What is the history of the discovery and use of magnets to treat pain? Magnets have been used for many centuries in attempts
to treat pain.a By various accounts, this
use began when people first noticed the presence of naturally magnetized
stones, also called lodestones. Other accounts trace the beginning to
a shepherd noticing that the nails in his sandals were pulled out by some
stones. By the third century A.D., Greek physicians were using rings made
of magnetized metal to treat arthritis and pills made of magnetized amber
to stop bleeding. In the Middle Ages, doctors used magnets to treat gout,
arthritis, poisoning, and baldness; to probe and clean wounds; and to
retrieve arrowheads and other iron-containing objects from the body.
In the United States, magnetic devices (such as hairbrushes
and insoles), magnetic salves, and clothes with magnets applied came into
wide use after the Civil War, especially in some rural areas where few
doctors were available. Healers claimed that magnetic fields existed in
the blood, organs, or elsewhere in the body and that people became ill
when their magnetic fields were depleted. Thus, healers marketed magnets
as a means of "restoring" these magnetic fields. Magnets were promoted
as cures for paralysis, asthma, seizures, blindness, cancer, and other
conditions. The use of magnets to treat medical problems remained popular
well into the 20th century. More recently, magnets have been marketed
for a wide range of diseases and conditions, including pain, respiratory
problems, high blood pressure, circulatory problems, arthritis, rheumatism,
and stress.
a Sources for this historical discussion include
references 1, 4, and 5. |