Magnets for pain?

By Lee Dye

A new study found magnets can reduce inflammation, at least in mice.

Since ancient Greece, people have believed in the healing power of magnets, leading to the formation of an industry with a turnover of $ 5 billion a year worldwide providing magnets to millions of people aiming at cure diseases from arthritis, cancer to exhaustion.

Although no scientific research has yet to provide evidence of the healing power of magnets. But now, the University of Virginia research has demonstrated that at least some facts show that magnets can increase blood flow , thereby providing more oxygen and nutrients to damaged cells. love. Researchers say moderate magnetic fields can cause the smallest blood vessels to contract, thereby increasing blood flow and preventing inflammation. This is a decisive factor in the formation of young skin.

So far, the results have been based solely on experiments with mice, but scientists hope to be able to work with humans in the near future although this will certainly be a big challenge.

This study differs from previous studies of the so-called therapeutic uses of magnets that scientists can test for changes in blood vessels to determine the impact of magnets on treatment. inflammation .

Thomas Skalak, who is in charge of biomedical engineering at the University of Virginia and is the one who presents his research in the American Journal of Phylosophy, said: 'These are the first direct identification methods that demonstrate the current the swelling has decreased '. Skalak and a former student - Cassandra Morris, have been trying for years to find the uses of magnetism.

(Artwork: Photodisc) However, their research is not intended to give credence to the extravagant claims of healing magnet manufacturers. Instead, their research focused on the ability to increase the blood flow of magnets. In an interview, Skalak said: 'We want to prove that it is true.'

They used anesthesia mice to experiment. The legs of mice are implanted with inflammatory agents to create damaged cells. A small magnet has about 10 times the magnetism of a magnet used in a refrigerator attached to the mouse's leg. The swelling has improved by about 50% because the magnetic field causes the diameter of the blood vessels to change while keeping the magnet in place for 15 to 30 minutes. But if you wait until the rat's foot is completely inflamed, the magnet doesn't work anymore.

If the magnet is also effective for people, what it brings will be of great significance. Due to many diseases, inflammation reduction plays an essential role in the recovery process.

Skalak said: 'Normally it will take 4 or 5 days to recover from an injury and return to work or return to the game floor. But if the wound heals after 2 days, the time for skin to be reduced is half, it is really a huge time saving for the productivity of workers and the quality of life.

Of course, we can use an ice pack to apply or compress the swelling, but these two measures are not always convenient. A suitable magnet magnet is in the pocket of the school nurses, the athletes' pockets and will always be available in time. But the problem is that not everyone knows how to use it correctly, or what kind of magnetism the magnet will be suitable for.

A magnet size cannot cure every disease. According to Skalak, a stronger magnet will be needed to treat thigh muscle injury compared to a sprain in the finger.He also frequently stressed that no one knew whether it could cure human wounds .

But Skalak is optimistic based on his years of industry experience. He is an expert in studying the smallest blood vessels in the human body with a diameter of 5-200 micrometers (1/15 millimeters). He said: ' There are tiny blood vessels in all the tissues of the body. We think the key lies in those blood vessels. Oxygen is also transported to these places, and also thanks to them that waste is removed from the cell " .

'They can be stretched by having a flexible layer around them. They can increase the diameter, even transport more blood to the cell. They can also shrink the diameter like opening a tap to change the amount of water circulated '.

When the magnetic field is applied to the swollen leg of the experimental mouse, the blood vessels are elastic. The blood vessels that are contracting will expand, indicating that the magnetic field "stimulates vasodilation in the tissues thereby increasing blood flow."

Skalak adds, although this mechanism has not been clarified yet, he thinks that the magnetic field has altered the flow of positively charged calcium ions to interact with muscles surrounding small blood vessels that cause them to contract or relax. . But he is also concerned that his research is not recognized properly while inadvertently increasing the number of magnets sold without medical certification. And maybe he was right.

For centuries, for many people the magnet has become very attractive and its use has spread widely. People from ancient times have believed that magnets can suck pain and disease out of the body, that belief is still " sticking out " even today despite the lack of evidence to confirm the use of magnets.

Even so, magnets are also a valuable tool in medicine with many different effects . Many scientists are studying the technique to use small magnets to put chemotherapeutic magnet molecules into the tumor and keep them there. They can kill cancer cells without damaging nearby healthy cells.

Magnets are central to the most useful techniques of modern medicine. It also helps doctors get an accurate view of the entire human body with amazing levels of detail.

Just like injuries on the human body, magnets have many complex forms. Skalak hopes that his research will help create magnets that are used on a personal level to prove that our ancestors are at least somewhat correct.