Therapy for Healthy

Magnetic therapy has gained a lot of interest from the press in the last few years. This article looks at what are the most effective magnets for magnetic therapy healing. First lets discuss the different types of therapeutic magnets.

Not all magnets are created equal. Magnets come in many shapes and forms. Magnets are used for hundreds of applications from large industry purposes like the automotive industry to domestic applications such as audio speakers; you will even find them in your television. With so many different types, shapes, and strengths of magnets it can be easy to mistake an industrial magnet for a healing magnet. I will discuss the difference between the various materials magnets can be made from and their applications.

Ferrite magnets

Hard ferrite (ceramic) magnets were developed in the 1960’s as a low cost alternative to metallic magnets. They are made from strontium carbonate and iron oxide both of which are readily available and low in cost. Even though they exhibit low magnetic fields (compared with other permanent magnet materials),ferrite magnets are widely used for industrial and domestic purposes. Ferrite magnets have good resistance to demagnetization, excellent corrosion resistance and the biggest advantage of such economic cost.

Ferrite magnets are made in many shapes and sizes, cylinders, bars, discs, horse shoes and rings.

The positive benefits of ferrite magnets are

They retain their magnetism for a very long time.

They have a high stability and do not demagnetise very easily even in high temperatures.

They are relatively low cost to produce.

They can be manufactured to be flexible, by mixing the ferrite with plasticized rubber compounds, which creates a bendy and pliable magnet.

The main drawback of ferrite magnets is that they are quite fragile and tend to break easily, so they should be handled with care.

Ferrite magnets are used for healing purposes. They are commonly found in magnetic therapy wraps, straps, magnetic bedding and shoe insoles (using flexible ferrite magnets). Whilst ferrite magnets will keep their magnetism for a very long time you must always be careful to ensure that their strength is adequate. Each magnet should be at least 800 gauss. You should also be wary of products that could be easily damaged as once the magnets are broken the magnetic device should be discarded.

Neodymium magnets

Neodymium magnets are a member of the rare earth magnet family and are the most powerful permanent magnets in the world. They are also referred to as NdFeB magnets, or NIB, because they are composed mainly of Neodymium (Nd), Iron (Fe) and Boron (B). They are a relatively new invention, first manufactured in 1984 and have only recently become affordable for everyday use.

Neodymium rare earth magnets have a high resistance to demagnetization, unlike most other types of magnets. They will not lose their magnetization around other magnets or if dropped. They will however, begin to lose strength if they are heated above their maximum operating temperature, which is 176

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What is chronic fatigue syndrome?

We all get tired. Many of us have felt depressed at times. But the mystery known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is not like the normal ups and downs we experience in everyday life. The early sign of this illness is a strong and noticeable fatigue that comes on suddenly and often comes and goes or never stops. You sometimes feel too tired to do normal activities or are easily exhausted with no apparent reason. Unlike the mind fog of a serious hangover, to which researchers have compared CFS, the profound weakness of CFS does not go away with a few good nights of sleep. Instead, it slyly steals your energy and vigour over months and sometimes years.

Causes of Chronic fatigue

For many people, CFS can begin after a bout with a minor illness such as a cold, or an intestinal bug. Often, people say that their illnesses started during a period of high stress. In others, CFS develops more gradually, with no clear illness or other event starting it. While no one knows what causes CFS, for more than a century, doctors have reported seeing illnesses similar to it. In the 1860s, Dr. George Beard named a similar or identical syndrome “neurasthenia” because he thought it was a nervous disorder with weakness and fatigue.

In the mid-1980s, health experts labelled the illness “chronic EBV” infection when laboratory clues led scientists to wonder whether the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), one of the causes of infectious mononucleosis, might be causing this group of symptoms. Evidence soon cast doubt on this theory.

Magnetic treatments for chronic fatigue syndrome

Successful treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome depends on increasing energy levels. Drinking magnetic water will increase energy levels and reduce tiredness.

