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Looked on by many today as a popular form of alternative
medicine, magnetic therapy actually dates back more than four thousand
years ago to the pharaohs of ancient Egypt and the oldest medical texts
in China, India, Israel and Greece. Well-entrenched currently in China,
Japan, India, Austria and Germany as a method for alleviating pain and
promoting healing, magnetic therapy has only gained acceptance in the
United States within the past few years.
To explain magnetic therapy in layman's terms: think of the body as a
dynamic organism that consists of individual "electrical" cells.
Each cell has a positive charge at its nucleus, and a negative charge
at its outer membrane. When the polarities are equal, the body is able
to function at its optimal level.
However, if exposed continuously to excessive static electricity due to
weather fluctuations, household electrical devices and various environmental
stimuli, the body becomes inundated with positive ions. This imbalance
can result in tiredness and fatigue, headaches and migraines, insomnia,
muscle and joint pain, varicose veins and other ailments of the circulatory,
lymphatic and nervous systems.
Magnets can help the body correct this imbalance, as evinced by ample
evidence suggesting that seven out of ten magnet users experience beneficial
results. There are two types of fixed magnets: unipolar and bipolar. Unipolar
magnets, such as those offered by MagicBelt.com, have a positive charge
on one end (biomagnetic south pole) and a negative charge on the other
(biomagnetic north pole). This "unidirectional", or concentration
on only one direction, assures an optimal depth of penetration. Bipolar
magnets, on the other hand, have repeated north and south polarities on
the same side of the magnet, which can ultimately cancel out, or at least
weaken, each other's magnetic fields.
Placing the magnet against the body is critical, both in terms of promoting
healing and minimizing adverse effects. The newly increased blood flow
now enables the body to begin the self-healing process which, in turn,
can promote relief from chronic pain, discomfort and stress; decreased
swelling and inflammation; energy enhancement; accelerated healing of
fractures; increased immune function in warding off viruses; and the reduction
or reversal of many of the ailments mentioned above. In a nutshell it
allows the body to perform at its optimum level.
Note that magnets in and of themselves do not claim to heal the body.
Nor should they be used exclusively for any major disease or medical condition.
Rather, as an adjunctive therapy, magnets stimulate the body to heal itself
by helping increase circulation, improve energy levels, and provide oxygen
to body cells - thereby enabling them to exist at their ideal, natural
levels. Results vary from person to person, and depend on the magnets
used as well as the depth and duration of the individual's specific medical
condition.
In general, the effectiveness of magnetic therapy hinges on four factors:
magnet strength, thickness, number of magnets used and spacing. Here is
how our Neodymium Iron Boron Rare Earth magnets compare to those used
by our competitors, as evinced by independent studies recently conducted
by Magnetic Instrumentation, Inc., of Indianapolis, Indiana:
· Magnet strength: The strength of a magnet is measured in units
of gauss (a unit of measuring the intensity of magnetic flux). While the
strength of a magnet transmitted to the wearer may actually be less at
the skin's surface than at its core, one with a gauss reading of more
than 500 and a penetration level of 4 inches is considered powerful. The
magnets used in our MagicBelt.com belts and hats boast a tremendous 40,000
gauss reading.
· Thickness: Basically, the thicker the magnet, the greater the
depth of penetration. However, you don't want them to be too thick, or
they'll be awkward to wear. Our 1/8" -thick magnets comfortably permit
a 5" penetration - the highest currently recognized in the industry.
· Number of magnets: For optimum results, magnets should be tightly
grouped together - while not touching each other - for maximum field strength
and penetration. The more magnets used, the greater their therapeutic
potential. We place our magnets approximately ¼" apart, allowing
us to use 20 magnets in the same area in which leading competitors can
only fit 15.
· Spacing: There should also be a relatively thin (1/8" to
¼") pad between the magnets and the skin's surface. This spacing
not only makes the magnet more comfortable to wear, it also levels out
any bumpiness in the magnetic field. Our magnets have a 1/4 inch spacing.
Research studies within the past two years have supported the use of magnetic
therapy. An article in the January 31, 1999 issue of USA Weekend revealed
that four major medical institutions had conducted clinical trials in
the field of magnetic therapy - with very promising results.
At the Baylor College of Medicine, placing a magnet over a pain trigger
point in post-polio patients provided prompt pain relief, while 80 to
90 percent of patients at Vanderbilt University Medical Center found relief
from pain due to sports injuries or accidents. Tufts University of Medicine
discovered that magnets helped relieve fibromyalgia pain, and diabetics
at the New York Medical College at Valhalla experienced a decrease in
foot pain.
Since magnetic therapy is still a relatively new and as yet unproven form
of alternative healing in the United States, further studies will no doubt
be conducted. In the meantime, the general consensus is that magnets,
if used properly, certainly can't hurt the body … and in most cases,
can help. |
