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Magnet Patches for Back Pain

Magnetic therapy dates back to the 15th century, treating a number of ailments, including arthritis, poisoning, gout, baldness and pain. Magnetic therapy is now practiced throughout the United States, and one condition it is used to treat is chronic back pain, which afflicts eight out of every 10 people.

  1. How It Works

    • Although the effectiveness of magnetic therapy is controversial, millions of people attest to its results. In treating back pain, magnetic patches are placed either directly on the general area of distress, or strategically at certain acupoints identified with the posterior torso. Eastern practitioners have developed a method in which the magnets are set along meridian lines, thought to be the channels by which life force energy travels throughout the body. One patch is replaced, by the therapist, with a new one every other day throughout the healing period, which is generally about a week. The magnets used in pain management today are hundreds of times more powerful than the Earth's magnetic field. They're thought to work by blocking the transmission of pain from nerve centers to the brain, promoting cell rejuvenation and increasing blood flow and temperature in the area where they are applied.

    Finding Practitioners

    • Many magnetic healers (also known as energy healers) are listed in local phone books under the heading "Alternative Medicine Health Practitioners." In the Eastern world, magnetic therapy has been widely accepted as a viable medical practice, and is often covered by health insurance. Although this is not the case in the United States, there is still an abundance of certified practitioners in the United States (see Resources).

    Famous Users

    • A large number of professional golfers regularly wear magnetic belts to relieve back pain. Jim Colbert, lead golfer on the Senior PGA Tour in 1998, claims that he didn't find success until using magnets to alleviate his back pain, avowing that they saved his career. Other celebrities who have used magnets for pain include 1996 Olympic gold medal wrestler Kurt Angle, tennis pro Venus Williams, basketball sensation Michael Jordan and even former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

    Costs

    • A magnetic therapy session generally costs between $100 and $200. Many consider this a bargain compared to the costs of traditional treatment and prescriptions. Small accessories like bracelets and necklaces can costs as little as $15 dollars apiece, while magnetically charged mattresses can run as high as $500.

    Significance

    • Although the word on magnetic therapy as a viable measure of pain correction is still out, the principles and philosophy of magnetic therapy have been used in other fields. For example, the theories of 19th-century magnetic healer Daniel David Palmer eventually evolved into the field of chiropractic. The recently developed art of "therapeutic touch" is also an ancestor of magnetic therapy.

    Risks

    • The World Health Organization published the statement that "static magnetic fields (from hard, non-electric magnets) pose no determinate health risks." Although the effects of magnetic therapy on the body are generally benign, magnets may interfere with the proper function of some medical devices, such as defibrillators and pacemakers. Pregnant women are not advised to seek the treatment, as the effects on unborn children are have yet to be established.

    A Word of Caution

    • It's always important to notify your health care provider regarding any plans to undergo alternative practices.

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