Magnet Therapy For Pain: One Study May Change The Way You Think About Magnetic Therapy

Is there such a thing as magnet therapy for pain? This is a question that has gotten a lot of attention lately. Perhaps it is because magnets have been viewed both as a complete sham and as an incredible holistic pain therapy. Most of us believe the truth is somewhere in between; that is, magnet therapy for pain is not going relieve every type of pain and cure all ills, but may help with certain types of pain therapy if applied correctly and with the strongest types of magnets.

One thing is certain -- magnet therapy has been around for over 4000 years and that is a pretty long time when it comes to holistic remedies. Especially when we see so many of these "alternative medicines" coming and going with the wind. Of course, this does not mean that magnet therapy for pain is going to cure all types of pain, however there is one type of pain that magnet therapy may help with and this is post-polio syndrome.

- Post-polio syndrome and magnet therapy for pain:

This particular study was published in the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston found that magnets may be more effective than sham magnets when it comes to blocking pain caused by post-polio syndrome. Post-polio syndrome is a pain that starts in the legs and seems to affect about 20% of polio sufferers as they get older.

In the controlled study, about 76% of the patients treated with a magnet were relieved of their pain to some degree. This is to say, they noticed a significant difference in the leg pain caused by post-polio syndrome. Interestingly enough, only 18% of the sham magnet group said they had some pain relief. Of course, anyone would be foolish to say from this one study that magnet therapy for pain is the cure to all pain, however it is clear that more studies need to be completed in order to determine the true therapeutic benefits of magnet therapy for pain relief.

- But here in lies the problem with using magnet therapy for pain...

This study certainly does not prove once and for all that magnetic therapy will work to relieve every single type of chronic pain. The magnetic therapy enthusiasts would love to sit back and say "look at this incredible study that proves once and for all that magnetic therapy is a cure all," -- but the truth is, for every one of these studies, there is another study that casts doubt on the bold claims made by these magnetic therapy practitioners.

- Will magnet therapy help you?

Using magnet therapy for pain may not be a bad idea if you have tried other pain therapy solutions with limited success. The last thing any of us want to feel is that we will have to live with our pain forever. Magnet therapy may be the answer to some of your pain problems and may help reduce pain for certain types of conditions. It is true that more studies need to be completed, but when you begin to think about other holistic remedies that have lasted 4000 years you begin to believe that there may be something to these magnets after all.

Seth is a Webmaster and has a masters degree in information science. If you want to find out more about magnetic therapy along with additional studies that provide evidence on both sides of the debate, go to http://magnetpaintherapy.com/magnet_therapy_for_pain.html