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Alleviate Pain With Magnetic Therapy Products

1st May, 2009 - Posted by health news - No Comments

While magnetic therapy is still being tested in numerous clinical trials, researchers feel this science-fiction-like treatment can be the cure to many afflictions. Electromagnetic fields have the power to trigger the firing of brain cells, without the invasiveness of surgically implanted devices or painful shock therapy.

No sedation is needed for this outpatient therapy and the worst side effect is a little bit of scalp tension and a headache. While there is still much research to be done, researchers are trying out magnets in a number of exciting ways.

magnetic therapy products
A year ago, a Chicago man drove over a curb, flipped his car and went into a coma. Over the last year, he would occasionally open his eyes but his brain damage was said to be so severe that medical professionals said he’d probably never regain responsiveness. However, after 15 sessions of magnetic therapy, the man opened his eyes and looked at his mother.

Doctors believe the electromagnetic pulse from transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) sent a “wake up call” to the nerve cells. Soon he began obeying simple instructions, like following the movement of a thumb around the room and speaking single words.

“Erm, help, help me,” he would say. The therapy can be done 3-4 times a day for ten minutes at a time.

magnetic bangles
It may sound like science fiction, but magnetic therapy has most recently been used to treat depression. The NeuroStar TMS Therapy system has been recently FDA-approved for people with chronic depression who haven’t responded to antidepressants. Patients will receive 3,000 zaps of an MRI-strength electromagnetic pulse in the prefrontal cortex during a daily 40-minute procedure over a period of 4-6 weeks.

In a clinical study of 164 people, significant improvement was recorded for depression, anxiety and other signs of distress in just one week. Roughly 24% showed marked improvement, which is just as good as any antidepressant, researchers specify. The only real side-effect of the treatment was mild-to-moderate scalp discomfort and headaches, which declined after the first week, and less than 5% stopped treatment because of it.

magnetic necklaces
Of course, magnetic therapy is no magic cure-all. While magnetic pillow or magnetic bangles may not be costly, actual transcranial magnetic stimulation can be costly. TMS is expected to cost $6,000 to $10,000, depending on how many treatments are needed.

On one hand, it’s cheaper and less invasive than surgery; but on the other hand, there are few studies to validate the long-lasting efficiency when treatments are stopped. Perhaps researchers have just hit the tip of the iceberg for magnetic treatments and many more breakthroughs are sure to come.