Pulsed Magnetic Cellular Exercisers As Pain Relief Therapy

If you're considering using magnet therapy for pain, you're not alone. According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), a 1999 survey indicated that 18 percent of patients suffering from arthritis, osteoarthritis or fibromyalgia had used magnet therapy to reduce pain. Manufacturers of pulsed magnetic therapy claim that it helps to exercise cells and improve cellular function. Understanding how this therapy works, as well as what current research says, can help you determine if it's right for you.

Pulsed Magnetic Therapy for Pain

According to NCCAM, you may receive pain relief from using pulsed magnetic therapy. NCCAM says that proponents of this therapy claim that because blood contains iron, it might act as a conductor of electric energy. Magnets, then, might increase blood flow, which helps to deliver nutrients and oxygen to various parts of your body. In addition, pulsed magnets could affect how your body responds to pain.

Manufacturers of pulsed magnets claim that sometimes a nutrient or oxygen deficiency in cells can cause pain. A pulsed electrical charge, then, helps add more oxygen, which alleviates pain.

When you use pulsed magnetic therapy, you will notice that the magnet uses brief but repetitive pulses. Manufacturers claim that these pulses of electric energy restore cellular damage, optimize cell performance and eliminate toxins. During cellular exercise, cells are expanded with electric exposure and relaxed during the off phase.

To receive full benefit from cellular exercise with pulsed magnetic therapy, use this therapy for 30-60 minutes, two to three times a day. While pain may lesson after one session, you will not experience complete benefits right away.

Research on Magnetic Therapy

Though manufacturers claim that magnet therapy, particularly pulsed magnetic therapy, can help reduce pain, the NCCAM says research appears mixed on magnetic efficacy. Four of nine trials testing the benefit of static magnets found no significant pain relief; however, trials of electromagnets---ones used in pulsed magnetic therapy for cellular exercise---showed that these magnets did significantly reduce pain. As a matter of fact, five out of six trials concluded the magnets provided some benefit.

If you do decide to use pulsed magnetic therapy for cellular therapy, make sure to discuss it with your health care provider, as magnetism could interfere with defibrillators, pacemakers and insulin pumps. Also, if you're pregnant, avoid magnets, as their effects on the fetus aren't fully known.

When purchasing a magnet therapy system, make sure to buy one with a 30-day refund policy, as results of this therapy, though not immediate, usually are seen rather quickly.