Things To Consider When Considering Magnetic Therapy

Magnet therapy, also referred to as "magnetic" therapy or even "magneto" therapy is a complementary, alternative and holistic medicine that involves the practice of using static magnetic fields. These static magnets and practitioners of the use of magnet therapy claim that subjecting certain parts of the body to magneto static fields by using permanent magnets has beneficial health benefits.

It should be noted that magnet therapy is considered pseudo-scientific due to a lack of studies that have proved magnets work to cause healing, at least, to prove it without a shadow of a doubt.

In saying that, here are some important things to keep in mind regarding magnet therapy:

* Magnets may or may not cause healing - the overall body of scientific evidence has not proved magnets work to heal or cure chronic pain

* Some studies have shown magnetic therapy may work to help sufferers of certain types of chronic pain but more studies need to be conducted

* There are hundreds of testimonials by supporters of magnet therapy that claim magnets have helped alleviate their pain when no other treatments seemed to work

One of the reasons magnet therapy is described as pseudo-science is partly due to the lack of studies that have been done on the subject, as well as issues with some of the specific studies that have shown less than desirably results in proving magnet therapy works to reduce or alleviate different types of chronic pain.

This is unfortunate news for those that would like to have more powerful evidence proving that magnetic therapy reduces chronic pain, as many of these people would like to let others know about the incredible results they have achieved through magnet therapy. However, it deserves repeating, there simply is not enough evidence to clarify one way or the other and so the question remains; does magnet therapy really work to alleviate chronic pain?

- Magnet Therapy - Alternative Medicine or Hard Science?

This is the very reason magnet therapy will continue to be seen as an alternative medicine. Furthermore, no one can claim that magnets "cure" or "heal" the body because studies have not been conducted that prove this without a shadow of a doubt. However, it is important to note that magnet therapy has been around for over 4000 years (about the same time as acupuncture) and there are hundreds if not thousands of testimonials from individuals who claim magnetic therapy benefited them when nothing else helped with their pain.

In saying that, one must always remember these testimonials are known as anecdotal evidence and can never be used to prove once and for all that magnet therapy works completely and effectively on everyone. This is not to say that there has not been some isolated evidence that shows magnet therapy may work to relieve pain of certain kinds. More studies must be conducted to decide if magnets work or not to heal or cure chronic pain, and unfortunately all the testimonials in the world will not prove without a shadow of a doubt that magnet therapy will work for you. The proof must be in the studies.

This is why magnetic therapy will remain to be seen as "alternative medicine" and will continue to be seen as such until further evidence is provided. The studies must provide the proof. Until then, magnet therapy will remain a holistic and often criticized form of pain therapy.