Skeptics consider them gimmicks, nothing short of witch medicine. Proponents wrinkle a wry eye at the snickers, enjoying a sort of quiet chuckle at the disbelievers.
Call them alternative therapy; call them complementary medicine; call them whatever popular culture wants to call them. But treatments like magnet therapy, a centuries-old technique just gaining popular notice in the United States, is carving out a significant niche in American medical science.
Bolstered by anecdotal reports and first-hand experience despite the skeptically cool response from the traditional medical establishment, methods like magnet therapy, far-infrared, herbs and chiropractic care are developing a following similar in devotion - if not numbers - - that they have enjoyed in Asian cultures for centuries.
Irony Exists
A certain irony exists as these methods gain popularity in the United States. The methods seem to work - the Food and Drug Administration has yet to rule definitively on their use - but many physicians are reluctant to use them in their clinical work.
But one local physician who specializes in rehabilitative medicine uses electromagnetic treatment and has found it effective for many of his patients. For some people who have been unsuccessful trying conventional methods of rehabilitation and problems like joint pain, mild arthritis, strains and sprains, placing magnets on the injured area seems to improve healing.
"One out of three patients responded favorably to magnetic field therapy, so much that they were willing to spend out-of-pocket dollar for the modality to try and help their condition," said the physician, who asked to remain anonymous. " As insurance carriers do not customarily pay for that type of therapy, needless to say, I was impressed with that type of reaction."
Magnetic therapy seems to be the most innovative technique, though it's been used in Asia for more than 2,000 years. Magnets as small as a half-dollar or as large as a bed mattress are touted as being an energizing force, working with the body's natural electric charge to help relax, soothe and heal injuries.
Two companies dominate the American market, though their approaches are different. Nikken, a 23-year-old Japanese company with $1.5 billion in world-wide sales in 1997, began by selling magnetic insoles and now offers a package of sleep products, accessories, pet items, nutrition products and skin care. Tectonic is different from Nikken in that its products are commercially available - the company name is a common one in golf pro shops - but offers a similar line.
Theories Surreal
Some of the theories and products seem as surreal as the results they're supposed to encourage. Pillows with ceramic tile implants are meant to cool the head. Quilts lined with brown ceramic fibers - technology borrowed from NASA - are supposed to maintain body heat. Magnet lined mattresses. Magnetized massage items. All these products are meant to energize the body.
Another product line drawing increasing interest is far-infrared. Borrowing technology from NASA, Nikken's far-infrared products are "ceramic-reflective fibers for breathable, comfortable body warmth that is regulated by the body's own natural temperature."
Magnet therapy, though practitioners differ on how it actually works, is emerging as a significant medical method. An FDA study in Tennessee earlier this year theorized that it block pain signals from reaching the brain. Another investigation attributes magnet therapy's effect on increased blood flow: it insists, a 300percent increase within 20 minutes of applying the magnets to the area.
Whatever the method of delivery, the results seem positive. A physician in Connecticut found patients enjoyed some relief from pain caused by osteoarthritis. Yet, another study reported that 76 percent of patients suffering discomfort from post-polio symptoms showed improvement.
One other bonus: magnet therapy apparently poses no side effects.
"I'm not aware that other doctors use it as I do," said the local physician. "But let me say this: I have not gone on to use this without obtaining credible evidence from literature to support its use. Any muscular or ligament problems, like strains or sprains, might be amenable to this type of therapy."
Americans will spend approximately $1.4 trillion on medical treatment in 2001. An estimated 40 percent of that will go to pay for these alternatives. In a society growing more averse to continual corrective methods like medicines and surgeries - - one report said 106,000 people died last year because of adverse reactions to prescribed drugs - - techniques like magnet therapy are expected to continue taking away from traditional methodology.
"What makes it interesting is it's not like people can have this or are entitled to this because their insurance company's paying for it," the doctor said. "What I'm finding is more intriguing - - their willingness to spend out-of-pocket dollars on this modality because they find it helpful.
Courtesy of the Scranton, PA Sunday Times October 4, 1998
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