There are a lot of claims about magnetic therapy bracelets and other applications of healing magnets and using magnets for health. The one I have seen most often recently is about Linus Pauling receiving the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1954 for discovering the magnetic properties of hemoglobin, the iron containing component of red blood cells. The claims are usually stated so that they strongly suggest that he proved back in 1954 that magnets heal the body and nothing more needs to be said about the matter.
From what I have been able to find, Linus Pauling won the Nobel prize in 1954 more for his work in figuring out how chemical bonds work and that his research into the magnetic properties of hemoglobin was just a small side note. I didn’t see anywhere that he made any medical claim about using magnets to heal the body. The fact that hemoglobin does have magnetic properties could be something that we can use though.
A Theory for How Magnetic Therapy Works
Before I go any farther, I need to let you know that I know that magnets absolutely do affect the body. People can talk about placebo effects or whatever else they want to talk about, it really doesn’t matter. People use magnets on horses and other animals with beneficial affects. Animals are not subject to the placebo effect, so the results are true. End of story.
I’m not looking at “do magnetic bracelets work?” so much as at “HOW do magnetic bracelets work?” I want to know how magnets work, and there are a lot of theories. I’m also not making any medical claims. Always consult a qualified physician if you have a medical condition.
I found some research from other scientists (physicist Rongjia Tao of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and medical physicist Ke Huang of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor) that expanded on Pauling’s work and showed that blood components will align with a magnetic field to reduce viscosity and improve flow. The article says that they are developing a magnet that a patient can put an arm or leg into and they are proposing that if they can improve blood flow in one area of the body then the effect should spread throughout the body over time.
This sounds like a magnetic bracelet to me. Granted, they are talking about using magnets that are about 16 times stronger that the magnets that I use, so it may take longer to achieve the desired affect. I wear my magnetic bracelet all the time, so that’s not a problem for me. Their research also showed that if took a couple hours for the effect to wear off once the magnetic field was removed, so I’m still good if I take my bracelet off to take a shower or wash dishes.
How a Magnetic Bracelet Works
When you put a magnetic field around a channel filled with moveable particles that have magnetic properties, they will align with that magnetic field. You see that with electrons in a wire (turn a magnet around a wire and you have an electric generator), with water in a pipe (water molecules have positive and negative poles) and with blood in an artery or a vein. When all of the particles are in alignment, they flow smoother, faster and more particles can fit in that volume.
You see this all the time on the highways in large cities. When all the cars are headed in the same direction the traffic flows very well. When you have cars heading in other directions, like merging from onramps or switching lanes, you have turbulence and traffic slows down. Even worse, when there’s a wreck you have a lot of turbulence and flow can come to a stop.
Put a magnet around a water pipe, and apparently the same thing with a blood vessel, and you can reduce the turbulence and improve the flow. When you have improved blood flow, or circulation, the blood can carry in more nourishment to an area and carry away more waste material and you feel better.
Ben
PS. You can see the magnetic bracelets that I use here.
Disclaimer and Disclosure
I am not a doctor and do not make any claim that magnets can be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical conditions. Please consult a doctor is you have a medical condition that needs treatment.
I only recommend products that I have used myself and I may earn a commission if you place an order through any link on this website.
