Magnet therapy has a long history. In fact, one romantic, yet unsubstantiated, story tells of Cleopatra using magnets on her forehead to attract eternal youth! More seriously, Aristotle, in 320BC, documented the use of magnets to help heal sore eyes and subsequently used them to relieve painful joints and headaches. Queen Elizabeth 1 Used magnets for arthritic pain and, in much more recent times, magnets were used by the Russian Army in WW2 to treat their troops as they were more efficient, effective and cheaper than traditional medicines which were scarce at the front lines.

Today it is not uncommon to visit a health-care practitioner in Japan or many eastern countries and be provided with a simple magnet to help alleviate pain. To help us understand how magnet therapy works we must first understand what it is that keeps a normal body healthy and pain-free. In order to remain in this happy state, our body needs to stay in balance and that important balancing act takes place within our blood cells.

Kick Start to Health
Magnets applied to the body are believed to aid the body's natural process of healing by allowing it to rid itself of toxins more efficiently. Although the way it works is still not completely clear, the most popular belief is that it works on the cells in our blood. If the magnet is worn over a main artery, it ionises, or energises, the blood cells. Each one has a sodium/potassium 'pump' on it to keep our body in its natural pH balance, not too acid and not too alkali. However, due to stress or injury or simply the natural ageing process, these pumps do not always work as efficiently as they should and we get a build up of acid. It is this, which causes pain and inflammation in the body. The energising action of the magnet on the blood cells gives the 'pumps' a 'kick start', similar to jumpstarting the battery on a car, which results in the cells pumping the acid out and therefore allowing the body to maintain its correct pH balance.

Speedy Recovery
The application of magnets to the body is also believed to increase the oxygenation of the blood. This seems to be why athletes and sports people wear them with excellent results such as increased energy levels and quicker recovery from bruising or muscle injury. Ron McAndrew, the British Athletics Coach and his team used them, as do several football teams who call them their 'secret weapon'.

Magnets are beneficial for anyone and everybody including children and adults. Kate Penn, nursery teacher, says, "I used to have to take time off work due to severe period pains. Since wearing my magnetic bracelet I have not had any time off for this problem and the pain has dramatically diminished. I always wear my magnetic wristband and can recommend its effectiveness."

Animals, who are warm-blooded like ourselves, have also had great benefits from magnet therapy. Interestingly, one of the largest known animals (an Asian elephant at Woburn Safari Park), was having difficulty mating due to a painful back problem. The application of a magnet sorted the problem out!

Magnet therapy doesn't claim to be able to help all people who suffer with pain, nor does it even claim to be a cure for pain. What is evident is that many people have had excellent results using magnet therapy and they are secure in the knowledge that while magnets cannot do harm, they can change the quality of your life The success of modern magnet therapy as a natural means of pain relief is partly due to the materials that have become available through advances in technology. Until recently, many vets, physiotherapists and hospitals have been the only ones able to treat patients using pulsed electromagnetic units. These are regarded as the most effective but need a mains supply of electricity. They are also bulky and expensive; treatment is usually for short time (once a month or so) and, when removed from the machine, the benefits reduce. A British inventor contributed to altering the choice people now have for sustaining natural pain relief. He used a material called neodymium, which is very light and strong and, when electrically charged, holds its magnetic charge for life. He further developed a magnetic field with a multidirectional force in a single unit (a magnetic bracelet), which causes a pulsed magnetic effect and mimics the expensive hospital machines.

Small Wonder
With such fantastic technology easily worn on a wrist it is not surprising that magnet therapy has become more prominent in alleviating pain - and in such a natural, non-invasive way! At the moment, magnet therapy has no official status in the medical profession, although many doctors, physiotherapists and vets use it as a complementary therapy for their patients and, indeed, themselves! Many vets have reported amazing improvements or recovery from a wide array of conditions in animals. This evidence has provided encouragement for use by humans and helps to dispel the 'it's-all-in-the-mind' argument of sceptics, as animals can't speak but can clearly be seen to improve.

The magnetic strength can be judged by the product's ability to pick up a heavy bunch of keys. And, if you're really astute, look for a lifetime guarantee on the product's magnetic properties and also a money-back guarantee if you find that the product hasn't worked for you.

How magnet therapy can help you: Muscle and joint pain - Lower back ache - Tennis elbow/frozen shoulder - Upper limb disorders - Arthritis and rheumatism - Respiratory problems such as coughs and asthma - Constipation - Menstrual cramps - Inflammation - Headaches - Jet lag - Insomnia