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Denver Broncos linebacker Bill Romanowski sleeps on a magnetic mattress pad. Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabu actually plays with magnets stuck to his body. Senior PGA Tour golfer Jim Colbert prefers to play with large magnets strapped to his back.

Athletes, celebrities and just plain folks with just plain muscle pain are discovering the wonders of magnet therapy, an ancient healing technique recently rediscovered by this country's $500 million-a-year alternative healing industry. As baby boomers start coming face to face with middle age aches and pains, they're spending anywhere from $20 to $200 per magnet to relieve muscular pain, backache, arthritis and even depression.

Although a number of studies indicate that magnets may indeed relieve some pain, there is little conclusive research at this time. The traditional medical community is skeptical, of course, but even the Office of Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health has said, "The office cannot comment on magnetic therapy treatment because it has not conducted research on the subject."

Based on history that dates back to about 800 B.C. (long before government agencies issued official statements about health care), healers in the ancient worlds of Greece, India, Egypt and China were aware of the body's natural magnetic energy. Magnets were often used to direct and stimulate energy (although so were leeches), and the great healer Aesculapius, whose name is mentioned in the Hippocratic oath, is said to have used magnets in his healing work. Today, magnetic-field products are licensed as medical devices in Japan and Korea. If you listen to the American medical establishment, you'll get about a 50/50 split of opinions as to the positive effects of magnets. If you listen to individuals who've tried them, the breakdown is about the same.

"My acupuncturist put a bunch of stuff on my body," says Jenny Aurthur, a Santa Monica-based yoga teacher who wore magnets for two weeks to cure an injury on her rotator cuff. "He used a sonic wave machine, which is the same as the magnet, but more powerful. Then he taped the magnets to my shoulder. Whether it's the magnets or the other stuff, I don't know. But whatever it was, it worked."

Nobody really understands how or why magnets work on human healing, and there are several theories. Some studies show that bioelectric activity occurs when a magnetic field is placed against the body, and one school of thought says that iron in the blood is drawn to the magnetized area, which can speed healing by causing oxygenation. Other advocates believe that charged particles passing through a magnetic field generate an alternating current which creates heat, expanding blood vessels and increasing blood flow. This effect can work on several of the body's systems, including oxygenation, stimulation of the lymphatic system, balance of cell membranes, and the ionic transfer of calcium, potassium and sodium.

But remember, none of these theories have been definitively proven, which doesn't give consumers much to work with. So rather than listen to celebrities and athletes or blindly follow a trend, do your homework. Read, research and consult the recent medical studies, and then decide if there are magnets in your future.


		An article on healing with magnets (for eNutrition.com)

	HEAVY METAL HEALING Denver Broncos linebacker Bill Romanowski sleeps on a magnetic mattress pad. Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabu actually plays with magnets stuck to his body. Senior PGA Tour golfer Jim Colbert prefers to play with large magnets strapped to his back. Athletes, celebrities and just plain folks with just plain muscle pain are discovering the wonders of magnet therapy, an ancient healing technique recently rediscovered by this country's $500 million-a-year alternative healing industry. As baby boomers start coming face to face with middle age aches and pains, they're spending anywhere from $20 to $200 per magnet to relieve muscular pain, backache, arthritis and even depression. Although a number of studies indicate that magnets may indeed relieve some pain, there is little conclusive research at this time. The traditional medical community is skeptical, of course, but even the Office of Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health has said, "The office cannot comment on magnetic therapy treatment because it has not conducted research on the subject." Based on history that dates back to about 800 B.C. (long before government agencies issued official statements about health care), healers in the ancient worlds of Greece, India, Egypt and China were aware of the body's natural magnetic energy. Magnets were often used to direct and stimulate energy (although so were leeches), and the great healer Aesculapius, whose name is mentioned in the Hippocratic oath, is said to have used magnets in his healing work. Today, magnetic-field products are licensed as medical devices in Japan and Korea. If you listen to the American medical establishment, you'll get about a 50/50 split of opinions as to the positive effects of magnets. If you listen to individuals who've tried them, the breakdown is about the same. "My acupuncturist put a bunch of stuff on my body," says Jenny Aurthur, a Santa Monica-based yoga teacher who wore magnets for two weeks to cure an injury on her rotator cuff. "He used a sonic wave machine, which is the same as the magnet, but more powerful. Then he taped the magnets to my shoulder. Whether it's the magnets or the other stuff, I don't know. But whatever it was, it worked." Nobody really understands how or why magnets work on human healing, and there are several theories. Some studies show that bioelectric activity occurs when a magnetic field is placed against the body, and one school of thought says that iron in the blood is drawn to the magnetized area, which can speed healing by causing oxygenation. Other advocates believe that charged particles passing through a magnetic field generate an alternating current which creates heat, expanding blood vessels and increasing blood flow. This effect can work on several of the body's systems, including oxygenation, stimulation of the lymphatic system, balance of cell membranes, and the ionic transfer of calcium, potassium and sodium. But remember, none of these theories have been definitively proven, which doesn't give consumers much to work with. So rather than listen to celebrities and athletes or blindly follow a trend, do your homework. Read, research and consult the recent medical studies, and then decide if there are magnets in your future.