of the magnetic
therapy theory.
The
precise process of how magnets assist in pain relief is not entirely
known. It appears that the key factor
in of a magnet is the field gradient, not the field intensity. One study has shown this to be the case
under experimental conditions (http://nursing.vanderbilt.edu/pain/reports/pub-meas.html). A neuron was isolated using the patch clamp
method and several tests were run.
Under two conditions in which the field intensity of an array of magnets
remained the same and only the gradient changed, the lower field gradient meant
more failure of AP. This means lower
transmission of pain interpretation signals in the brain. Fewer action potentials = less pain. Again, it is not known how this occurs, but
it does.
Another
example with a little more biological evidence explains the same as before; the
firing of AP is based upon the field gradient.
However, the difference is that this experiment used neurons from
specific pain tracts in the nervous system called nociceptive and
mechanoceptive neurons (http://nursing.vanderbilt.edu/pain/reports/pub-effect.html). Since this isolated neuron’s AP were
blocked, it is reasonable to assume that they would be blocked in their natural
environment as well. Both of the
studies give clues as to how the process works. Even though there are many other ideas about the process, this is
the leading theory with the most evidence to support it at the time.
Is there any evidence supporting Magnet Therapy? 
Yes. Granted, because
this is an alternative method of treatment there is not a whole lot of studies
concerning this topic. However, the
evidence that does exist is strong. One
study looked at magnet therapy as an adjunctive treatment for inflammatory
arthritis (http://nursing.vanderbilt.edu/pain/reports/pub-efficacy.html). Despite other drugs being taken for pain,
magnet therapy still improved symptoms.
Initially, 84% of the patients had tenderness in the joints and 53% had
inflammation. After only one week of
treatment with the magnets, the numbers dropped drastically to 20% and 30%
respectively. This is only a small
testament to the effectiveness of the therapy.
The best study on the performance of magnets as pain
treatment is a double-blind randomized crossover study of 54 patients from
Texas and Alabama (http://nursing.vanderbilt.edu/pain/reports/pub-bio.html). These patients suffered from chronic lower back
pain or knee pain and were assigned to one of two groups: either magnet therapy
or the same magnetic device only the magnetism had been removed. Pain was measured at different intervals in
the day, but not longer than 24 hrs.
Prior to treatment, the average pain rating was 52.9, but after
treatment the average dropped to 8.11.
This shows the dramatic difference in the perception of pain the magnets
can have. It must be stressed that the
magnets do not heal, but only reduce pain.
Why the confusion?
With all of the research that has been presented here, why is
there such skepticism? The answer lies
in the type of magnets that are used.
In all of the studies previously mentioned a particular type of
formation, called quadripolar permanent system, was used for treatment. This formation was compared to the
effectiveness of several other arrays of magnets, but this was the only one
with statistically significant results.
The formation is an alternation of positive and negative poles within
the magnet grouping. The result is a
more appropriate field gradient, which is the most important factor for the
magnets to work. The only magnets on
the market today that use this type of field are the MagnaBlocä magnets
developed by Dr. Robert Holcomb at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC)
in Nashville, TN.
Another problem that can cause confusion is that with some
types of pain the proper placement of the magnets may be in an odd
location. Due to the organization of
fiber tracts that carry AP to the brain, effective locations for some pains may
be in a place that is different from where the pain is perceived. Follow the link below to the MagnaBloc
website to find how to properly place the magnets.
Will Magnet Therapy benefit me?
This question depends on the type of pain being felt. This treatment is intended for use of
chronic pain or supplementary use with medication after serious injury or
surgery. Again, it should be stressed
that the magnets do not heal anything…they only prevent the transmission of pain
signals to the brain providing relief.
Two fantastic case studies were conducted at VUMC, but were too lengthy
to list. Learn more about these two
debilitated children the magnets were able to help by following this link and
downloading the pdf format (http://nursing.vanderbilt.edu/pain/reports/pub-pdf.html).
References:
Health News. “Magnet therapy attracts interest—but does
it work.” Toronto: Aug/Sept 2001. Vol.
19, Iss. 4; pg 1-2.
Hawkins,
Dana. “Take two magnets and call me
later.” US News & World Report. Washington: Dec 7, 1998. Vol. 125, Iss. 22;
pg. 86
*All other
references are hyperlinked within the text
Other Links:
http://www.magnabloc.com/us/main/default.asp
http://nursing.vanderbilt.edu/pain/reports/pubdata.html
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