Skepticum

Magnet braces, pads, inserts, wraps and more that promise pain relief are used by up to 28% of people with rheumatoid arthritis,
osteoarthritis, or fibromyalgia, and make up for a $5 billion industry worldwide.

Despite their popularity and pseudoscience claims of medical benefits (one company claims magnets are just as effective at pain control as ibuprofen), a new study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal showed there is no evidence static magnets fight the pain of arthritis or fibromyalgia.

The lead author of the study, Dr. Max Pittler said, "the biggest concern is that people seeking to ease their pain may
be buying into - and paying big bucks - for a therapy that may not be effective."

An Amazon search on "magnet therapy" resulted in 402 books on the topic and 640 items in health and personal care, the cheapest of which are the $3.50 ear dot magnets. You can also find insoles, bracelets, adhesive strips, wrist bands, back bands, a zillion types of dot magnets, ankle wraps, elbow wraps, necklaces, circle pads, heat pads, eye masks, head bands, and even a Super Power magnet with "10,000 Guass of power." I’m sure they meant it to be 10,000 Gauss.

Most of these products’ marketing is nothing but pseudoscience. "Pseudoscience uses invented modes of analysis which it pretends or professes meet the requirements of scientific method, but which in fact violate its essential attributes (James Randi Educational Foundation).

The James Randi foundation has published criticisms on a few cases of products that claim medical benefits from magnets. Such a product is the Dr. Scholl’s insoles. Dr. Scholl’s came out with the Magna Energy Insoles that got the following review from the Randi Foundation:

On the package, we’re assured that "The Dr. Scholl’s brand is the leader of innovation" and we’re promised "penetrating waves" from their foam insoles, which are "designed to deliver Certified bipolar magnet strength." How reassuring. For a moment there I thought I was reading a quack document. And, to bolster any flagging faith in this product, Dr. Scholl tells the customers, "our exclusive bipolar magnet system allows alternating waves of magnet therapy to penetrate your body through the soles of your feet."

Magentic Fields on the Magna Energy Insoles

Here are a few facts, unpopular as they may be: All magnets are bipolar. For this company to represent that they have something "exclusive" in an ordinary magnet, is dishonest. As for the "alternating waves of magnet therapy" they coo about, I think they’ve no notion of what a "wave" is, nor what is meant by "alternating," either. To claim that the magnetic fields around these silly little disc magnets could "penetrate" the wearer’s body — let alone be measured or be of any therapeutic value, is ridiculous. Just look at the illustration, above, of the suggested magnetic field and how much of the body it affects. Arranged as they are, the tiny magnetic fields cancel one another out a very short distance from the insole, anyway! And just what or who provided the "certification" for these bits of magnet? Certification for a magnet is like licensing an acorn to grow into an apple tree.

While there might still be valid applications of magnetism in medicine, these types of price-inflated products have not proven to make any difference in pain management and are not going to be recommended by doctors or scientists as replacements for proven pain control methods. If you plan on using your money on a pair of gym shoes and a set of magna energy gel insoles, and then spend some time at the gym, may experience some pain reduction but exercise is what most probably did it, not the insoles.

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