Re: Magnetic therapies

a_weisman_at_yahoo.com
Date: 02/09/05 

Date: 9 Feb 2005 06:29:32 -0800

Greatcod wrote:
> Apparently, according to the evening news, some folks get a great
deal
> of help in preventing or limiting migranes by the use of this
magnetic
> device. The creators are scientific professionals, or so it seems. I
> don't experience migranes,

It is spelled migrIne moron.

> but I do feel that desperate people have
> every right to seek out any treatment that will restore their
> lives

See, and I guess you don't understand this--desperate people do
desperate things.

And there are many disgusting despicable people out there ready and
willing to take advantage of them. To prey on the desperate and
vulnerable and foist unproven unsafe and ineffective therapies upon
them. Snake oil salesmen have survived and thrive on the internent.

They are robbing these people who have been terribly impacted by
disease, now robbing them of their savings and selling them what
inevitably turns out to be FALSE HOPE--thus robbing them of their
trust.

While I fully endorse alt med when it is safe and effective, I think
there is every reason to require the same of this industry as of big
pharma. That their products be safe and effective and that they be
accountable.

And don't make any mistake--alt med is a HUGE and growing industry.

All I want to see is some minimum level of safeguards that is applied
equally to the products, claims and marketing practices of both alt med
and big pharma.

No that doesn't mean that we deny anyone who is suffering of life
saving remedies.

But BEFORE one can call something "life saving" there is a requirement
of proof.

Fishcrapforbrains, YOU rail against Big Pharma and their practices. YOU
demand greater protections and accountability.

Why would you demand anything less from big alt med?

And ALL of these alt med things have the same claims:

o health care professionals;

o testimonials from patients and health care professionals;

o unsubstantiated claims as to efficacy and safety;

o a sob story about "establishment medicine" suppressing their miracle
cures for all diseases!

And aggressive sales tactics too--high pressure salespeople who will
say anything (see, for example, silver profiteer cultists, brent, dali,
hickwithlyme, janis and others.

>--lives that in the case of Lyme Disease
> have been destroyed by FDA and CDC approved medicine.

First you flaming moron the CDC does NOT "approve medicine." What an
idiot you are!

Second, and more important than your ignorance of simple facts like
that, is your hypocrisy.

You rant about the FDA not providing enough protection from big pharma
products and the fact that big pharma is driven by profit motive (not
surprising in a capitalistic world).

But you would lower the standards for alt med and give them a free
pass, assuming that they are manufacturing and marketing their products
for some altruistic motive?

Total idiotic hypocrisy.

> And no, I am not selling it--its only the pleasure of imagining
> Weisman's prunny face upon learning that magnetic therapy works for
> some things.

It isn't proven to work for anything. Do you assume that some evening
news report constitutes "proof"? LOL

>What's next, silver???

>
> http://www.neuralieve.com/

You're not selling it but you ARE advertising it?

Silver has already been proven to be:

o UNsafe

o INeffective

o UNapproved

o ILLegal

So, NO, silver is not next. Nor is magnet therapy.

http://quackwatch.org/04ConsumerEducation/QA/magnet.html

Magnet Therapy
Stephen Barrett, M.D.
During the past few years, magnetic devices have been claimed to
relieve pain and to have therapeutic value against a large number of
diseases and conditions. The way to evaluate such claims is to ask
whether scientific studies have been published. Pulsed electromagnetic
fields -- which induce measurable electric fields -- have been
demonstrated effective for treating slow-healing fractures and have
shown promise for a few other conditions. However, few studies have
been published on the effect on pain of small, static magnets marketed
to consumers [1]. Explanations that magnetic fields "increase
circulation," "reduce inflammation," or "speed recovery from injuries"
are simplistic and are not supported by the weight of experimental
evidence [2].

