Magnetic therapy
According to one legend, the phenomenon of magnetism was supposedly discovered, and named after, a Greek shepherd, named Magnes, whose iron staff became strongly attracted to a lodestone rock. Other legends claim that magnetism was first discovered in an ancient part of Europe known as Magnesia.
Magnetic therapy is the use of magnets and the electromagnetic fields they produce to help create a beneficial environment that promotes the body's own healing processes.
ACUMED is a Biomagnetic patch for pain relief. It consists of a self adhesive plaster containing high purity zinc and copper in a magnetic field. 'Biomagnetics' which is the use of electromagnetic fields on acupuncture points. Each patch works as a mini transmitter, emitting small energy fields which have a soothing effect and stimulate the body's natural pain relief mechanism.
In the 16th Century, the famous Swiss physician and alchemist, Paracelus, was responsible for 'rediscovering' magnetic therapy and used it widely in his practice precipitating a resurgence in its popularity in Europe. He declared that 'The magnet is the king of all secrets' and used it to treat a variety of conditions including headache and rheumatic problems. He also recommended drinking a solution made by adding ground lodestone to water.
The 18th Century Viennese physician, Franz Anton Mesmer , Franz Anton Mesmer believed that magnets could enhance a Universal force that permeated the body, which he called 'animal magnetism'.
Today, magnetic therapy is popular in Japan and parts of Europe, but has only recently become widely known in the West.
In 1959, surgeons in the US found that amputated amphibian limbs could be regrown when an electromagnetic field was used.
Animal studies in the early 1970's suggested that it was only the negative pole of a magnet that has beneficial effects on living cells. Around the same time, researchers also discovered that weak electrical currents (which will produce a magnetic field) could enhance the healing of bone fractures, and strong electromagnetic fields are now used by many orthopedic surgeons to hasten the healing of bone fractures. The reported success rate is over 80%, even in cases of non-union where other procedures had previously failed.
Magnetic therapy is now also used by some doctors to encourage healing of persistent wounds and ulcers, swelling (edema) and sometimes to treat deep vein thrombosis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is also widely used as a diagnostic technique to visualize internal parts of the body, and produces better results, more safely, than using X-rays.
