Can Magnets Cure Pain?
Magnets Can Reduce Inflammation, at Least in Rats, New Research Shows
By LEE DYE
Jan. 9, 2008
A belief in the healing power of magnets has been around since ancient Greece, leading to a $5 billion a year worldwide industry that supplies millions of believers with magnets for everything from arthritis to cancer to depression.
That's despite the fact that numerous scientific studies have been either inconclusive or unable to find evidence to support the claims of their healing power.
Until now.
New research at the University of Virginia shows that there is at least some truth to the oft-cited claim that magnets can increase the flow of blood, thus providing more oxygen and nutrients to injured tissue. Researchers have shown that a mild magnetic field can cause the smallest blood vessels in the body to dilate or constrict, thus increasing the blood flow and suppressing inflammation, a critical factor in the healing process.
So far, the findings are based on experiments with rats, but the researchers hope to begin human clinical trials in the near future, although that could prove to be a major challenge.
What sets this work apart from most research into the so-called healing effects of magnets is the fact that the researchers were able to quantify their results by measuring the changes in the blood vessels to determine the impact on inflammation. ......READ MORE..............
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