Exploring Alternatives - This week Magnet Therapy
They are used to treat everything from arthritis to migraines. Cleopatra and Queen Elizabeth I are said to have worn magnets for their healing properties and the first astronauts found that magnets helped to counteract 'Space Sickness'. Magnet therapy has an honourable history in Eastern bloc countries while in the west, sports people use them to relieve pain and encourage healing of injuries. But now, biomagnetics are available to everyone - some even use them on pets.
Magnets and magnetic devices emit electromagnetic fields (EMFs). These are used in conventional medical practice to heal fractures, wounds and skin conditions and to treat circulation problems. They are also used for diagnosis in MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scans.
Magnets used in self-help devices such as bracelets emit weak EMFs and are safe and are safe to use at home. One study carried out at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, showed 76 per cent of former polio patients reported pain relief when wearing a magnet, compared with 19 per cent wearing placebo magnets.
Somerset GP Dr Richard Lawson is convinced of their benefits. In the last two years, 90 of his patients with arthritis and similar problems have benefited from wearing a magnetic bracelet.
'In my experience magnets appear to relieve many aches and pains with negligible side effects', says Dr Lawson. 'If somebody can control arthritic pain with magnets rather than drugs, both they and the NHS are better off because anti-arthritic drugs can erode the stomach'.
Nobody knows exactly how magnets affect body functioning but Dr Lawson says: 'It is standard knowlede that they have an effect on biological tissue. My own theory is that large molecules in the blood are 'ordered' as they pass through a magnetic field'.
Another theory suggests that body cells have their own subtle magnetic fields and that when EMFs are applied, they influence cell permeability so cells can take in more oxygen and nutrients.

What happens
Magnet therapy can take the form of DIY or treatment by a practitioner (known as biomagnetic therapy). The self-help category is the most popular and a range of devices is available including magnetic bracelets and in-soles. These are 'static' or ordinary magnets with very low magnetic power to exert a continuous low level healing effect.
Bracelets look like watch straps which you wear night and day. Manufacturers claim that, with the right product, you should experience pain relief within 10 days (immune system or circulation disorders may take longer). Contd.