Factors that can affect the body’s electromagnetic field
As we have seen, every living thing generates its own electromagnetic field, which is influenced by our metabolism, state of health, by illness, and by the external electromagnetic fields to which we are exposed.

One of the strongest electromagnetic forces we are subjected to is that of the Earth. When our planet was formed, over 4.4 billion years ago, the slow rotation of the Earth’s crust around the molten metal core generated forces of heat and friction which magnetised the iron-rich crust, creating a magnetic field across the globe from the North to South poles. This was estimated to have a strength of 4.0 gauss – more than ten per cent stronger than that which is present today.

The Earth's surface has a natural electromagnetic field of around 7.8-15 cycles per second (Hz, named after discoverer Heinrich Hertz).

The Earth’s north pole currently has a negative magnetic polarity, and the south pole is currently positive although these polarities are known to reverse from time to time.

So, if you are in the northern hemisphere, you are in the Earth’s negative (-) magnetic field, while if you are in the southern hemisphere you are in a magnetic field that is positive (+). In either location the earth’s field passes through your body in one direction – the effects of jet lag may partly be due to changing magnetic fields on the body, as well as changing time zones.

Our cells’ electrical activity has evolved within the Earth’s static magnetic field, and it seems to be vital for health and for optimum immunity. We are also subjected to electromagnetic fields generated by thunderstorms in the equatorial zones. These produce natural, low-frequency (7.8Hz) vibrations in the atmosphere – known as Schumann resonances – that seem to have a vital stimulatory effect on our body cells, healing and growth.

NASA have found that animals and humans will not survive in space unless their spacecraft are provided with a magnetic field similar to that of the Earth. This is because the movement of ions and conduction of nerve messages within our cells need the correct electromagnetic environment in which to function properly. If deprived of the Earth’s electromagnetic field, severe metabolic disturbances occur including abnormal cell uptake of electrolytes such as calcium, needed for heart muscle. Because cells cannot function properly outside these resonances, they are now incorporated into space craft design so astronaut’s are not deprived of their beneficial effects.

Another major electromagnetic force that acts on our cells is that of the sun, especially at times of sunspot activity and solar flares. We are now also surrounded by alternating electro-magnetic fields produced by modern alternating electrical currents that change direction 50 to 60 times per second.

Examples of the variety of factors that can affect our electromagnetic field are shown in the following:

Factors that can affect the body’s electromagnetic field

Magnetic field deficiency syndrome
The Earth’s magnetic field is slowly decreasing, which may be a precursor to a complete reversal of the Earth’s magnetic poles, so that magnetic North will be situated at the geographic South pole rather than the geographic North pole as at present. This shift in polarity has occurred several times in the Earth’s history as shown by the way molecules are aligned in ancient, solidified lava flows.

Those working with magnetic therapy believe that good health can only occur when the body is balanced within the earth’s magnetic field. This balance is lost when interfered with by the strong electromagnetic fields produced by alternating current in hi-tec items such as power lines, electric blankets and household devices.

We have evolved within a magnetic field of a certain strength, and the fact that this is decreasing means our cells are no longer exposed to magnetic fields of the same strength or quality as that in which they evolved. This, together with prolonged exposure to artificial external magnetic fields – especially those produced by alternating electrical current - is thought to disturb the body’s natural resonant frequency leading to cell fatigue and ill health. In 1976, medical researchers in Japan suggested that a disorder known as Magnetic Field Deficiency Syndrome (MFDS) can occur if we are exposed for prolonged periods to electromagnetic fields that are considerably different from our own. Symptoms that are suggested to result from MFDS include:
- muscle stiffness, especially in the back, neck and shoulders
- low back pain
- vague chest pains
- headache
- dizziness
- insomnia
- constipation
- loss of energy
- chronic fatigue.

Correction of magnetic field deficiency syndrome is one of the main aims of magnetic therapy in which direct current magnetic fields or those created by permanent solid-state magnets are used, rather than the alternating current magnetic fields produced by electrical devices. Bioelectro-magnetic therapy is thought to overcome this deficiency syndrome so that these symptoms all improve.

Therapeutic magnetic patches
A variety of magnetic products are now available, including patches, bracelets, pendants, necklaces, clip on magnets, joint wraps, shoe insoles, straps, belts, pillows, car seat covers and even mattresses.

Therapeutic magnetic patches have been developed as an easy, convenient, discreet, natural method of stimulating the body’s own healing processes to relieve a variety of conditions, including musculoskeletal aches and pains.

