Good news for those who want a drug-free way to treat discomfort. Magnetic therapy for pain does work. Although holistic and alternative health practitioners have sung the praises of magnets for pain relief for years, Western medicine has been slow to embrace the therapy until recently. Now studies done at major universities are proving that proper use of certain types of magnets has several therapeutic effects on the body that, taken together, reduces pain significantly.

Scientific studies shed light on the effectiveness of magnetic therapy. At New York Medical College in Valhalla, New York, diabetic neuropathy; the burning, tingling sensation in the legs and feet experienced by many diabetics, was alleviated in over half the patients who regularly applied polarized magnets made of the rare earth metal neodymium.

Studies at Baylor University in Houston Texas showed impressive results relieving chronic pain in patients with both Post Polio Syndrome and Fibromyalgia. In these studies, the reduction in pain was equal to or better than what the participants in the study had previously felt with prescription or over the counter medications.

How does magnetic therapy for pain work? There are several different actions taking place in the body when therapeutic magnets are applied to the body. Of course, the magnets have to be strong enough to have the appropriate effect. Medical magnets are far stronger than the standard magnets you find in offices or homes. They also need to be made of the proper materials (such as the rare earth metal neodymium), which means purchasing them from a supplier of medical grade magnets. If a magnet meets these standards and is applied to an area of the body that is in pain, several things will happen:

The capillary walls in the area will relax. This will boost blood flow to the area, increasing healing in the area and bring needed warmth to the area. The warmth of the increased blood flow will help ease the pain and soothe the area as well as release toxins that have gathered in the area of the painful area and flushing them away. Increased blood flow also helps with relaxation and improved restfulness and sleep, all important to reduced pain levels.

Muscle spasms will decrease. Although the mechanism for this is unclear, magnets clearly reduce the amount of muscle spasms when applied to a painful area. Repeated muscle spasms aggravate pain by tightening muscles and joints; as the muscle spasms decrease, the muscles can relax and tightness decreases, allowing the area to unwind and get rid of the built-up levels of tension in them.

Electrochemical reactions in nerve cells are impeded. This is one of the most amazing ways that magnetic therapy for pain works. The magnets actually prevent cells from transmitting certain pain messages to brain cells. Although the pain signals are there, they are never delivered to the brain to be "interpreted" as pain, so you never get the message to feel it.

There is no other pain relief system that works on all three levels, by working on the blood vessels, the muscles and the nerve cells. It's an amazing combination that is particularly effective yet without side effects. It's also one of the best reasons to try magnetic therapy for pain. The treatments works on various levels but you don't have to worry about being groggy, having a reaction or not being able to function because of dizziness, nausea or any other side effects so common to many other treatments for pain.

With so much scientific evidence now solidly behind the effectiveness of magnets for pain therapy, you should talk to your doctor about giving it a try.