Copper bracelets and magnetic wrist straps | Arthritis Information
Trial raises doubts over alternative pain therapy for arthritis
Copper bracelets and magnetic wrist straps are ineffective in relieving arthritis pain, according to a new study led by a University of York academic. Researchers conducted the first randomised placebo-controlled trial on the use of both copper bracelets and magnetic wrist straps for pain management in osteoarthritis -- the most common form of the condition.
The devices are used worldwide for helping to manage pain associated with chronic musculoskeletal disorders. The results of this trial conflict with those from previous studies, by showing that both magnetic and copper bracelets were ineffective for managing pain, stiffness and physical function in osteoarthritis. The research is published in the latest issue of the journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine.
The trial was led by Stewart Richmond, a Research Fellow in the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York, who said: "This is the first randomised controlled trial to indicate that copper bracelets are ineffective for relieving arthritis pain."
"It appears that any perceived benefit obtained from wearing a magnetic or copper bracelet can be attributed to psychological placebo effects. People tend to buy them when they are in a lot of pain, then when the pain eases off over time they attribute this to the device. However, our findings suggest that such devices have no real advantage over placebo wrist straps that are not magnetic and do not contain copper.
"Although their use is generally harmless, people with osteoarthritis should be especially cautious about spending large sums of money on magnet therapy. Magnets removed from disused speakers are much cheaper, but you would first have to believe that they could work."
The trial involved 45 people aged 50 or over, who were all diagnosed as suffering from osteoarthritis. Each participant wore four devices in a random order over a 16-week period – two wrist straps with differing levels of magnetism, a demagnetised wrist strap and a copper bracelet.
The study revealed no meaningful difference between the devices in terms of their effects on pain, stiffness and physical function.
Magnet therapy is a rapidly growing industry, with annual worldwide sales of therapeutic devices incorporating permanent magnets worth up to billion US.
The trial also involved researchers from the universities of Hull, Durham, and the NHS.
Lev, this verifies my feelings about magnets. They are worthless!
Thanks!
[QUOTE=GG] Lev, this verifies my feelings about magnets. They are worthless! Thanks!
[/QUOTE]
Ibuprofen may help reduce headaches for one person but may have no effect on another person's headaches. Does this suggest Ibuprofen has no benefits? I think we should be more cautious when making broad generalizations regarding different therapies. Magnets may not have worked for you but for others it has helped them to return to their normal daily activities. Keep in mind, not all magnetic products are created the same nor do they all have the same effect. Good point jabrams. I should have added worthless for me!
Thanks and welcome to the board. You are about to meet some wonderful and interesting people.
jabrams,
I think that I am going to have to rely on GG's professional opinion over yours. GG actually has rheumatoid arthritis. She is not biased because she is not at this forum trying to sell magnets for an outrageous price. After reading some of your website, I'm pretty sure that you and your website owners do not even know what rheumatoid arthritis is or what it does. Shame on you, jabrams. After reading your website, I realized that you and your co-horts are nothing but scammers that try to profit from the vulnerablity of the sick. There should be a special place for people like yous in jail.
LEV
GG,
Thanks for the warm comments. My intention was to make some clarifications and not to criticize. But I'm sure you were well aware of that fact.
LEV,
Forums are a place where people can discuss and interact with others on common issues. People can share ideas on what has worked for them and what has not, based on their personal experiences. Based on GG's experience, the particular magnet she used had no benefit for her. There could be a number of reasons for this such as type of magnet used, surface gauss strength, magnet size, etc.. Also, magnets are not a panacea to all health conditions including arthritis. Unfortunately, there is no magic pill that will cure arthritis. But there are conventional medicine and natural remedies that may help to alleviate symptoms associated with arthritis. As we all know, what works for some people may not have the same effect on others. For instance, I have seen chemotherapy work wonders for some people and yet it may have no effect on others. Does this suggest we should dismiss this type of treatment entirely because it is not 100% effective?
Based on my professional experience, I see people with different forms of arthritis on a daily basis. Also, having studied this condition I understand that arthritis can have a debilitating effect. I believe in conventional medicine yet I also believe that people should be aware of natural alternatives. The beauty of this forum is that people can find a vast resource of information based on personal experiences, research and news relating to this condition. jabrams,
Having read what you have written and having read your "magnet" homepage and your blog, it is quite evident that you don't even know the difference between arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. This is a forum called rheumatoid arthritis. If magnets were actually benificial to rheumatoid arthritis sufferers, you wouldn't have to be here spamming and scamming at this rheumatoid arthritis forum. We would be beating a path to your spamming, scamming website paying the outrageous amounts of money for your worthless trinkets. You say "based on your professional experience......". Please, expand on your professonal experience. Certainly you must be a rheumatologist or do you have rheumatoid arthritis? Of course you are not and of course you don't. You are just a common spammer/scammer. Here is some professional, actual results from a randomised placebo-controlled trial on the use of both copper bracelets and magnetic wrist straps for pain management in osteoarthritis -- the most common form of the condition. And here is the conclusion of the study:
"It appears that any perceived benefit obtained from wearing a magnetic or copper bracelet can be attributed to psychological placebo effects. People tend to buy them when they are in a lot of pain, then when the pain eases off over time they attribute this to the device. However, our findings suggest that such devices have no real advantage over placebo wrist straps that are not magnetic and do not contain copper.
"Although their use is generally harmless, people with osteoarthritis should be especially cautious about spending large sums of money on magnet therapy. Magnets removed from disused speakers are much cheaper, but you would first have to believe that they could work."
The trial involved 45 people aged 50 or over, who were all diagnosed as suffering from osteoarthritis. Each participant wore four devices in a random order over a 16-week period – two wrist straps with differing levels of magnetism, a demagnetised wrist strap and a copper bracelet.
The study revealed no meaningful difference between the devices in terms of their effects on pain, stiffness and physical function.
Magnet therapy is a rapidly growing industry, with annual worldwide sales of therapeutic devices incorporating permanent magnets worth up to billion US.
The trial also involved researchers from the universities of Hull, Durham, and the NHS.
Like I said before, since we can "share ideas" as you say, there should be a special place for people like you in our penal system but hey, maybe in your next life, hey? A special place? All we can do is hope.
LEV
tried.... no help for medid nothing for me and the only reason I did try was because my mother really thought they'd help and she bought them for me. I wouldn't have wasted my money on the copper bracelets or the magnets .How would someone with RA know whether a flare was just ending or the magnets ended the flare???
[QUOTE=SnowOwl]What if I take hot baths in a copper bathtub? I could stick some pretty refrigerator magnets to it, too, make it a hat trick.[/QUOTE]
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