Magnetic Therapy

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[DarkShodan]

Huzzah!

Through my years of Aikido training I have experienced a varity of injuries. What? I know! Say it isn't so! Anyway, I have been using magnetic wraps on my sore wrists and joints, and I gotta tell ya', I think these things really work. I have done all kinds of stretching, ibuprofen, heat, ice, but the magnets have certainly worked for me. We have a few doctors in class who think it's crap, but it works for me.

Has anyone else tried these magnetic wraps, and what did you think of them?

Peace and Aiki to all!

[DarkShodan]

Ok, so this is my first post. Didn't mean to put it in this section. Sorry!:( :grr:

[Gilles D'Hoker]

Injuries?

In all my years of Aikido I never had any serious injuries...

I wander, if someone caught you in an 'nikyo' what do you do; Relax the muscles of your whrist or do you resist as hard as you can? At the end of a training you feel tired, relaxed or do you feel 'beaten up'?

find the way to harmony

ciao

[DarkShodan]

When I got to the rank of 3rd kyu, I wanted to be tougher so I started to see just how much I could take. I few injuries did result. Since then I have decided not to do that. I still think it is a good idea to offer some resistance, especially to the newer students, to be sure they are doing the techniques correctly.

I usually feel really good after a work out, and show signs of 'withdrawl' if I don't go to class for a week or so. I have not had a serious injury in several years. Well, I did break my foot this past year, but that was not aikido related. I have been been using the magnets on my foot to help with blood flow and pain relief. It seems to work for me at least.

[Ian Williams]

It's placebo, but what ever gets you through the night.

[pbaehr]

Not to rain on your parade but magnet therapy is a load of crap. Here's some reading for those interested:

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

You can find a lot more if you look, too, I'm sure. Though, as long as you're not using them exclusively to treat dangerous conditions all you're doing is wasting money.

[Bronson]

When I was taking tai chi one of the other students was into magnetic therapy. He hooked up with some company and started selling magnetic shoe insoles. He had this little card of magnetic sensitive material that he would use to show how strong the magnets were. You would hold the card on one side of your thigh and the magnets on the other. When the magnet was in place the lines on the card lined up instead of being like a chevron pattern. It worked on everybody...except the instructor. His legs were thinner than everybody else in the class but the magnet's magnetosity couldn't get through...it was kinda weird :confused:

Bronson

[DarkShodan]

I know it's kind of a controversy, hence why I posted it. I was curious if anyone else has tried it.

We have several doctors in class who say it is crap. Maybe so. People react differently to different things. My friend is really into the magnets and sells them as a side business. She's been trying to get me to try them for years, so one day I bought a wrist wrap. It actually seemed to help. It wasn't that expensive, and I continued to do Ibuprofin, streching, heat, ice, etc. So, I'm not putting all my faith in the magnets just yet.

I am a firm beliver in acupuncture. Maybe I'll start that thread next? I suppose it's been done to death by now. Personally, I have had great success with my acupuncture doctor. This is real Acupuncture, not acu-pressure, for those looking into it.

I wold say if you have some pain or problems healing, try the magnets. Give it a shot and let us know.

[pbaehr]

"It wasn't that expensive, and I continued to do Ibuprofin, streching, heat, ice, etc."

In that case, what makes you think the magnets were the part that did the trick? Many medical alternatives develop testimonials based on the logic, "I started using it and got better," however, your body is very good at getting better. Often people falsly attribute the success to a placebo when they would've recovered fine by continuing normal habits.

I'm not picking on you, Lloyd, but there's a great deal of evidence to suggest that magnet therapy is a hoax and I'm inclined to believe it.

[Rich Stephens]

Often people falsly attribute the success to a placebo when they would've recovered fine by continuing normal habits.
This is exactly why there really isn't such thing as a "placebo effect". When they tested that theory by giving people a sugar pill and realize that some people did get better, just at lesser rates than those getting the real medicine, they concluded there was some power of suggestion going on that caused people to get better with the placebo. But upon closer examination, it just turns out that the improvement seen in the people getting the placebo was well within the range of improvement seen by people who did absolutely nothing: symptoms often drift from bad to somewhat better over time and it seems the placebo effect was simply a reflection of that and not a reflection of what the mind can do when it "thinks" it's been given treatment.

That's the Western view anyway. It's more fun to believe in the more Eastern approach to well being though.

-Rich

[DarkShodan]

I have very thick skin, don't worry about picking on me. ;-)

Anyway, on my wrists I have had problems for several months, seen my Dr. and she was suggesting physical therapy. I would have none of that. So after several months of Ibuprofin, ice, heat, stretching I didn't feel I was getting better. Then I put the magnets on, and my wrists healed very quickly. So I know, after so many months of Heat, ice etc. did it start to work, or was it the magnets that helped? I can't say for sure. I guess the only way to be sure it to injure both side of my body and only treat one side with the magnets. I know it's all for the sake of science, but I'm not going to do that.

I believe in the placebo effect and the power of suggetions. I don't think that is me though. I don't take to suggestions very well, just ask my wife. HA! ;-)

[Rich Stephens]

You injured guys could always try Kiatsu "massage". Drop by a Ki no Kenkyu Kai dojo or grab a ki book to learn about it.

[Erik]

I know it's kind of a controversy
It's not controversial, it's 100% bullshit!

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