Straddling the Science/Magic Line: A Look At Magnetic Therapy

What's the difference between science and magic? It's ourunderstanding of what makes something happen.If magic is hocus-pocus, science is simply well understoodhocus-pocus. Fire? Solar eclipse? Volcanic eruption? Earthquake?Once we can explain it, it becomes science. But sometimes we'restuck straddling that science/magic line. Consider magnets. Remember when you were a kid back in elementary school and youfirst discovered the wonder of magnets? What a thrill it was toexplore the possibilities! There's nothing like messing withnatural forces to spark a child's imagination.Thirty five years later, I'm still fascinated by magnets.Magnetic therapy has been used for thousands of years in Asiaand Europe. Some believe that magnets help restore the flow ofblood through the capillaries, therefore assisting in theflushing of toxins that may accumulate due to injury or illness.Magnets have been used to relieve the pain of arthritis, carpaltunnel, migraines, joint injuries, menstrual cramps, and muchmore. There has been some research in the last couple of yearsindicating that magnetic therapy may offer relief to thosesuffering from depression and attention deficit disorder. Yet we're not sure how--or if--this really happens. It's got tobe some kind of placebo effect, right? We're all looking forsimple solutions to help us feel better. Sometimes we wantthings to work so much that they actually DO. Does that meanit's all a bunch of hooey?I've learned a lot about magnets since my husband starteddeveloping and distributing Bodylinx, a line of inexpensivemagnetic bracelets. Tom stated right from the beginning that hewanted to downplay the jewelry's possible health benefits. Helikes the bracelets because they’re fun—you can play around withthe magnetic links and rearrange them. Though he remainsreluctant to promote a healing property he doesn’t reallyunderstand, some of his customers are strong advocates magnetictherapy.We believe whatever we tell ourselves. If we want to think thata bracelet helps our arthritis, we are free to believe that. Andif it turns out to be true, did it work because we believed itor because there is some kind of science/magic at work?As important as it is to question our beliefs regularly, it'salso crucial that we become willing to suspend disbelief. Fiftyyears ago, nobody would have believed that we'd have spacecraftlanding on Mars and sending us digital images of the cratersthere. As a species, we have broken barrier after barrier bydaring to believe the impossible one small idea at a time.We need to accept that there may be therapies that work even ifwe can't prove they do or understand how it happens. Thisdoesn't mean we have to be gullible or stop questioning. Wesimply need to entertain the possibility.Whenever possible, I like a hefty dose of science to back up mybeliefs. There is a magnetic field present on our planet.Fortunately, we don't often shoot out into space and have todeal with the physical effects of that. What about those who do?Remember the early days of space exploration? We had to waitseveral hours after splashdown before the astronauts appeared atany press conferences. It turns out that human bodies must be properly reintroduced tothe earth's magnetic field. In recent years, the scientists atNASA have learned how to facilitate this physical readjustment.They now have the astronauts change into special suits embeddedwith magnets as soon as they land. They slip into their orangesuits and voila--they're ready for the cameras!There is a great deal we are learning about magnets, and it'snot just to help those who've blasted off into space for awhile. Magnetic wraps have been used for decades to helpracehorses heal after injuries. There is plenty of anecdotalevidence from trainers to support the continued use of magnetictherapy for horses. Horses don't tend to say much about theirbeliefs, so it's hard to point to the placebo effect as apossible explanation.The most compelling idea about magnetic therapy is that we mayneed it now more than ever. We used to walk barefoot in theforests and plains. We had direct contact with the earth as weslept, hunted, and harvested. We were surrounded by vegetationand natural rock formations. Not anymore. We've built concrete sidewalks, roadways,foundations, and buildings. We travel in cars and trains,essentially encapsulating ourselves. We've created a world ofbarriers between the earth's natural forces and our bodies. It'sreasonable to consider that this may be affecting us physicallyin ways that are difficult to diagnose.The earth has so much to teach us. Sometimes we know what workslong before we understand why it does so.We've never questioned the fact that being surrounded by naturehelps us feel soothed, refreshed, and invigorated. Scientificresearch now shows us more specifically how the earth helps usfeel better. We benefit from the negative ions near the ocean,our brains respond to the binaural beats present near waterfallsor during rainstorms, and our bodies react positively to arestored connection to magnetic forces. I'm not likely to latch onto the latest pharmaceuticals or toutthe benefits of new-fangled remedies. But the old ones? There'sno big company poised to reap huge rewards by promoting them,and consequently, we're not likely to hear about them on theevening news or be bombarded with television commercialspraising their potent power. I always like supporting theunderdog, and in this case, that underdog is backed up by plentyof science of the unprofitable kind.We would do well to restore our connection to the earth and thepowerful forces that help us maintain our health naturally. Howwonderful that we can benefit from negative ions, binaural beatsand magnetism without dealing with health insurance or spendinga lot of money at the drugstore.The next time you take a walk in the woods, stroll along thebeach, or stretch out in a meadow, remember the magic ofmagnetism. Recapture the wonder you had as a child, andcelebrate the fact that sometimes the simplest solutions arestill the ones that fill us with awe.