The Myths and Realities of Magnotherapy – By the inventor of the only clinically test bracelet

Nigel Broderick is a leading authority on the use of magnetic fields to help alleviate pain, promote healing and improve general wellbeing. His research and understanding of the complex biophysical interactions between living cells and magnetic fields led to him receiving the prestigious BT Award for Innovation, while his magnotherapy company appeared twice in the Sunday Times/Virgin list of Top 100 Fastest Growing Privately Owned Companies. His original CRP magnet module became the world’s leading magnotherapy product and remains the only magnetic bracelet to complete a successful clinical trial under an approved medical protocol.
When a product becomes successful it generally follows that other similar products want to share that success. There is nothing wrong with that, providing the similar product is as good as or better than the original successful product. Unfortunately, this is not always the case with magnotherapy products. Following the publication of the clinical trial of Nigel Broderick’s previous, now outdated product Bioflow in the British Medical Journal many cheap magnetic products claiming similar benefits (and even quoting the report!) suddenly appeared from nowhere, but most were (and still are) making claims beyond the products capabilities.
Products such as magnetic earrings, magnetic insoles, magnetic belts, magnetic knee supports and many others claim magical properties, but none of these are supported by meaningful evidence.
Magnet strength
Don’t be fooled by advertisements stating the strength of a magnet. Nigel emphasises that the effectiveness of a magnotherapy product is a combination of the magnetic field pattern and strength of the magnet. The strength of magnets given by many suppliers are equally as meaningless as they are impressive! A figure of several thousand gauss without stating the mass of the magnet, composition of the magnet, or distance from the magnet at which the reading is taken provides no indication of the effectiveness of the magnet. Because of so many variables nigel suggests that the simplest way to check if the strength of a magnet in any magnotherapy product is sufficient to produce a biophysical change is to offer a steel weight of at least 0.3 kg to the surface of the product (our rl and pu models support 0.5kg!). If the weight can be suspended from the product and not dropped the magnet has sufficient strength – but mind your toes if you try this!
Magnetic patter

Just as important as the strength of the magnet is the pattern of the magnetic field. A magnet has two poles and most magnotherapy products have only one of these poles active against the body tissue. A minority may have two, but these alone will not produce the desired pulsing effect.
North poles and south poles
Don’t believe any talk of a north pole being good for one condition and a south pole being good for another. If nature had intended this to be true we would always have to walk in one direction and never be able to turn around safely in the earth’s magnetic field!
People with certain conditions should not wear magnets
There is no evidence to support this. Remember, a magnetic field is a natural force - in fact all life on earth lives in a giant magnetic field. However, if a prospective user is in any doubt they should consult their doctor.
People with heart pacemakers should not wear magnets
True. A strong magnet worn on the wrist could affect the operation of a pacemaker if passed close to it. Medical advice should be taken by anyone fitted with a man made surgical device or implant.
Testimonials - beware of testimonials!
Some magnotherapy suppliers use ‘customer’ testimonials in their advertising, which may or may not be true. The advertising standards authority does not believe them so why should you? The only meaningful customer testimonial is the one that is relevant to you – and that is the one you write yourself!
Typical testimonial
"Your product is great - I would recommend it to anyone"