Magnetic Therapy

Magnetic therapy, also known as bio-magnetic therapy, is the application of specially designed magnets or magnetic fields to the human body for therapeutic purposes. It is a safe, noninvasive therapy.

The healing power of magnetism has been known to mankind for thousands of years. During the third century B.C., the Greek philosopher Aristotle was the first person in recorded history to speak about the therapeutic properties of natural magnets. Other ancient cultures including the Chinese, Arab, Egyptian, Indian, and Hebrew had knowledge of magnets and used them for healing purposes.

Around 200 B.C. a Greek physician and writer named Galen found that pain, caused by a variety of illnesses, could be relieved by applying natural magnets to different areas of the body. Lodestone shaped into amulets, bracelets, and other devices was used.

During the first century B.C. Chinese physicians recorded the effect that variations in the earth's magnetic field had on health and disease. Around A.D. 1000 a Persian physician documented the use of magnets to relieve muscle spasms and treat gout, a disease marked by painful inflammation of the joints. In Europe during the Middle Ages physicians used powdered lodestone in potions and for topical application.

In the 1700s an Austrian physician named Franz Anton Mesmer wrote a dissertation on magnetism. Although he was severely ridiculed at the time, Mesmer's work has since proven to be a foundation for magnetic healing in the West. In 1843, I. Eydan studied the application of a magnetic field to the human body for therapeutic purposes. After World War II, Russian army doctors used magnets to reduce pain after the amputation of limbs.

By 1958 extensive work on magnetic therapy was being done in Japan. In 1959 Kyoichi Nakagawa, M.D., one of the world's foremost authorities on the therapeutic effects of magnetism on the human body, reported on a group of symptomatic conditions that responded favorably to magnetic therapy when other methods failed.

The therapeutic magnets used today are quite different in appearance from the standard bar or horseshoe magnet made from iron. Most therapeutic magnets are manufactured in Japan and Europe, where extensive research on the subject has been done. Modern bio-magnets are made from different materials and have a permanent magnetic charge. Two basic styles of bio-magnets are the small, hard ferrite type, and the flat, flexible, rubber like pad type.

Ferrite magnets are incorporated into a variety of devices such as mattress pads, pillow like head supports, supports for the joints (wrist, elbow, and knee), vests, and jewelry such as necklaces and bracelets.

Flexible pad magnets are available in a variety of shapes and sizes that maybe attached directly to an injury or pain site on the body. They can also be molded into various shapes such as insoles for shoes.

Today millions of people around the world reap the benefit of magnetic therapy by sleeping on magnetic futons or mattress pads, using magnetic shoe insoles which stimulate the reflexology points on the sole of the foot as they walk, and using the many other bio-magnetic products available.

Magnets themselves are not responsible for healing, but rather stimulate the body's innate capacity to heal itself. The magnetic field produced by therapeutic magnets affects living cells by creating an optimal environment in which they can exist at their best and most efficient level of functioning.

Many physical conditions, both injury and disease, are marked by impeded blood flow in the body. An ample supply of oxygenated, nutrient rich blood is absolutely essential to the healing process. When a magnet is applied to the human body, magnetic waves pass through the tissue and a principle in physics known as the "Hall effect" works to stimulate blood flow.

Charged particles (positive and negative ions) in the bloodstream are attracted to the corresponding positive and negative poles of the therapeutic magnet, which is placed on or near the site being treated. These magnetic polarities create ionic currents and patterns which act to dilate the blood vessels and increase blood flow to the affected area.

Magnetic fields are more effective than electric current in increasing blood flow because the wavelengths emitted by magnets penetrate the skin more easily and flow into the body through fat, nerves, and bones. Electrical stimulation only penetrates to a depth of approximately ten millimeters.

Magnetic field therapy has been found to aid in the recovery of both acute and chronic conditions. In the Soviet Union, doctors regularly used magnets to speed wound healing after surgery, to improve circulation, and to strengthen and mend bones. Acute conditions include sprains, strains, broken bones, and soft tissue trauma (cuts and burns). Chronic conditions such as degenerative joint disease, certain forms of arthritis, and diabetic ulcers have been reduced or reversed with magnetic therapy.

In Japanese acupuncture, magnets are used in conjunction with needles on specific acupuncture points. A magnet can be incorporated into the head of a small, tack like needle. These specialized needles are worn for a specific length of time.

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