December

Magnetic bracelets reduce pain

Researchers in Britain have found that magnetic bracelets reduce osteoarthritis pain of the hip and knee.

The researchers, from Peninsula Medical School, Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, set out to determine the effectiveness of commercially available magnetic bracelets [they did not specify the brand], and conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled trial with three parallel groups.

One group wore a standard-strength static bipolar magnetic bracelet; one group wore a weak magnetic bracelet; and the third group wore a non-magnetic (placebo) bracelet. The study was conducted for 12 weeks.

The study found that pain from osteoarthritis of the hip and knee decreased when subjects wore magnetic bracelets. "It is uncertain whether this response is due to specific or non-specific (placebo) effects," the researchers noted.