Magnetic therapy is a kind of complementary or alternative medicine practice that involves the use of magnetic fields. Magnetic therapy is also sometimes called magnet therapy, magnotherapy, or magnetotherapy. In magnetic therapy, practitioners apply permanent static magnets or the magnetic field of an electromagnetic device onto the bodies of their clients.
The purported health benefits of this therapy include the accelerated healing of wounds, increased energy, and increased vitality. According to some practitioners of this type of therapy, different health benefits can be attained based on the placement of the magnet on the body.
Some practitioners of magnetic therapy believe that, without this kind of therapy, people are subject to malaise, which is a general feeling of illness, discomfort, and unease. These practitioners often define malaise as “Magnetic Field Deficiency Syndrome”. Many health experts, however, deny the validity of “Magnetic Field Deficiency Syndrome” as an affliction. In fact, many doctors and health experts deny the benefits of magnetic therapy completely.
While there are many companies and practitioners who purport the health benefits of magnets, scientific research does not back up such claims. Magnetic therapy is supposed to increase health benefits by working with and improving the circulatory system. Hemoglobin, the blood protein that carries oxygen, is weakly diamagnetic. This means that it can create a magnetic field in opposition to an externally applied magnetic field. It is purported, however, that the magnets used in magnetic therapy and in products related to magnetic therapy are far to weak to have any effect on the blood flow or circulatory system.
Despite the fact that there is little to no evidence that this kind of therapy offers any measurable health benefits, there are thousands of people who practice and undergo magnetic therapy. It is possible, perhaps even likely, that magnetic therapy has a placebo effect. This means that people who undergo magnetic therapy feel better simply because they are told that the therapy will make them feel better.
In the United States, the magnet therapy industry is quite large. In fact, the industry totals sales in the hundreds of thousands on a yearly basis. The industry is largely based on the sale of products that promise to offer the user or wearer specific health benefits. Such products include magnetic jewelry, especially bracelets. Other products include magnetic straps that are made to fit around the wrists, ankles, and midsection; magnetic shoe insoles, blankets woven with magnetic material, and even magnetic mattresses and water that has been magnetized.