Magnet therapy, also called bioenergy therapy and magnetic therapy, is alleged by proponents to be a cure for disease and pain. Some proponents believe magnet therapy can cure cancer, broken bones and other serious illnesses. Claims of the effectiveness of magnet therapy are not proven and not endorsed by the FDA or the medical community at large. Although the medical community does not view magnet therapy as a useful medicinal tool, there do not appear to be negative side effects associated with it.
What is Magnet Therapy?
Magnet therapy involves attaching magnets to your body at various points to change its electromagnetic energy. It is believed that a healthy body produces a certain electromagnetic energy that becomes distorted by pain or illness. Magnet therapy is alleged to correct that distortion and restore health.
The Process
One magnet or a group of magnets can be attached to your body using adhesive bandages. They can be worn as jewelry or belts or in shoe inserts. They may also be wrapped around your body. Because magnets are worn on the surface of the body only, there are no side effects. Magnets may be worn for just long enough to alter the body's electromagnetic fields (approximately 10 to 45 minutes) or a few weeks or longer, depending on the type of illness or pain they are designed to cure.
The Dangers
Patients with certain medical devices, including infusion pumps, pacemakers and defibrillators, are at risk of suffering adverse complications as the magnets can interrupt signals and interfere with the operation of these lifesaving tools.
A Warning
The American Cancer Society and the FDA warn against using magnet therapy as an alternative to traditional medicine. Proponents of magnet therapy recommend it as a cure for potentially dangerous or life-threatening illnesses including cancer, degenerative diseases, arthritis and circulatory illness. If you choose magnet therapy at the expense of more traditional life-saving medicine, you may seriously reduce the chance of curing the illness using more standard forms of therapy.
Medical Opinion
The general medical consensus is that any positive effects of magnet therapy are supported by purely anecdotal evidence. The one study that alleged magnet therapy was effective at treating lingering pain from polio, done by Baylor College of Medicine in 1997, has been widely discredited within the medical community. The FDA cautions that magnet therapy has no proven medicinal value, and the Federal Trade Commission has pursued false advertising claims against those who allege it does.
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