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How magnets affect your body?

Indispensable information about how your body will react to magnets. 
Plus how to ensure you use them to maximise your results.

   Magnets are composed of metal alloys such as iron, nickel or cobalt they will attract many different types of metallic particles. The blood contains iron and when therapeutic magnets are placed on the skin the magnetic field penetrates through the skin and into the surrounding tissues and blood stream. The iron in the blood is attracted to the magnetic field, this causes movement within the blood stream and the increased activity causes the blood flow to improve. 

   The increase in blood flow is localised to the area where the magnets are placed, unless the magnets are placed directly over a major artery such as the radial artery (the wrist pulse point) or the carotid artery (the pulse point in the neck). When magnets are placed over a major artery there is a much larger perfusion of blood flow so the magnetic field is carried further around the body.

   When the body’s blood flow is increased oxygen, nutrients and hormones are distributed to the organs and tissues much more effectively and quickly. Your organs have a fresh rich supply of oxygen and nutrients to nourish them. Plus the tissues also gain oxygen, healing nutrients and hormones including endorphins, which are the body’s natural painkilling hormone. If you have an injury or ailment which is supplied with regular fresh oxygen, nutrients and endorphins then your injury or ailment will heal much faster and the pain will be reduced by the body’s own painkilling hormones (endorphins).

What happens when I have inflammation?

   The inflammatory reaction is one of the body’s oldest defence mechanisms. When damage occurs the body’s automatic defence system starts the inflammatory process within seconds. Blood flow is firstly increased at the point of injury, the blood vessels widen to allow oxygen, clotting agents and white blood cells to penetrate the damaged tissues. Over a period of hours the concentration of white blood cells increases at the injury site (white blood cells fight infection). 
Individual cells are affected by the inflammatory process. Extra fluid migrates from the blood vessels into the damaged cells; this begins the process of disrupting the ionic balance of the cell. The chemical balance of the cell changes and cellular degeneration begins. The presence of extra fluid, white blood cells, increased blood flow with in the tissues causes the damaged area to enlarge and swell, this is commonly known as oedema. 

How magnets fight inflammation?

   When therapeutic magnets are placed over an area of inflammation, the magnetic field penetrates through the skin and deep into the tissues and blood stream. Damaged cells will react to the presence of a magnetic field by realigning their ions into the correct position. This begins the process of eliminating the excess fluid from with in the cell. Cell damage will stop and healing of the cells will begin over a period of days.

   When inflammation in the body is alleviated, the damage caused by the inflammatory process begins to be repaired by a fresh and rich supply of oxygen and nutrients. Cells that have been disrupted and de-oxygenised begin to heal and tissue regeneration starts. Excess fluid is eliminated from the body and toxins are removed. The circulatory system returns to normal and the heart does not have to work so hard to pump extra fluid around the body. Magnetic fields will stabilise all of these processes and aid the body in its recovery.

Discover which strength magnets you need. 

   It is absolutely vital for any one who is currently using or contemplating using magnetic therapy to thoroughly understand how magnetic strength is measured and what is the appropriate strength of magnet to use for healing purposes. Magnets are perfectly safe and do not have adverse side effects so users should not worry about overdosing on magnetic strength, however it is possible to under dose on strength.

   So how strong should a medical magnet be? A therapeutic magnet should be a minimum of 800 gauss or 80m tesla to penetrate through the skin, into the tissues and increase blood flow. Having said that an 800 gauss/ 80m tesla magnet is by no means weak. It does have sufficient strength to stimulate blood flow and reduce inflammation. 
The stronger the magnet the deeper the penetration into the skin and the wider magnetic field, so for more serious ailments and chronic, longstanding conditions, stronger magnets are recommended. 1,500-2,000 gauss/150-200 m tesla magnets are considered to be high strength. This strength will reduce the symptoms of many chronic inflammatory complaints, for example tendonitis, cruciate ligament injuries, arthritis( rheumatoid and osteo), spondylosis and general joint wear and tear.

