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Magnetism & Cancer Treatment Hoax

The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines magnetism as "a science that deals with magnetic phenomenon." The study of the invisible fields of force created by magnets and electrical fields is an interesting and legitimate area of scientific inquiry. The problem starts when alternative-medicine practitioners convince the gullible or desperate that these magnetic fields cure serious diseases like cancer. Understanding the nature of this hoax can help you protect yourself and your loved ones from significant harm.

  1. About Cancer

    • According to the Mayo Clinic, "cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the United States." Fortunately, improvements in treatment methods are increasing survival rates. Cancer is characterized by the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. Medical treatments for cancer focus on attempting to remove the cancerous cells from your body, either through surgery or by using drugs or radiation to kill cancerous cells.

    History of Magnet Therapy

    • According to the Skeptic's Dictionary, claims of magical magnet cures have been around since the 1770s, when Maximillian Hell and Anton Mesmer began selling magnet-based cures. These cures were based on the belief that "magnetic fluid" ran through everything and often needed to be unblocked with magnets to ensure proper flow. "Mesmer eventually discovered that he got the same results without the magnets," says the Skeptic's Dictionary.

    Magnet Therapy Claims

    • Magnet therapy proponents claim magnets have healing properties for a variety of reasons. Some of the reasons include claims that magnets have an effect on the iron molecules in the blood, that magnets affect the body's alkaline state and that magnets fix some sort of mystical imbalance that believers point to as the underlying cause of all disease. Some of the effects claimed by magnetism proponents are that magnets cure serious diseases like cancer, accelerate the healing of broken bones, reduce chronic pain and prevent kidney stones.

    Why It Doesn't Work

    • One of the common claims from proponents of magnet therapy--that magnets circulate blood by attracting the blood's iron molecules--is demonstrably untrue. According to the Skeptic's Dictionary, the iron molecules in blood are too far apart to create a magnetic field, making claims that magnets circulate blood physically impossible. The few and small studies conducted on magnet therapy, usually for pain management, were either inconclusive or showed magnets to have no more than a placebo effect. No studies have been done to back up the more outrageous claims that magnetism cures diseases like cancer, so claims to that effect are entirely unsupported by any evidence. According to the Mayo Clinic, "no alternative cancer treatments have been proved to cure cancer."

    How Magnetism Harms Cancer Sufferers

    • Although magnets can't physically harm someone, depending on magnetism as a cure for cancer most certainly can. According to the Mayo Clinic, early detection and treatment of cancer can be of lifesaving importance. However, individuals who are diagnosed with cancer and choose to delay or refuse medical treatment in favor of magnet therapy lose every benefit of early detection. As the cancer sufferer waits to find out if magnet therapy works, the cancerous cells continue to proliferate and spread throughout his body. By the time the sufferer realizes the magnets don't work, it may be too late for effective treatment.

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