The Myths and Realities of Magnotherapy

Nigel Broderick is a leading authority on the use of magnetic fields to help alleviate pain, promote healing and improve general wellbeing. His research and understanding of the complex biophysical interactions between living cells and magnetic fields led to him receiving the prestigious BT Award for Innovation, while his magnotherapy company appeared twice in the Sunday Times/Virgin list of Top 100 Fastest Growing Privately Owned Companies. His original CRP magnet module became the world's leading magnotherapy product and remains the only magnetic bracelet to complete a successful clinical trial under an approved medical protocol.


When a product becomes successful it generally follows that other similar products want to share that success. There is nothing wrong with that, providing the similar product is as good as or better than the original successful product. Unfortunately, this is not always the case with magnotherapy products. Following the publication of the clinical trial of Nigel Broderick's previous, now outdated product Bioflow in the British Medical Journal many cheap magnetic products claiming similar benefits (and even quoting the report!) suddenly appeared from nowhere, but most were (and still are) making claims beyond the products capabilities.


Products such as magnetic earrings, magnetic insoles, magnetic belts, magnetic knee supports and many others claim magical properties, but none of these are supported by meaningful evidence.


Magnet strength


Don't be fooled by advertisements stating the strength of a magnet. Nigel emphasises that the effectiveness of a magnotherapy product is a combination of the magnetic field pattern and strength of the magnet. The strength of magnets given by many suppliers are equally as meaningless as they are impressive! A figure of several thousand gauss without stating the mass of the magnet, composition of the magnet, or distance from the magnet at which the reading is taken provides no indication of the effectiveness of the magnet. Because of so many variables nigel suggests that the simplest way to check if the strength of a magnet in any magnotherapy product is sufficient to produce a biophysical change is to offer a steel weight of at least 0.3 kg to the surface of the product (our rl and pu models support 0.5kg!). If the weight can be suspended from the product and not dropped the magnet has sufficient strength - but mind your toes if you try this!


Magnetic pattern


Just as important as the strength of the magnet is the pattern of the magnetic field. A magnet has two poles and most magnotherapy products have only one of these poles active against the body tissue. A minority may have two, but these alone will not produce the desired pulsing effect.


North poles and south poles


Don't believe any talk of a north pole being good for one condition and a south pole being good for another. If nature had intended this to be true we would always have to walk in one direction and never be able to turn around safely in the earth's magnetic field!


People with certain conditions should not wear magnets


There is no evidence to support this. Remember, a magnetic field is a natural force - in fact all life on earth lives in a giant magnetic field. However, if a prospective user is in any doubt they should consult their doctor.


People with heart pacemakers should not wear magnets


True. A strong magnet worn on the wrist could affect the operation of a pacemaker if passed close to it. Medical advice should be taken by anyone fitted with a man made surgical device or implant.


Testimonials - beware of testimonials!


Some magnotherapy suppliers use 'customer' testimonials in their advertising, which may or may not be true. The advertising standards authority does not believe them so why should you? The only meaningful customer testimonial is the one that is relevant to you - and that is the one you write yourself!


Typical testimonial


"Your product is great - I would recommend it to anyone"

William Bovie – the Inventor of Modern Electrosurgery

William Bovie is credited by the world as the developer of the first commercial electrosurgical tool. He believed that the cautery effect, which is the way by which you destroy dead or dying or tissue that is not normal by applying great hot or cold to it, might be possible by the use of electric current of very high frequency.

In reality, the first Bovie knife and the surgeries in which it was used were made better and changed over the years. The sale of his electrosurgery devices did not make much money for years. There was not enough demand for it and the design was continually changed and made better. In fact, the surgeon probably never really profited from his invention.

Bovie would be pleased most likely if he knew that the Bovie knife, or devices based upon it, are now one of the most important tools used in delicate surgeries of all types today. Some of these surgeries are so intricate, that the human hand is not steady enough to perform them. An electrosurgical tool has to be fitted onto a machine, which is then controlled by a surgeon by remote.

Today the Bovie knife is used in all sorts of electrosurgery. How it works is that a high frequency current is applied to tissue. It normally is at hundreds of thousands of oscillations per second.

There is a fast elevation of temperature where the electrode comes in contact with tissue. It transfers heat into the human tissue. It destroys the tissue that it touches directly, and cuts and seals tissues which are adjacent. Sometimes this surgery is called thermocautery or electrocautery.

The most common uses of the Bovie knife in electrosurgery are in surgeries on the eye and on the brain. Sometimes this tool is used to take off skin tumors, and for fine dental surgery.

If you are looking for a really good quality product, we highly recommend the products that you can find at the Medical Device Depot Website. You can find a great many chairs there at a very competitive price. We have been in this business for many years, and we are confident that we can find a product that will fit your needs and budget to perfection.

We have served literally thousands of satisfied customers throughout the United States and in dozens of countries world wide. Our customer service department also is always available to assist you in the small chance that there is any problem with your order.