Who knows who would be sporting magnets now if Hideki Irabu had lived up to his $12.8-million billing! The long-sleeve shirt that the former Yankees pitcher wore concealed the newest craze among health and body-conscious Westerners: dozens of small magnets taped to his wrists, arms, chest and back at pressure points.
And even though they didn’t seem to work for Irabu, the idea behind the magnets is simple: They stimulate magnetic fields in the body, improving circulation, and promoting faster healing and general good health.
Magnets have been popular in Japan for two or three decades, said Hirofumi Murabayashi, a spokesman for the Japanese Consulate. “They are usually available at most ordinary drug stores without any prescription,” he said. Kota Ishijima, Irabu’s translator, says the ball-player has sported magnets for several years. “He changes [their position] everyday, according to where he feels stresses within his body. It is supposed to relieve microscopic muscular tension and open microscopic blood vessels for better blood flow.”
Sean P. Gallagher, a physical therapist at Performing Arts Physical Therapy in Manhattan, said he often uses magnets in conjunction with acupressure points on the body to relieve soreness and swelling.
Dr Steven Abramson, Chairman of the Department of Rheumatology and Medicine at the Hospital of Joint Diseases in Manhattan, says that animal research shows that “by altering magnetic fields, you can alter blood flow or reduce the amount of inflammation by blocking the movement of inflamed cells”.
Dr Alan Steiner of Denville, New Jersey, who calls himself a holistic dentist, said he doubted the medicinal benefits of magnets when he heard about them from a patient two years ago. Then he tried them. “I was told I had arthritis in the neck. I don’t have it anymore!” he said.
Power mat – activates all the nerve centres.
Steiner now offers magnets to patients who suffer from migraine headaches or TMJ (temporomandibullar joint disorder), a painful jaw problem, and is a distributor for a California magnet company.
According to him, a powerful magnet smaller than a penny, placed near the pain or injury may work wonders and relieve your pain. The magnetic field produced by permanent magnets is a safe natural energy source. There are no known harmful exposure levels and no limitations placed by governmental agencies.
Because many Americans have been fed up with the ever-burdening cost of medical care and its frequent failures, it has forced them to look for alternative therapies for their aches and pains. A host of therapies have surfaced, some old, some new. Chiropractic, massage, acupuncture, herbal, vitamins, biofeedback, homeopathy and magnetic therapy are just a few therapies offered.
Magnetic therapy has the most appeal because of its effectiveness. It is a natural therapy, non-toxic, no pills, no needles, no salves, no side effects and most important, a one-time low cost for everyone. Magnetic therapy, when coupled with professional therapy, proper nutrition and exercise, has proven to be the most effective and economical. Magnets can be used over and over, and will last for years.
In many quarters, though, it is still debated if magnets have physical benefits. “We need really good scientific inquiry, not just into clinical improvement, but long term, 20 or 30 years later,” says Dr Patricia Muehsam, who studies bioelectricmagnetics at Mount Sinai Medical Centre. “The body is exquisitely sensitive, even to weak electromagnetic fields; even one weaker than a hair dryer can affect enzymes in a test tube.”
Martin Meyer, herbologist and nutritionist in the US, opines that you can obtain more energy, enhance your ability to focus and relieve chronic pain just by applying a magnetic bracelet or magnetic wrap. “Are you tired of daily painkillers for knee pain, neck pain, sciatica, arthritis, bursitis, muscle pain, shoulder pain, tennis elbow, back pain. Then why not try magnetic therapy?” he says simply.