Magnetic therapy is an alternative healing technique that is meant to improve blood flow. Praised by some and doubted by others, it is the practice of using static magnetic fields to mend chemical or physical problems of the body. Many of its components aren't scientifically plausible, but its practitioners claim that magnets have a direct effect on the blood protein hemoglobin.
History
Magnets have been in use since the beginning of human civilization, and have been used by Egyptian, Hebrew, Arab, Chinese and Greek cultures throughout the centuries. Legend has it that Cleopatra herself wore a magnetic amulet on her forehead to trigger the brain's pineal gland and keep her youthful.
After the Civil War, magnet use became popular in America and magnetic devices were seen everywhere from the Sears catalog to medical texts. Magnetic therapy began to lose its appeal when the pharmaceutical industry boomed, but it's now made a comeback as consumers grow skeptical of prescribed drugs and are turning more and more to alternative medicines and approaches.
How it Works
Magnets are powered by spinning electrons that cling to certain objects when met with equal power. In magnetic therapy, electromagnetic devices are placed on the wounded part of the body, or even a part of the body that simply needs an energy boost. Natural magnets were created by cooling iron-containing lava, which clung onto Earth's magnetic field. Today, magnets have been intensified and made more effective by adding a combination of elements to the iron.
Healing Qualities
Practitioners of magnetic therapy claim that magnets can help the body by increasing blood flow, thereby giving the body more oxygen and helping it to reject waste products and harmful chemicals. They can also improve calcium flow by attracting certain ions that help heal broken limbs, as well as keeping calcium away from arthritic joints. Magnets can also supposedly help monitor hormone production, which is linked to a number of physical ailments.
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