The pull of magnet therapy for pain relief

by Sylvia Sensiper

Magnets If youre looking for relief from the pain of migraine headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome, muscle spasms, or even depression, you may want to try magnet therapy. Considered an "alternative" treatment by some, magnet therapy has been successfully used by many pain sufferers and is prescribed by a growing number of medical practitioners.

Linda L., a computer programmer, tried magnet therapy when other remedies for wrist pain caused by her job failed. "Massage didnt work and wrist bands only made things worse. I was really at a loss because my doctor couldnt find anything wrong. Then I ran into an old friend who had been successfully treated with magnets for a similar injury, so I decided to give them a try."

The use of magnetism to sustain good health is recorded in the history of many ancient cultures. Reports from China show that magnetism has been used in coordination with acupuncture for over 2,000 years, and Hindu, Egyptian, and Tibetan writings all refer to a lodestone treatment for various body aches and pains and wound healing.

Magnet therapy is based on the theory that each of the bodys cells possesses tiny electromagnetic fields that fall out of alignment when disease is present. By applying magnets to the affected part of the body, the electromagnetic field is realigned. Proponents of magnet therapy claim that magnets open up capillaries and allow blood to flow freely, carrying oxygen to painful areas. Others say that magnets affect chemical processes between and within cells and stimulate acupuncture points and meridians.

Dr. Alvaro Pascual-Leone, an associate professor at the Harvard Medical School and a researcher with the Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, says magnet therapy has obviously helped many people, but "there is remarkably little careful research on the use of magnets." Pascual-Leone has done studies that show a change in the excitability of nerves when magnets are applied, but questions whether this is significant. "We havent really looked at enough subjects to establish any definitive conclusions."

Traditionally, magnet therapy is accomplished in a number of ways. Some athletes wear cloth wraps around the waist that hold high-powered magnetic disks next to the skin. Magnets can also be taped directly to the wrists and fingers to cope with the pain of arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome. Another way to experience the healing effects of magnetism is to sleep on a magnetic mattress or "wear" magnetic jackets or foot orthotics.

While most evidence as to the curative power of magnets remains anecdotal, medical researchers have conducted studies that indicate benefits for specific ailments.

Dr. Michael Weintraub, a clinical professor of neurology at New York Medical College, recently published the results of a study using magnets to treat patients with and without diabetes, all of whom suffered from foot pain. The study, reported in the January issue of the American Journal of Pain Management, followed 19 patients over a four month period who wore footpads equipped with low-intensity magnets and as a placebo non-magnetized footpads.

While the pain relief among the subjects without diabetes was not particularly significant, nine out of the 10 patients with diabetes experienced less pain by an average of one full point on a five-point scale. Dr. Weintraub hypothesized that the magnets affected the small C-fiber nerves in the soles of the feet and calmed the nerves made hyperactive by disease. Given the results of his study, Weintraub proposed that this treatment be put into wide use immediately, provided that the proper magnets are used and treatment is confined to similar types of ailments.

A similar study with real and sham magnets was conducted by Dr. Carlos Vallbona of the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Reported in the November, 1997 issue of the Archives of Physical and Rehabilitative Medicine, the study followed patients with post-polio syndrome. He found that those exposed to real magnets experienced a 50 percent reduction in pain, while the others reported less than a 10 percent reduction.

Approaching the healing power of magnetism from a different clinical perspective, Dr. Pascual-Leone is using an experimental technique called transcranial magnetic stimulation with patients who suffer from severe depression. These patients often have an area in the frontal cortex that is relatively less active, and Pascual-Leones treatment seeks to stimulate this area and normalize brain activity.

Using an electromagnet, a very brief pulse of current is passed through a coil of wire held on top of the subjects head, generating a magnetic field that goes through the bone and induces a current in the brain. The results have been promising. After applying the technique for about 10 days, Pascual-Leone has found that approximately 50 percent of his patients note improvements for three to four months, a welcome outcome for patients who have not benefitted from other available treatments, including electroshock therapy.

While medical researchers are cautious about the results of their studies, various forms of magnet therapy seem to provide relief for pain sufferers with various ailments. Testimonials of cures are often touted by professional athletes. Similarly, many proponents of alternative medical treatments have touted magnet therapy as a simple and profoundly helpful treatment.

Linda L., for example, found that applying magnets to her wrists helped her manage her painful condition."I was really getting concerned about my hands because I use them to make my living. Fortunately, the magnets have really worked and some days Im completely pain free."

Although there are licensed medical devices in Korea and Japan, magnets have not yet undergone any vigorous testing in the United States. The American Medical Association, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Council for Reliable Health Information all caution that there is not enough proof to claim that magnet therapy actually works.

The National Institutes of Healths National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine is awaiting two reports on magnet therapy from centers it supports. One study, concerning the ability of magnet mattress pads to reduce the pain of fibromyalgia, is expected later this year from the Center for the Study of Complementary and Alternative Therapies at the University of Virginias School of Nursing. Another, examining the role of magnets in preventing strokes, is under way at the Kessler Rehabilitation Center in West Orange, N.J.

"I think there is a therapeutic benefit to magnets, even though I dont understand how they work," says William Loeliger, Director of the Alternative Medicine Center at Greater Baltimore Medical Center, who was trained as an anesthesiologist and practices magnet therapy in conjunction with acupuncture. "After a couple of years, when everyone has heard of magnets, we will begin to sort out what their true usefulness is." He also noted,"The problem with magnets right now is that all of this work is extremely preliminary. Its almost the interest of the public that is driving this, rather than the interest of medical professionals."

Magnet therapy intrigues some physicians because it is noninvasive, appears to be nontoxic and has none of the side effects of commonly prescribed pain medications.

But physicians who use magnetic therapy caution that people should never use magnets without getting a medical diagnosis for a health problem. And they say it is probably prudent for pregnant women not to use them, and that people with pacemakers should not use them near their implants.

Because magnets appear to increase blood flow to an injured area, Loeliger adds that people should not use magnets within 24 hours of an acute injury or in any other situation in which additional blood flow would be harmful. He recommends