CRITICISM
A 2002 NSF report on public attitudes and understanding of science noted that magnet therapy is "not at all scientific." A number of vendors make unsupported claims about magnet therapy by using pseudoscientific and new-age language. Such claims are unsupported by the results of scientific and clinical studies. Most criticisms include:
- The typical magnet used produces insufficient magnetic field to have any effect on muscle tissue, bones, blood vessels, or organs.
- Some manufacturers claim that the magnets help to circulate the blood by interacting with the iron in hemoglobin, a major component of red blood cells. There is no indication that circulatory benefits would result even if some blood component were to couple strongly to magnetic fields.
- Others claim that the magnets can restore the body's theorized "electromagnetic energy balance", but no such balance is medically recognized.
- Even in the many times stronger magnetic fields used in magnetic resonance imaging, none of the claimed effects are observed.
- There are claims that the south pole of a magnet acts differently on the body than the north pole.
- Many of the websites that provide information and resources promoting the benefits of magnetic therapy belong to individuals and companies that profit from the sale of magnetic therapy products.
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