WHAT THE PRESS SAY...

Crippled Footie Star is Cured News of the World
Horse I Love was Saved News of the World
Do Magnets Hold the Secret Power of Headling News of the World
I Cured my Aches with a Magnetic Bracelet Daily Mail
Famous Lured by the Force News of the World
Prince Among Bangles Daily Mail
Magnetic bracelets DO work, say researchers Daily Mail

MAGNETIC BRACELETS DO WORK, SAY RESEARCHERS

   Researchers said today that magnetic bracelets, worn by many for their supposed health benefits, do reduce the pain of osteoarthritis.
    The study focused on 194 patients, aged 45 to 80, who had osteoarthritis of the hip or knee.
    The group were either given a standard strength magnetic bracelet, a weak magnetic bracelet or a non-magnetic, dummy bracelet.
    The researchers, from the Peninsula Medical School in Plymouth, found pain was significantly reduced in the patients wearing the standard magnetic bracelet compared to the dummy one.
    There was little difference between the weak magnet group and those wearing the dummy magnets after 12 weeks of the study.
    The researchers, writing in the British Medical Journal, said: "Pain from osteoarthritis of the hip and knee decreases when wearing magnetic bracelets."
    But they added: "We cannot be certain whether our data show a specific effect of magnets, a placebo effect or both."
    Around 760,000 people in the UK suffer from osteoarthritis, with three million visits to GPs concerning the condition in 2000.
    Reduce pain
    Manufacturers of magnetic bracelets, which cost between £30 and £50, claim they can reduce pain in a variety of conditions.
    But research has proved contradictory, with some studies showing pain reduction and others reporting no effect at all.
    The researchers noted: "If magnets were effective they would offer a cheap and probably safe treatment option."
    The team said their findings suggested that the benefit of magnetic bracelets was clinically useful, but higher strength magnets seemed to be needed.
    They concluded: "The cost of bracelets (around £30-£50) compares well with that of analgesics (paracetamol £20 a year...).
    "Larger investigations should now test the safety of magnets relative to the well known risks of analgesics."
    They said the benefits were in addition to existing treatments and these should not be stopped without the patient speaking to a doctor.
    A spokeswoman for the Arthritis Research Campaign said: "We funded this study because we wanted to establish if there was any evidence for the claims made on behalf of magnetic bracelets, and we didn't want the public to waste their money on devices that didn't work.
    "Results appear to show that wearing a magnetic bracelet does reduce pain in people with hip and knee osteoarthritis although it is still unclear whether this effect is due in some part to the placebo effect.
    "As magnetic bracelets are quite cheap and safe, people with osteoarthritis might want to consider wearing them as part of their self-help regime."

PRINCE AMOUNT BANGLES

   Originally worn by men and women in West African countries to relieve pain and suffering from ailments such as rheumatism and arthritis, the copper bracelet has become the accessory of choice for the most eligible and stylish bachelor in Britain.
    Having just celebrated his 18th birthday, Prince William has been photographed at Eton College sporting this alternative, Bohemian-style fashion accessory on his wrist.
    Resembling his mother in so many ways, the handsome Prince is sure to set a trend for the jewellery that is renowned for its therapeutic properties as well as ethnic style.
    Copper has been used for centuries to promote health and wellbeing, and is known to reduce stress, boost energy levels and relieve mild depression.
    By improving the circulation, copper and magnetic therapy also help the body dispose of any toxins in the bloodstream.
    For those of you, however, who want to steer clear of the more masculine, conventional style that Prince William has opted for, a number of companies have produced more fashion-conscious alternatives to the original design.

FAMOUS LURED BY THE FORCE

   MAGNET treatment has a high-class history. Cleopatra stuck them on her head to help preserve her beauty, Elizabeth 1 had them for arthritis and US President Bill Clinton uses them for backache.
    The therapy works on the theory that illness, usually diagnosed as a chemical problem and treated with drugs, can also be down to an imbalance of electrical energy in the body. By passing low-frequency, pulsating magnetic waves through different parts of the body, tiny electric currents occur.
    It is thought these currents are similar to the body's own repair signals, which increase blood flow and oxygen.
    Ordinary magnets which are placed on the skin are thought to relieve symptoms of aches and pains.
    Teresa Hale, owner of The Hale Clinic in Central London which offers magnetic therapy, said: "We have had people with arthritis whose hands have uncurled in three weeks of treatment. We have also found it has helped people with osteoporosis.

