By : Seth Daugherty
Magnetic therapy gets a lot of scrutiny and the reasons for this are pretty simple. For one thing, you will never find a doctor who will openly tell you to try magnetic therapy to relieve your pain. This is because although magnetic therapy has been around for over 4,000 years, the data on why magnetic therapy may help chronic pain has never been completely understood.
Does Magnetic Therapy Work?
Some of the prevailing theories on why magnetic therapy may work to help chronic pain have to do with the magnetic fields ability to relax capillary walls in the body, causing an increase in blood flow throughout your system. This is equivalent to having a massage therapist working on your muscles to increase blood flow and stimulate the areas around the muscles to speed up healing.
Other studies have suggested that magnetic therapy may help prevent muscle spasms that could be the root to many forms of pain. Some of these forms of pain are relieved because the magnets may actually lesson muscle contractions. This is equivalent to a sort of loosening of the muscles for faster healing and relaxation.
Other ideas as to why magnetic therapy may work include the magnetic fields ability to interfere with electrochemical reactions which take place within nerve cells. This can actually limit the cells ability to send pain messages to the brain, thus helping to alleviate chronic pain. Whatever the case, magnetic therapy is certainly full of theories, all of which still remain to be totally proven with scientific study. -
Magnetic Therapy Side Effects?
However on a very positive side concerning magnetic therapy, all the studies have clearly shown there has never been any adverse side effects from the use of magnets to help with chronic pain. For instance, the risk of using a magnet is much less then taking over the counter aspirin or ibuprofen. So anyone using magnetic therapy for pain relief can be rest assured they are not damaging their body.Magnetic Therapy Testimonials and the "Cure"
There is in fact a somewhat significant body of evidence that supports magnetic pain treatment and furthermore, testimonials which are constantly showing up around the world proving that at least in individual cases, magnetic therapy can work much more effectively then other treatments for certain individuals. This is not to say that magnetic therapy is a proven "cure" for all pain, on the contrary, anyone marketing magnet therapy products must not say that magnets can "cure" or "heal." This is because the evidence to back up these claims simply does not exist.
For instance, some studies have shown that 80% of chronic pain sufferers might benefit from magnetic therapy, while other studies have shown magnetic therapy to do little more than provide a placebo affect.
However, if some of these studies continue to show the therapeutic benefits of magnetic therapy, there is no telling how many people might end their chronic pain suffering by using magnets, especially if they understand how to properly use magnetic therapy for optimal benefits.
How To Apply A Magnet For Therapeutic Use?
Magnets should be applied against the skin and directly over the area that is causing the pain. If the magnet does not relieve the pain in a few days, it may be a good idea to reposition the magnet until the desired pain relief is achieved.Which Magnetic Therapy Products Are Best?
There are many different magnetic therapy products on the market, but to get the most benefit, you should look for products that you use every day. For instance, magnetic therapy chairs, magnetic therapy mattresses and magnetic therapy car seats are all good choices because you spend most of your time sitting at your desk, sleeping in your bed, or driving in your car. Magnetic therapy proponents think the more time you spend near a magnet, the better.Are All Magnets Created Equal?
The simple answer is no, not every magnet is created equal. For instance there are differences in magnet strength as well as the positioning of the magnets in order to achieve optimal therapeutic benefits. Keep in mind that the difference between buying a quality magnet pain therapy product or wasting you hard earned money may depend on which magnetic therapy vendor you decide to purchase from.Author Resource:- Seth has a B.S. in Instructional Technology and 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 magnetic therapy debate, go to MagnetPainTherapy.Com
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