For the past 2,000 years or so, magnet therapy had been in practice in most parts of the world. Most of these were unregulated even to this day, especially with those people living in rural areas.

Of late, the use of magnet therapy in urban areas had been subjected to some form of tests and some regulations. Also lately, magnets have been subjected to that old question again ? whether it really works.

Pain relief

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston found magnets effective at blocking pains caused by post-polio syndrome. The syndrome is marked by leg pains and affects up to 20% of polio patients later in life.

In the study, 76% of the patients who were treated with a magnet had pain relief. Only 18% of those who were treated with fake magnets got relief.

Fibromyalgia

In other studies, magnets were also found effective against fibromyalgia. Researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston discovered that magnets help relieve muscle pain caused by this mysterious condition.

In the same study, it was found that patients who slept on magnetic mattresses had greater pain relief than those who slept on ordinary mattresses.

Diabetic neuropathy

At the New York Medical College of Valhalla, magnetic foot pads, more than the nonmagnetic ones, were found effective in relieving numbness and pain associated with this diabetes-related problem.

From the evidence, researchers suggest roughly 80% of chronic pain sufferers could benefit from magnet therapy.

Pain relief

With magnets held against the skin, the capillary walls become relax which boost the blood flow to the painful area. The magnets also help in preventing muscle spasms that cause many forms of pain by interfering muscle contractions.

Also, the magnets interfere the electrochemical reactions in the nerve cells and prevent their ability to transmit pain messages to the brain.

(Although pain can be controlled with aspirin and other painkillers, magnets do not have the side effects of these drugs.)

Some painkilling techniques

Foot pain and other aches caused by standing all day can be relieved by having magnetic insoles in your shoes. For arthritis with pains limited to the fingers, a neo magnet can be taped to the affected joint. Or, you can wear a magnetic wrist band.

For back pains, have four magnets about one and a half inches on either side of the spine, two on each side. If the magnets are cumbersome to put on and remove, have a three to four-inch ceramic strip magnet or magnetic back brace on your back instead.

Headaches can be solved with tape magnets to your temples or to the back of your head (just above the neck). Or, use a magnetic headband. Use a magnetic band around the painful elbows. The same band can relieve the pain on the hand and arms.

Magnets at work

Put the magnet directly over the pain area. Adhesive bandages can fix the magnets in place. If they do not work the first few days, reposition the magnet over the nearest acupuncture point. (See the Internet or acupuncture books where they are.)

If repositioning the magnet fails to bring relief within a month, odds are they are not going to work. Magnet therapy sometimes fails to contain the pain. Its causes might be different from ordinary ones.