I CURED MY ACHES WITH A MAGNETIC BRACELET

   Angela Drewett had suffered from aches and pains in her joints ever since her teens. What doctors diagnosed as rheumatism had affected various parts of her body over the years.
    Five years ago, when Angela was 62, her condition started to deteriorate. The pain in her spine, knees, hands and neck worsened to such an extent that she was barely able to walk 50 yards at a time.
    ‘I was in constant agony and had to rely on painkillers to get me through each day’, says Angela. Earlier this year, Angela bought a magnetic bracelet that, it was claimed, could help relieve conditions such as arthritis and migraine.
    Although sceptical at first, Angela now believes the bracelet has given her a new lease of life.
    Some people find the concept that something as simple as a magnet can help relieve pain and discomfort difficult to accept. However, several scientific studies support the use of magnets in the treatment of medical conditions, and there are countless reports of people who have found that magnetic therapy has relieved a variety of conditions, including arthritis, menstrual cramps and headaches.
    It is still not known for sure how magnets work, but what is known is that magnetic fields exist in all living things. Some scientists believe that an imbalance in the body’s magnetic field can lead to pain and disease.
    It is thought that magnets may help rebalance the body’s energy, thereby restoring health and relieving pain.
    There is also some evidence that magnets improve blood flow, helping with the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the body tissues.
    Angela spotted an advertisement for magnetic bracelets in a magazine last February.
    ‘I admit I was doubtful whether the bracelet would have any effect’, she says, ‘but because it came with a money back guarantee, I decided I had nothing to lose by trying it.
    ’In fact, Angela was amazed at the results. Just a week after first putting on the bracelet, Angela’s pain began to lift and her friends commented on just how much more freely she seemed to be moving.
    Over the next few weeks Angela’s discomfort continued to ease and she was able to resume many activities that were previously beyond her.
    ‘Now I can do much more in and out of my home, and I no longer need to take painkillers during the day,’ she says. ‘Many of my friends now use magnetic jewellery and have felt the difference. It may not work for everyone, but I urge people to give it a try.’

DO MAGNETS HOLD THE SECRET POWER OF HEALING?

   It sounds incredible and no one knows how it works - but thousands of suffering people swear MAGNETS have cured their pain.For ex-copper Gordon Law, life was 30 years of agony after a villain stabbed him in the back.
    He tried everything medicine could offer but nothing worked - until he slipped a simple magnetic bracelet over his wrist.
    Gordon, 54, explained: “I was on the most extreme painkillers, heavy doses of morphine and methadone and I also went for unorthodox treatments like acupuncture.“
    “I tried everything apart from witch doctors dancing over me to stop the pain - and I would have done that if I could find a witch doctor!“
    It was a year before Gordon could return to desk duties after the brutal attack in Birmingham. At first surgeons told him he’d never even get out of bed because of his spinal injuries.
    He went on: “Then I was in a wheelchair and they told me I’d never get out of that either. But I did that too.Now all I need is crutches. But ever since the stabbing I have suffered from excruciating pain in my legs and back.“
    “Sometimes it was so bad I punched and kicked the wall until my hands or feet were so bloody, just to distract me. The pain was that bad.“
    Nothing helped me and by the time a pal suggested using magnets a couple of years ago I was prepared to try anything.“
    “ To be honest, I was extremely cynical at first but I can tell you now it is nothing less than a miracle.“
    I feel as if the shackles have fallen away and I’ve been given a new lease of life. It is just absolutely amazing.
    “Even my own doctor wears a magnet now! I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone.”

HORSE I LOVE WAS SAVED

   HORSE lover Gail Rawlings was in tears when vets advised that her champion mare April would have to be shot after breaking a leg.
    She said no - and April is once again winning show jumping competitions at the grand age of 25, thanks to a pair of magnetic boots!
    Gail, 34, of Whitchurch, Bristol, tried the boots in desperation after a friend came up with the bizarre idea.
    She said: "Quite frankly I was flabbergasted by the results. On the day the vet came I literally had the local abattoir on standby to come and turn her into pet food. She could barely move."
    "Yet I put the boots on her Monday evening, and by Wednesday morning she was walking around her stables. A week later she was running around in the fields and soon after that she was back jumping fences like a filly."
    "It's like a 70-year-old woman with a broken hip who couldn't walk suddenly making a full recovery and running the London Marathon."

CRIPPLED FOOTIE STAR IS CURED

   ENGLAND and Sheffield Wednesday soccer star John Fantham was left with chronic leg pains at the end of his gruelling 14-year career.
    Now 61, he confessed: "I was beginning to feel like an old man of 90. I'd get out of bed with all my joints aching, and I couldn't go up and down the stairs without creaking. I like a game of golf but it was becoming difficult to actually finish a round."
    "You can imagine the hammering my legs got as a professional footballer when I was younger. The injuries were coming back to haunt me."
    "Doctors had taken x-rays which showed the bone was simply worn away and all I could see for the future was getting worse and worse."
    Then a pal told his 88-year-old mother about magnetic therapy and she passed on the advise.
    John said: " Well, of course I was a bit suspicious at first. I mean it sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? How can wearing magnets help? I thought it was all a load of old rubbish."
    "But then I was persuaded to actually try it. It took about two weeks before it hit home, but then I realised I was feeling a bit better. My joints felt far more supple, the pain was relieved and I can actually stand by the tee and take a swing without creaking or cracking!"
    The father of two, who now runs his own business buying and selling machine tools, added: "The magnet comes on a wristband or bracelet which you wear over your pulse. I've no idea how it works, I'm just glad it does. I know the magnet is powerful enough to pick up a bunch of keys, but apart from that I'm happy to be in ignorance."
    "Lots of people come up to me wondering what it is I'm wearing on my wrist and they're intrigued when I tell them. Most want to find out for themselves if it works or not."