Magnetic field therapy
Magnetic field therapy is a treatment modality that employs the principles of physics, specifically the Hall effect and Faraday's law, to promote healing and alleviate pain. This therapy involves the application of magnetic pads to areas of injury or discomfort, which are believed to enhance local circulation by attracting charged ions in the blood and lymph. The alternating polarities of the magnetic field can penetrate bodily tissues to various depths, potentially providing a warm, tingling sensation as circulation improves.
Widely practiced in countries like Japan and Germany, magnetic field therapy has gained acceptance in the United States, where the FDA has approved its use for conditions such as postoperative pain, soft tissue edema, and non-healing fractures. Furthermore, transcranial magnetic stimulation, a specific form of this therapy, is used to treat migraines, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
While the efficacy of magnetic therapy has been debated, many proponents advocate its benefits for various conditions, including carpal tunnel syndrome and chronic fatigue syndrome. Magnetic pads come in various sizes for convenience, and while generally considered safe, they are not recommended for certain populations, such as pregnant women and individuals with pacemakers. Overall, magnetic field therapy represents an intersection of traditional and alternative medicine, with a focus on restoring balance in the body.
Magnetic field therapy
Anatomy or system affected: Cells, immune system
Definition: A practical and inexpensive modality that uses magnets to relieve chronic and acute pain incurred through overuse or trauma.
Indications and Procedures
In magnetic field therapy, which is based on physics principles called the Hall effect and Faraday’s law, magnetic pads are placed on or near the site of injury or soreness to stimulate local circulation by attracting positively and negatively charged ions in the blood and lymph. This biomagnetic attraction of electrolytes uses an alternating pattern of polarities that penetrate from five to twenty centimeters into the body’s tissues, depending on field strength (which is normally between 300 and 950 gauss). A common magnet will not produce this effect because only the ions and fluid in vessels that are precisely in line with the north-south poles will be attracted. Many advocates claim that magnetic therapy works faster than diathermy techniques such as ultrasound. A warm, tingling sensation is often felt minutes after application because of the increase in microcirculation, which brings more oxygen, nutrients, white blood cells, and antibodies to the damaged tissues and removes metabolic waste products.
Uses and Complications
Several forms of magnetic field therapy (including pulsed electromagnetic therapy) have been used for years in Japan, Germany, and other countries, and in the United States, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has approved magnetic field therapy for a variety of medical conditions including postoperative pain, soft tissue edema, and fractures that have failed to heal with traditional methods. The FDA has also approved a specific type of magnetic field therapy called transcranial magnetic stimulation, to treat migraines, depression, and obsessive compulsive disorder. Disorders that are regularly treated with magnetic therapy in other countries include carpal tunnel syndrome, osteoarthritis, tendinitis, bursitis, migraine headaches, and chronic fatigue syndrome. Magnetic deficiency syndrome has been documented in Japanese medical literature, and many American physicians agree that proper magnetic balance in the tissues is an important ingredient of health.
Magnetic pads come in several sizes and shapes to allow for comfortable attachment to any area of the body, including silver-dollar-sized pads that are one-eighth of an inch thick for concentrated force and five-by-seven-inch pads for larger areas such as the back. Magnetic massage balls, mattress pads, pillows, seat cushions, and orthotic insoles are also sold. The magnets are permanently charged and have no harmful side effects, although they are not recommended for pregnant women or patients wearing pacemakers. While the use of magnetic field therapy in mainstream medicine was once controversial, in the twenty-first century, it has become an accepted practice in alternative and traditional medicine.
Bibliography
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“Magnets.” National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health, US Dept. of Health and Human Services, Feb. 2013, nccih.nih.gov/health/magnet/magnetsforpain.htm. Accessed 17 Jan. 2017.
“Magnets For Pain: What You Need To Know.” National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, 2023, www.nccih.nih.gov/health/magnets-for-pain-what-you-need-to-know. Accessed 23 July 2023.
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