Healing Magnets

Replacing Ice with Magnets a Possibility,
University sheds light.

Have you heard of healing magnets?

New research by Thomas Skalak suggest magnets could be used for this purpose. Skalak is Professor and chair of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Virginia.

Skalak always had an interest in magnetic therapy and wanted to further study the effectiveness of healing magnets.

Skalak's research focus is in biomechanics of microvascular structure, function, and adaptation, and engineering of wound prevention and repair.

The NIH (National Institute of Health) granted Skalak 5 years and $875,000 to research the the effects of magnets on microcirculation. You can read more about his research here.

Magnetic therapy healing magnets increase blood flow.

Their first step was to investigate the claim that magnets increased blood flow. They performed the study on rats by placing magnets of 70 milliTesla (mT) field strength near its blood vessels. That's about 10 times the strength of refrigerator magnets. They measured the blood vessels diameter before and after exposure to the magnet.

Results: Skalak and his team found that blood vessels that were previously constricted (tighten) dilated(opened up) and dilated vessels, constricted. This implied an increase in blood flow.

Magnetic therapy helps reduce swelling.

In another study published in November 2007 issue of the American Journal of Physiology, Skalak's research investigated if magnets could reduce swelling.

Rats were also used in this study. The rats' hind paws were injected with an inflammatory agent to stimulate swelling caused by trauma and magnets applied afterward.

Results: Magnets significantly reduced swelling if applied immediately after an injury. Skalak says, "If an injury doesn't swell, it will heal faster and the person will experience less pain and better mobility."

In essence a healing magnet could be just as effective as using ice or a cold compress on an acute injury.