Magnet therapy, or Magnetic therapy, or Magnotherapy is an alternative medicine claiming that certain medical disorders can be effectively treated by exposure to magnetic fields. Some believe that magnetic fields emanating from permanent magnets placed close to the body can cause bones to heal faster, relieve pain, and perform other forms of healing to the body. It is most commonly recommended by practitioners as a cure for joint disorders and back problems.

Practitioners of this therapy use negative magnetic fields which have a beneficial effect on health. By placing magnets near or on an injury site, a force field is created that encourages muscle relaxation and increased blood flow, while reducing inflammation. Devices range from small, simple magnets to large machines capable of generating high magnitudes of field strength.

The claim that magnets help "circulate blood" is a common one among supporters of magnet therapy, but there is no scientific evidence that magnets do anything to the blood. Even though the evidence is lacking that magnets have anything other than a placebo effect, theories abound as to how they work. Some say magnets are like a shiatsu massage; some claim magnets affect the iron in red blood cells; still others claim that magnets create an alkaline reaction in the body (Collie).

Scientific tests of magnet therapy

Scientific tests of magnetic therapy for the treatment of wrist pain from carpal tunnel syndrome and chronic low back pain have concluded that there is no health benefit from magnetic fields in those cases.

It is a safe, drug free, cost effective and easy to use method of self-treatment, without any of the side effects associated with conventional methods of pain relief. Magnet therapy, which involves placing small magnets close to the skin in order to relieve muscle or joint pain, has interested many patients who want to avoid pain medications or who seek alternative treatments.