Magnetic Therapy could be a killer

[chillzero]

I found this article quite interesting:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/753627.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/753627.stm)

It seems that all those people using magentic therapy for their arthritis, etc, could actually be placing themselves in danger of the magnets interfering with their pacemakers.

A very bad side effect for a new-age non-invasive treatment.

[Big Al]

Most unlikely, chill. The magnets used are pretty much fridge magnets and the field won't even pick up a paper clip through more than a couple of sheets of paper.

For an account of a personal investigation into "therapeutic" magnets, I recommend "Voodoo Science" by Dr. Robert Park.

http://www.amazon.com/Voodoo-Science-Road-Foolishness-Fraud/dp/0195147103

[chillzero]

Most unlikely, chill. The magnets used are pretty much fridge magnets and the field won't even pick up a paper clip through more than a couple of sheets of paper.

That is what I always thought, but...

He conducted experiments on a variety of commercially-bought mattress pads, and while most were weaker than claimed in literature, they were still able to interfere with the pacemaker when the magnet was placed less than one inch from the skin on the chest.

[Starthinker]

The magnets may be harmful if swallowed in large quantities.

[Merko]

I would also not be so sure. A strong but still perfectly common magnet, such as you can find in a computer hard drive for example, can even carry its own weight over a distance of about 3 cm. I'm no pacemaker designer, but it doesn't seem to me that interaction would be obviously impossible.

[firecoins]

so is the treatment effective if you don't have a pacemaker?

[Dave_46]

From the BBC taday (Friday)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6160731.stm

Dave

[casebro]

News flash! Smoking and gasoline don't mix!... but tons of drivers smoke in their cars.

So what does "can interfere" mean? In light of the fact that no actual injuries were cited? and even in their lab tests, no actual problems with patients were mentioned.

[Zygar]

The magnets may be harmful if swallowed in large quantities.

Magnets are delicious. But I prefer silicon gel packets.