CONTINUED FROM PAGE "MAGNETIC INFORMATION"
The physician is skeptical but decides to try a magnet wrap on his daughter's
elbow.
"Her pain started to decrease almost immediately," he recalled. "Within a few
hours it was practically gone. At first, her elbow would start hurting again if she
stopped using the magnet. Gradually, over a few weeks, the pain would go away
and stayed away.
"Does magnet therapy work? Does it have a scientific basis? I'm not sure, but I
know it helped my daughter."
Anecdotes abound about biomagnetic therapy for pain relief. It's estimated that
about 20 golfers on the PGA Senior Tour wouldn't be able to compete each week
without magnets attached with elastic wraps, Velcro, belts or medical tape
attached to knees, backs, elbows, necks, hips and other body areas.
Jim Colbert, one of the circuit's big winners, credits his success to wide-strip
magnets he wears on his back. He also sleeps on a magnetic mattress product,
which is typically fabric-covered foam padding with the magnets sewn inside. He
said his back pain used to sideline him for a good part of the golf season. Now he
hasn't missed a day, and keeps ringing up prize money.
FEELING GOOD
Chi Chi Rodriguez, another popular senior player, has been using a magnetic
mattress since a trip to Japan some 30 years ago. Magnets are widely used for
pain and overall well-ness in that country, as evidenced by the dozens of tiny ones
taped to the body of New York Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabo.
Pro football players are reporting quicker recovery from injury with the use of
magnets. Ronnie Loll, the former all-pro safety with the Oakland Raiders, is a
spokesman for Bioflex, one of several American magnet therapy companies
chasing the Japanese manufacturer Nikken.
"I was willing to try anything within league limits to relieve pain during my playing
days," said Loll, now a broadcaster with the Fox net-work. "But, believe me, I
would not have kept using magnets if they didn't work."
Many doctors have doubted that the experiences of such pro athletes can be
replicated in clinical trials. But one controlled, randomized study published in the
Archives of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine last November is beginning to
change some minds. In the experiment, which involved 50 people suffering from
pain years after a bout with polio, researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine
in Houston found significantly reduced symptoms among subjects using magnet
devices with power slightly stronger than refrigerator stick-ons. The results were
corrected for any placebo effect.
Of course, more studies are needed to determine if greater magnetic intensity
(called gauss) might bring more results, whether the pain relief is temporary or
lasting, and whether there is any drop-off in effectiveness if magnets are used
constantly.
Even most critics admit there is no physical harm in trying magnets for most
people, though there are questions about whether a magnetic field can disrupt
pacemakers, insulin pumps, drug patches and pregnancy.
Fiscal risk is another matter. There's little investment at the lower end of magnet
products, say $20 or less. It gets more expensive if you want a special bracelet
for wrist or elbow pain ($150 range) or a magnetic pad for your bed (about $500
and up).
"For some people with pain symptoms, magnets are not only the best treatment
but the least expensive one," said Dr. Julian Whitaker, co-author of "The Pain
Relief Breakthrough: The Power of Magnets." (Little, Brown and company). "Most
anyone with back pain should benefit from using them."
Whitaker says magnets can be equally beneficial for arthritis, menstrual cramps.
carpal tunnel syndrome and various sports injuries. His book details the history of
magnet therapy, With its roots in China (where it is still used by some
acupuncturists), India and Egypt.
He explained magnets are not respected by American doctors because there are
few U.S. studies confirming results. One obstacle is the magnetic fields can't be
patented, so any company wishing to prove that magnets work - at considerable
expense if government endorsement is the goal - only does the heavy lifting for a
host of competitors.
"I think magnets have potential to work for cancer and other diseases, maybe
autoimmune disorders," said Whitaker. "I don't know how the mechanisms will
work, but think it can be effective."
Source: Chicago Tribune, Thursday March 12, 1998
The physician is skeptical but decides to try a magnet wrap on his daughter's
elbow.
"Her pain started to decrease almost immediately," he recalled. "Within a few
hours it was practically gone. At first, her elbow would start hurting again if she
stopped using the magnet. Gradually, over a few weeks, the pain would go away
and stayed away.
"Does magnet therapy work? Does it have a scientific basis? I'm not sure, but I
know it helped my daughter."
Anecdotes abound about biomagnetic therapy for pain relief. It's estimated that
about 20 golfers on the PGA Senior Tour wouldn't be able to compete each week
without magnets attached with elastic wraps, Velcro, belts or medical tape
attached to knees, backs, elbows, necks, hips and other body areas.
Jim Colbert, one of the circuit's big winners, credits his success to wide-strip
magnets he wears on his back. He also sleeps on a magnetic mattress product,
which is typically fabric-covered foam padding with the magnets sewn inside. He
said his back pain used to sideline him for a good part of the golf season. Now he
hasn't missed a day, and keeps ringing up prize money.
FEELING GOOD
Chi Chi Rodriguez, another popular senior player, has been using a magnetic
mattress since a trip to Japan some 30 years ago. Magnets are widely used for
pain and overall well-ness in that country, as evidenced by the dozens of tiny ones
taped to the body of New York Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabo.
Pro football players are reporting quicker recovery from injury with the use of
magnets. Ronnie Loll, the former all-pro safety with the Oakland Raiders, is a
spokesman for Bioflex, one of several American magnet therapy companies
chasing the Japanese manufacturer Nikken.
"I was willing to try anything within league limits to relieve pain during my playing
days," said Loll, now a broadcaster with the Fox net-work. "But, believe me, I
would not have kept using magnets if they didn't work."
Many doctors have doubted that the experiences of such pro athletes can be
replicated in clinical trials. But one controlled, randomized study published in the
Archives of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine last November is beginning to
change some minds. In the experiment, which involved 50 people suffering from
pain years after a bout with polio, researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine
in Houston found significantly reduced symptoms among subjects using magnet
devices with power slightly stronger than refrigerator stick-ons. The results were
corrected for any placebo effect.
Of course, more studies are needed to determine if greater magnetic intensity
(called gauss) might bring more results, whether the pain relief is temporary or
lasting, and whether there is any drop-off in effectiveness if magnets are used
constantly.
Even most critics admit there is no physical harm in trying magnets for most
people, though there are questions about whether a magnetic field can disrupt
pacemakers, insulin pumps, drug patches and pregnancy.
Fiscal risk is another matter. There's little investment at the lower end of magnet
products, say $20 or less. It gets more expensive if you want a special bracelet
for wrist or elbow pain ($150 range) or a magnetic pad for your bed (about $500
and up).
"For some people with pain symptoms, magnets are not only the best treatment
but the least expensive one," said Dr. Julian Whitaker, co-author of "The Pain
Relief Breakthrough: The Power of Magnets." (Little, Brown and company). "Most
anyone with back pain should benefit from using them."
Whitaker says magnets can be equally beneficial for arthritis, menstrual cramps.
carpal tunnel syndrome and various sports injuries. His book details the history of
magnet therapy, With its roots in China (where it is still used by some
acupuncturists), India and Egypt.
He explained magnets are not respected by American doctors because there are
few U.S. studies confirming results. One obstacle is the magnetic fields can't be
patented, so any company wishing to prove that magnets work - at considerable
expense if government endorsement is the goal - only does the heavy lifting for a
host of competitors.
"I think magnets have potential to work for cancer and other diseases, maybe
autoimmune disorders," said Whitaker. "I don't know how the mechanisms will
work, but think it can be effective."
Source: Chicago Tribune, Thursday March 12, 1998
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| magnet therapy are paying heed By Bob Condor |