   For extreme pain and very severe conditions super strength magnets are advocated. These are magnets that have a gauss/m tesla rating of 3,000/300 or above. Super strength magnets are rapidly gaining in popularity as they such a deep level of penetration and create a very large magnetic field. Results are more rapid with this strength of magnet. They are recommended for people who suffer with multi location pain and all over body pain, for example fibromyalgia, M.S., M.E. and severe arthritis.

Size is not as important as you might think

   The size of a magnet is not relative to its strength. Many people believe that the bigger the magnet the stronger it will be, this is not the case. Very high strength magnets, for example, a 3,000 gauss/300 m tesla could be as small as 3mm in diameter. Similarly an 800 gauss/ 80 m tesla magnet could be quite large (in therapeutic terms) and be the size of a 2 pence piece. The smaller of the 2 magnets is by far the stronger. The average size of a therapeutic magnet is approximately 18mm in diameter. Healing magnets are small because they have to be able to be placed as close to the point of injury as possible, if they wear larger in size it would not be easy to attach the magnets over the pain point, plus larger magnets are uncomfortable as they are heavy to wear and will “dig” into the skin.

   The size of the magnet does determine one important factor, the range of the magnetic field. The larger the magnet the wider the spread of the magnetic field. This means that the field will radiate outwards in a wide circle, however it does not mean that the field will penetrate deep into the tissues. A small magnet will not create such a wide spread magnetic field surrounding the magnet but it will penetrate much deeper into the tissues. The general rule to remember is: A weak large magnet will cover a large area on the skin but will only have a shallow penetration depth into the skin. A strong small magnet will cover a small area on the skin but will have a deep penetration depth into the skin. To ensure that you have a wide magnetic field that also penetrates deep into the tissues, choose a magnet that is over 2,000 gauss/260 m tesla and at least 8mm in diameter.

If you want your magnets to work fast you must place them on the right area and wear them for the correct length of time

   As you move away from a magnet the magnetic force decreases. What this means is when you place a magnet on any point of the body, the magnetic field is at its strongest right at the point of contact with the magnet and the body. The farther the magnet is from an area the weaker the magnetic field. For example if you placed a 3,000/300 m tesla magnet in the wrist the magnetic force around the wrist would be 3,000 gauss/300 m tesla. 

   The strength of the magnetic field 4 cm away from the magnet surface will be 1/16th of the strength at the surface i.e. 187.5 gauss/18.75 m tesla, the strength at 8 cm would be 1/64th of the strength at the surface i.e. 46.88 gauss/ 4.68 m tesla an so the equation continues the farther the distance from the magnets surface. This principal is known as the inverse square law. You do not have to memorise this law to be able to use magnets effectively but it is very important to understand that the further away a magnet is to the point of injury the weaker the magnetic field will be, which is why magnets should always be worn directly over (or as close to as possible) the point of injury.

   Magnets should be worn or used until your symptoms have cleared. If you stop using yourmagnetic therapy products before your symptoms have resolved, the inflammation and pain associated with your injury may return very quickly. The best way to use any magnetic device is to continue use for around 3-4 weeks after your symptoms have disappeared. This will allow the magnetic field to ensure that all of your symptoms have been resolved plus encourage new cell growth and healing of soft tissues. There is no maximum length of exposure to magnets, you can safely use magnets for as long as you like. Some people prefer to wear them permanently as they do not want their symptoms to return. Once your symptoms are alleviated and you stop using your magnets the benefits will remain for a period of time. If your ailment is chronic and has no cure, for example arthritis, the symptoms will eventually return. It is impossible to calculate how long this will take as everybody has a slightly different experience, as a general rule the more severe your condition the sooner the symptoms will return.

http://www.worldofmagnets.co.uk/information/how_magnetic_therapy_affects_your_body.htm