Research Shows Magnetic Bracelets Provide Relief

Magnetic bracelets have been sold for a long time as alternative treatment to pain. They have been marketed as trinkets that promote health all over the world. Magnetic bracelet vendors have claimed that these devices help reduce pain, prompting thousands of people to buy magnetic bracelets in hopes of effective and natural pain relief.

However, they have been met with a lot of criticism and are sometimes seen as another component of “quack” medicine.

A study previously published in the British Medical Journal showed that magnetic bracelets were proven to actually provide relief from pain due to osteoarthritis, specifically of the knee and the hip.

It has been shown that different studies showed contradicting evidence because these studies used different magnets of different strengths. Also, these studies studied different conditions and different treatment periods. Therefore, a study was done to determine the specific effect of magnetic bracelets on knee and hip osteoarthritis.

Details of the study

• The study was done by researchers from Peninsula Medical school.
• There were 194 patients involved, between forty-five and eighty years old.
• All of the patients complained of osteoarthritis of knees and hips.
• Patients were grouped in three. The first group used magnetic bracelets of 170 to 200 mTesla strength. The second group used magnetic bracelets of a weaker strength (21 to 30 mTesla). The last group used bracelets with no magnetic capacities.
• These patients continued to wear the bracelets for three months.
• Pain was evaluated using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index. Three indicators were evaluated: pain, stiffness of legs, and level of functioning, corresponding to WOMAC A, B, and C.
• After the study, the researchers found out that the second group of bracelets (the ones with a weaker magnetic strength) were “contaminated”. Their strengths were found to be a lot more than their expected strengths. However, both the first and third groups were unaffected.

The study showed significant differences between pain relief afforded by strong magnets, weak magnets, and non-magnetic bracelets. To view the results of the study, click here.