One of the many benefits of drinking magnetised water is that it eliminates toxins in the body. Your body stores harmful toxins with in the tissues of the skin. These toxins are potentially harmful to your body and can not be safely detoxified by the liver. When you drink magnetised water the size of the water molecule is increased and its ability to absorb toxins is much greater, so as the magnetism flows around your body harmful toxins are drawn out of the tissues and safely transported to the kidneys for excretion from the body.

You can lose as much as 2 litres (4

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What is Sciatica?

The longest nerve in your body, the sciatic nerve runs from your pelvis through your hip area and buttocks and down each leg. It divides into the tibial and peroneal nerves at the level of your knees. The sciatic nerve controls many of the muscles in your lower legs and provides feeling to your thighs, legs and feet.

The term sciatica refers to pain that radiates along the path of this nerve, from your back into your buttock and leg. The discomfort can range from mild to incapacitating, and may be accompanied by tingling, numbness or muscle weakness. Rather than a disorder in and of itself sciatica is a symptom of another problem that puts pressure on the nerve.

What are the signs and symptoms of Sciatica?

Pain that radiates from your lower (lumbar) spine to your buttock and down the back of your leg is the hallmark of sciatica. You may feel the discomfort almost anywhere along the nerve pathway, but it’s especially likely to follow one of these routes:
From your lower back to your knee.
From the mid buttock to the outside of your calf, the top of your foot and into the space between your last two toes.

From the inside of your calf to your inner ankle and sole.

The pain can vary widely, from a mild ache to a sharp, burning sensation or excruciating discomfort. Sometimes it may feel like a jolt or electric shock. Sciatic pain often starts gradually and intensifies over time. It’s likely to be worse when you sit, cough or sneeze. Usually only one lower extremity is affected.

In addition to pain, you may also experience:
Numbness or muscle weakness along the nerve pathway in your leg or foot. In some cases, you may have pain in one part of your leg and numbness in another.

Tingling or a pins-and-needles feeling. This occurs most commonly in your toes or part of your foot.

A loss of bladder or bowel control. This is a sign of cauda equina syndrome, a rare but serious condition that requires emergency care. If you experience either of these symptoms, seek medical help immediately.

Magnetic therapy for sciatica.

Sciatica can resolve by itself but this can take many weeks or even months. You can however quite rapidly reduce the symptoms of sciatica with magnets. As with all magnetic therapy treatments, the magnets have to be placed as close to the area of pain as possible, this will be the lower (lumbar) region of the back. Even though you may have pain down your legs or in your buttocks the cause is still in the lower back. When you treat the back area and the sciatica resolves then the pain running down the leg and buttocks will also dissipate.

There are really only 2 magnetic therapy devices that are effective in treating sciatica:

1.A magnetic therapy back strap or support. The functional straps and supports can be placed directly over the area of pain. If the sciatica is very low in the back then a narrow strap will be more practical and altogether more comfortable than a wide support, as it fits snugly around the hip area and will stay over the compressed nerve. A wider support is effective if the sciatic pain is higher and nearer to the waist area. As with all magnets the straps/supports need to be worn for 24 hours and 7 days a week until the pain has gone.

2.A Magnetic therapy pillow pad. If for any reason what so ever you cannot wear a back belt or support the only alternative is to use a pad placed under your back in bed at night. It can also be used during the day when sitting or lying down (even in the car). You will not have 24 hours 7 day a week exposure to the magnets but if you cannot wear a strap this is an acceptable alternative as long as it is used every might when the body is at its most receptive to magnetic healing.

When magnetic therapy is used in-conjunction with deep penetrating massage and cold/ice therapy, the symptoms of sciatica can be resolved in just a few days. Massage will relax the muscles that have gone into spasm around the trapped nerve, the cold or ice will help reduce the inflammation and heat around the injury and both of these will prepare the tissues and muscles, so that the magnetic field can penetrate more quickly into the damaged area. Massage and ice therapy can be used 3-4 times a day for approximately 10 minutes at a time.

Debbie Shimadry is qualified magnetic therapist and pain nurse specialist. She appears on several BBC radio stations as an expert guest on magnetic therapy and is also the managing director of leading magnetic therapy company worldofmagnets.co.uk. To find out more on how magnetic therapy can help you, visit magnetictherapyfacts.org.

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