The main basis for the claims is a double-blind test study, conducted
at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, which compared the effects of
magnets and sham magnets on knee pain. The study involved 50 adult
patients with pain related to having been infected with the polio virus
when they were children. A static magnetic device or a placebo device
was applied to the patient's skin for 45 minutes. The patients were
asked to rate how much pain they experienced when a "trigger point was
touched." The researchers reported that the 29 patients exposed to the
magnetic device achieved lower pain scores than did the 21 who were
exposed to the placebo device [3} Although this study is cited by
nearly everyone selling magnets, it provides no legitimate basis for
concluding that magnets offer any health-related benefit:

Although the groups were said to be selected randomly, the ratio of
women to men in the experimental group was twice that of the control
group. If women happen to be more responsive to placebos than men, a
surplus of women in the "treatment" group would tend to improve that
group's score.
The age of the placebo group was four years higher than that of the
control group. If advanced age makes a person more difficult to treat,
the "treatment" group would again have a scoring advantage.
The investigators did not measure the exact pressure exerted by the
blunt object at the trigger point before and after the study.
Even if the above considerations have no significance, the study should
not be extrapolated to suggest that other types of pain can be relieved
by magnets.
There was just one brief exposure and no systematic follow-up of
patients. Thus there was no way to tell whether any improvement would
be more than temporary.
The authors themselves acknowledge that the study was a "pilot study."
Pilot studies are done to determine whether it makes sense to invest in
a larger more definitive study. They never provide a legitimate basis
for marketing any product as effective against any symptom or health
problem.
Two better-designed, longer-lasting pain studies have been negative:

Researchers at the New York College of Podiatric Medicine have reported
negative results in a study of patients with heel pain. Over a 4-week
period, 19 patients wore a molded insole containing a magnetic foil,
while 15 patients wore the same type of insole with no magnetic foil.
In both groups, 60% reported improvement, which suggests that the
magnetic foil conveyed no benefit [4].
More recently, researchers at the VA Medical Center in Prescott,
Arizona conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled,
crossover study involving 20 patients with chronic back pain. Each
patient was exposed to real and sham bipolar permanent magnets during
alternate weeks, for 6 hours per day, 3 days per week for a week, with
a 1-week period between the treatment weeks. No difference in pain or
mobility was found between the treatment and sham-treatment periods
[5].
Magnets have also been claimed to increase circulation. This claim is
false. If it were true, placing a magnet on the skin would make the
area under the magnet become red, which it does not. Moreover, a
well-designed study that actually measured blood flow has found no
increase. The study involved 12 healthy volunteers who were exposed to
either a 1000-gauss magnetic disk or an identically appearing disk that
was not magnetic. No change in the amount or speed of blood flow was
observed when either disk was applied to their arm. [6]. The magnets
were manufactured by Magnetherapy, Inc, of Riviera Beach, Florida, a
company that has been subjected to two regulatory actions.

Legal and Regulatory Actions

In 1998, Magnetherapy, Inc., signed an Assurance of Voluntary
Compliance with the State of Texas to pay a $30,000 penalty and to stop
claiming that wearing its magnetic device near areas of pain and
inflammation will relieve pain due to arthritis, migraine headaches,
sciatica or heel spurs. The agreement also requires Magnetherapy to
stop making claims that its magnets can cure, treat, or mitigate any
disease or can affect any change in the human body, unless its devices
are FDA-approved for those purposes [7]. Ads for the company's Tectonic
Magnets had featured testimonials from athletes, including golfers from
the senior pro tours. Various ads had claimed that Tectonic Magnets
would provide symptomatic relief from certain painful conditions and
could restore range of motion to muscles and joints. The company had
provided retailers with display packages that included health claims,
written testimonials, and posters of sports stars. Texas Attorney
General Dan Morales stated that some claims were false or
unsubstantiated and others had rendered the product unapproved medical
devices under Texas law. In 1997, the FDA had warned Magnetherapy to
stop claiming that its products would relieve arthritis; tennis elbow;
low back pain; sciatica; migraine headache; muscle soreness; neck,
knee, ankle, and shoulder pain; heel spurs; bunions; arthritic fingers
and toes; and could reduce pain and inflammation in the affected areas
by increasing blood and oxygen flow [8].

