Comments are interspersed in italics. To preface this, note that the bulk of the support for most claims made in the article is that "we say so".
Magnetic therapy is a safe, non-invasive method of applying magnetic fields to the body for therapeutic purposes. It helps to speed the healing process and improve quality of sleep without any adverse side effects. Whether used independently or as an adjunct to your current treatment, magnetic therapy is very effective for the relief of discomfort due to joint and muscle pain, inflammation, and stiffness, making it an excellent choice for everyone.
Of course it's safe because it does nothing. There's no biological activity, no chemcial action, no energy involved, and no force is exerted upon the body except for the weight of the magnets.
Over the centuries, it has been well documented that many cultures, including the ancient Chinese, Greeks and Egyptians, have applied magnets to relieve pain and other symptoms. However, the size and weight of the magnets existing during that time, made them difficult to use. Today, smaller and stronger magnetic materials have led to the application of modern day magnetic therapy products used by over 120 million people worldwide.
This demonstrates the fact that people often do not make decisions based on "scientific" criteria. Why should they?If someone has chronic pain, they're desperate for a solution, some figure of authority promises that some treatment will relieve your pain, and they lack any basis for evaluating what they're being told, then trying the propsed treatment is far from stupid.
Anecdotal evidence may make it appear that such treatments work... every once in a while, somebody's pain is relieved coincidentally with application of the treatment. That's just luck. Patients may report success as a result of the placebo effect. And if it doesn't work for you, that's just bad luck... it doesn't prove that the treatment doesn't have benefits for some portion of the population.
Clinical studies in the United States have shown magnetic therapy to be an effective method for relieving pain and discomfort. Japan and many eastern European countries have conducted studies for over 30 years, and researchers continue to find that it provides tremendous benefits for a wide range of conditions. Physicians in the United States using magnetic therapy in their practices have reported many case histories showing positive benefits for their patients as well.
Noooooo! Physicians who use magnetic therapy report that it works?Let's consider what this means. For every physician who uses magnetic therapy in their practice, there are 99 others who tried it. It didn't work. But this survey only asked the one in 100 who still continue to use it.
It's likely these physicians aren't good reporters anyway. They're self-selected to choose unsubstantiated ideas. By chance and by unintended bias, they see a small number of patients for whom they observe positive results. This reinforces their bias to believe that the wack therapy works.
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Revision r1.2 - 01 Jan 2006 - 07:20 by EliMantel
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