Another study rubbishing magnetic therapy

Last week we found out that academics at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City were determined to find out if there was something to back up the any claim made by magnet therapy supporters and sellers that wearing magnets may help to ease pains. The trendy hypothesis is that magnets one way or another increase blood flow to an effected area or block nerve impulses that carry pain information and that’s why wearing them helps, but the results of experiments by Dr. David W. Garrison indicated that there may have been no significant physiological distinction brought about by wearing magnets.

Those researchers think that they found that magnets did not appear to influence the nerve fibbers that transmit information about touch to the spinal cord, which have a propensity to be much more sensitive to encouragement than the nerves that pass on pain signals.

So if these highly sensitive touch nerves were not to be affected by magnets, “it would be a miracle” if magnets could influence the less sensitive pain nerves, the good old Dr. David W. Garrison said in an interview to Magnetic Therapy UK that was conducted via Skype last week.

These results, which are published in the American Journal of Pain Management, suggest that it would be “seemingly farfetched that (magnets) are doing something to alleviate pain,” he whispered in the interview.

The superior Dr. goes on to talk about that any apparent benefit wearers may feel they get from magnets is most likely the Placebo Effect that once again coming into play. Though he also mentioned that it’s possible some real pain relief could be the result of “gating.”

He is saying that “When people feel pain in their wrists from carpal tunnel syndrome, the researcher explained, nerve cells are sending that pain information to the spinal cord. However, if people wear a bracelet that contains a magnet to ease the pain, the pressure from the bracelet will activate other nerves that transmit information about touch to the spinal cord, and these nerves will start to compete with the pain nerve signals, limiting the amount of pain information reaching the brain.”

Later on he said that “…This theory also helps explain why rubbing a painful spot can often make it feel better”.

I bet that sellers of magnetic jewellery will not want this study to be seen by the wide public!

We will follow up this study in the coming months.

 

Focus

This blog will focus on research from now on. That is, the research of the magnetic therapy. The site will bring you the latest news about different approaches, latest reports and views about developments.