In 1999, the FTC obtained a consent agreement barring two companies
from making unsubstantiated claims about their magnetic products.
Magnetic Therapeutic Technologies, of Irving, Texas, is barred from
claiming that its magnetic sleep pads or other products: (a) are
effective against cancers, diabetic ulcers, arthritis, degenerative
joint conditions, or high blood pressure; (b) could stabilize or
increase the T-cell count of HIV patients; (c) could reduce muscle
spasms in persons with multiple sclerosis; (d) could reduce nerve
spasms associated with diabetic neuropathy; (e) could increase bone
density, immunity, or circulation; or (f) are comparable or superior to
prescription pain medicine. Pain Stops Here! Inc., of Baiting Hollow,
N.Y., may no longer claim that its "magnetized water" or other products
are useful against cancer, diseases of the liver or other internal
organs, gallstones, kidney stones, urinary infection, gastric ulcers,
dysentery, diarrhea, skin ulcers, bed sores, arthritis, bursitis,
tendinitis, sprains, strains, sciatica, heart disease, circulatory
disease, arthritis, auto-immune illness, neuro-degenerative disease,
and allergies, and could stimulate the growth of plants.

On August 8, 2000, the Consumer Justice Center, of Laguna Niguel,
California filed suit in Orange County Superior Court charging that
Florsheim and a local shoe store (Shoe Emporium) made false and
fraudulent claims that their MagneForce shoes (a) correct "magnetic
deficiency," (b) "generate a deep-penetrating magnetic field which
increases blood circulation; reduces leg and back fatigue; and provides
natural pain relief and improved energy level."; and (c) their claims
are established and proven by scientific studies [9]. A few days after
this suit was filed, Florsheim removed the disputed ad from its Web
site.

In 2001, Richard Markoll, his wife Ernestine, David H. Trock, M.D., and
Bio-Magnetic Treatment Systems (BMTS) pled guilty to criminal charges
in connection with a scheme involving pulsed magnetic therapy. The
participants used fraudulent billing codes to seek payment from
Medicare and three other insurance plans for treatment with a device
(Electro-Magnetic Induction Treatment System, Model 30/30) that lacked
FDA approval [10]. The treatments -- called pulsed signal therapy (PST)
-- were administered in a clinical trial on an investigational basis
not approved by the FDA. The Markolls were sentenced to 3 years
probation, a $4,000 fine and a $100 special assessment. Ernestine
Markoll was sentenced to 2 years probation, a $1,000 fine and a $25
special assessment. Magnetic Therapy, was sentenced to a 1-day summary
probation and a $200 special assessment. The Markolls also signed a
civil settlement under which they agreed to pay the U.S Government $4
million [11]. The device was invented by Richard Markoll, MD, PhD, who
does not have a medical license but is described in Web site
biographies as a graduate of Grace University School of Medicine, a
Caribbean medical school. Trock, a former principal investigator for
Magnetic Therapy Center, PC, Danbury, CT, was sentenced to 6 months
probation. and ordered to make restitution of $35,250 [12]. Trock has
co-authored studies claiming that PST is effective for treating pain,
but the device is not FDA-approved for that purpose.

In September 2002, California Attorney General Bill Lockyer charged
Florida-based European Health Concepts, Inc. (EHC) with making false
and misleading claims about its magnetic mattress pads and seat
cushions. The complaint, filed in Sacramento Superior Court, also named
EHC president Kevin Todd and several sales managers and agents as
defendants. The suit seeks more than $1 million in civil penalties for
engaging in unfair business practices and making false claims; $500,000
in civil penalties for transactions involving senior citizens; and full
restitution for purchasers of the products. The complaint alleged that
prospective customers, primarily senior citizens, were invited to
attend a free dinner seminar at which they were told that EHC's
products could help people suffering from fibromyalgia, lupus,
sciatica, herniated discs, asthma, bronchitis, cataracts, chronic
fatigue syndrome, colitis, diverticulitis, heart disease, multiple
sclerosis, and more than 50 other health conditions. The sales agents
offered phony price discounts for immediate purchases that actually
were the company's regular prices. [13].

