Frequently Asked Questions On Magnet Therapy
Magnets are objects that produce a type of energy called magnetic fields. These fields have different strengths and are measured in units called gauss.
As opposed to static magnets, electromagnets generate magnetic fields only when electric current flows through them. The magnetic field is created by passing an electric current through a wire coil wrapped around a magnetic core.
Magnet therapy (also referred to as magnetic therapy, magnetotherapy or magnotherapy) is a complementary and alternative treatment which involves the use of static magnetic fields. This kind of therapy is believed to relieve pain. However, this theory is subject to criticism from many medical quarters and viewed skeptically. Critics consider it pseudoscientific and just a fad that will pass.
Magnet therapy is not new. It has been in existence for hundreds of years now. In the ancient times the Greeks claimed the lodestone had healing properties while the Chinese have been using the magnet for healing for thousands of years. The third century A.D. saw Greek physicians treating arthritis with magnetized metal rings. They used pills made of magnetized amber to stop bleeding. In the Middle Ages, magnets were used to treat arthritis, gout, poisoning, baldness.
If skeptics are to be believed, then this therapy does not work at all. According to them, psychology plays a big part in this kind of healing. On the other hand, believers swear by it. They say healing occurs because the magnet helps to ‘circulate blood and restore the body’s theorized electromagnetic energy balance’.
As per manufacturer recommendations, static magnets should not be used by pregnant women and people who use a pacemaker, defibrillator or insulin pump. Magnets may affect the magnetically-controlled features of such devices. Those who use a patch that delivers medication through the skin are warned against using magnets as also those with inflammation, infection, acute sprain or wound.