The Commissioner called Dr. Philip Neufeld of Health Canada's Medical
Devices Bureau as a
witness. He explained that, under the Regulations, a product is
considered a Class I medical device as long
as someone makes a representation that it has a medical attribute. A
product is designated as a Class I
medical device because the manufacturer claims that it has medical
benefits, not because Health Canada
agrees with the claims or the manufacturer has proven them. All that a
manufacturer has to do is supply the
required identifying information and declare that its product is safe
and effective for the purposes claimed; it
is not required to submit any evidence that this is the case.

The Bottom Line

There is no scientific basis to conclude that small, static magnets can
relieve pain or influence the course of any disease. In fact, many of
today's products produce no significant magnetic field at or beneath
the skin's surface.

References
Livingston JD. Magnetic therapy: Plausible attraction. Skeptical
Inquirer 25-30, 58, 1998.
Ramey DW. Magnetic and electromagnetic therapy. Scientific Review of
Alternative Medicine 2(1):13-19, 1998.
Vallbona C, Hazelwood CF, Jurida G. Response of pain to static magnetic
fields in postpolio patients: A double-blind pilot study. Archives of
Physical and Rehabilitative Medicine 78:1200-1203, 1997.
Caselli MA and others. Evaluation of magnetic foil and PPT Insoles in
the treatment of heel pain. Journal of the American Podiatric Medical
Association 87:11-16, 1997.
Collacott EA and others. Bipolar permanent magnets for the treatment of
chronic low back pain. JAMA 283:1322-1325, 2000.
Mayrovitz HN and others. Assessment of the short-term effects of a
permanent magnet on normal skin blood circulation via laser-Doppler
flowmetry. Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine 6(1):9-12, 2002.
Morales halts unproven claims for magnet therapy. News release, April
9, 1998.
Gill LJ. Letter to William L. Roper, Feb 3, 1997.
Jeff Wynton and the Consumer Justice Center v. Florsheim Group, Inc.,
Shoe Emporium. Superior Court of California, Orange County, Case
#00CC09419, filed Aug 8, 2000.
Burns EB. Omnibus ruling on defendants' motion to strike and motions to
dismiss. United States of America v Richard Markoll, Ernestine Binder
Markoll, and Bio-Magnetic Systems, Inc. U.S. District Court, District
of Connecticut, No. 3:00cr133(EBB), Jan 2001.
Defense Criminal Investigative Service press release, Aug, 2001.
Defense Criminal Investigative Service press release, June, 2001.
Barrett S. California Attorney General sues magnetic mattress pad
sellers. Quackwatch, Sept 24, 2002.
Reader Response
>>From David Gessell, a design engineer from Oakland, California:
I recently was introduced to the bizarre concept that magnetic insoles
can promote health and relieve pain. The seller promised improved
circulation, reduced pain, better oxygen uptake, weight loss, and more
or less any other positive benefit that could be imagined or requested.
The mechanism presented was: Humans evolved (or were created, for those
residents of Kansas) in the presence of the Earth's magnetic fields.
These fields are blocked by concrete and pavement and other human
structures. In the supposed absence of these fields the body in some
way suffers. A friend had purchased magnetic insoles at an approximate
cost of $100. She returned them after I explained that:

Magnetic fields are not blocked by concrete (unless it is
steel-reinforced). Any place a compass works, the earth's magnetic
fields are present.
Blood is not magnetic. If it were, one's body would explode in an MRI
machine.
DC magnetic fields have no known effect at on the human body at levels
strong enough to bend steel bars as commonly experienced by magnet and
fusion researchers. These individuals are exposed to magnetic field
strengths 6 to 10 orders of magnitude greater than that created by the
rubberized magnetic insoles, without becoming either more or less
healthful.

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