Acumed patches
Acumed patches are a patented system that combines magnetic and electrical fields for optimum healing effects.

Each patch consists of a hypoallergenic, self-adhesive plaster containing high purity zinc and copper in a magnetic field. The magnetic field is produced by a rare earth magnet (an alloy of neodymium, iron and boron) that provides a field strength of 2000 gauss. The magnet is coated with purified zinc and surrounded with tiny copper spheres, with each element pre-aligned and attached to the self-adhesive, microporous tape to ensure the correct magnetic (negative) pole is in contact with the body. The patch is made from a hypoallergenic, microporous material which allows the skin to breath and is particularly suitable for sensitive skins.

Reproduced by kind permission of Acumed
Each patch works as a mini transmitter, emitting small energy fields which have a soothing effect and stimulate the body’s natural pain relief mechanism. Acumed patches generate three different electromagnetic fields:
- magnetic - with the North (negative) pole touching
the skin, and the South (positive) pole facing away from the skin
- micro-electric - due to copper and zinc forming a battery bridged by moisture from the skin
- induced electric current - due to the magnetic field acting on the copper microspheres.

These fields interact to produce pulsations of energy that are more effective than using a continuous signal.

Although their exact mechanisms of action is unknown, the electromagnetic energy of magnetic patches is believed to interact with the energy of your own electromagnetic field (aura) to help strengthen it.

Each patch should be applied to clean, dry skin near the site of pain. If positioned over acupuncture points (especially tender tsubos) associated with the painful areas the benefits may be even greater (See page). For small areas, or mild to moderate pain, only one patch may prove necessary. If-pain is more extensive or severe, several patches may be used to cover further acupoints as appropriate.

Acumed magnetic patches should be left on the skin, undisturbed, for 5 to 7 days. They can be worn during all normal daily activities, including bathing and showering. After 5-7 days, the Acumed patch(es) should be gently peeled away and discarded. New magnets can be resited as necessary - it is usually beneficial to “rest” for one or two days before re-starting treatment however.

Theories on how magnetic therapy works

Boosting the Earth’s Electromagnetic field
No-one knows exactly how magnetic therapy works,
but several interesting theories have been suggested that might explain how it can reduce pain perception and
boost healing. Many theories of how magnets work are a variation on what scientists call the Hall Effect. Since our bloodstream is filled with positively and negatively charged ions, stimulating these ions by exposure to a magnetic field generates a certain amount of heat. The heat increases the blood supply to the area where the magnet is located, and with the blood comes extra oxygen and nutrients, as well as a flushing away of toxins.

How does magnetic therapy work?
The electric and magnetic fields produced by the magnetic patches affect the flow of electromagnetic energy in parts of the body. In particular, it frees imbalances and build-ups of electromagnetic energy - often associated with tissue damage and inflammation - that irritate:
1 nerves - to cause pain
1 muscles - to cause spasm

Magnetic therapy can act on nerve and muscle cells to relieve pain, relax tense muscles, improve the circulation and boost immunity through a number of suggested mechanisms.

Possible mechanism 1:
Restoring electro-magnetic balance
Each cell acts as an electro-magnetic unit producing its
own magnetic field. During health, cells vibrate with their own characteristic electromagnetic frequency. During disease, a cell’s electromagnetic vibration changes. This effect is used to diagnose heart problems for example, using a heart trace (electrocardiogram or ECG). During health, the ECG will show a particular pattern generated by the passage of electrical messages throughout the heart muscle as it alternately beats then rests.

If cells lack oxygen due to reduced blood flow in coronary heart disease, characteristic changes occur in the ECG that help to diagnose the problem quite accurately. In the most simple terms, electromagnetic therapy is believed to restore health by helping cells regain their natural electromagnetic frequency.

Possible mechanism 2:
Boosting the circulation
Another theory is that electromagnetic therapy improves blood flow – especially through tiny blood vessels known as capillaries. Red blood cells are coated with a cell membrane which, like other cells in the body carries a negative (water repelling) charge inside the double layer, but has a variety of positive and negative charges (water attracting) on the surface. These help to repel other red blood cells, and also helps to keep them away from blood vessel walls, so they don’t form unwanted blood clots in the circulation. As a result, blood flow is improved - by aligning blood cells in an organised manner which essentially has a blood thinning action. This is similar in principle to the way that magnets applied to water pipes reduce furring up of the pipes, and to the way that magnets applied to fuel pumps reduces fuel consumption.

In the 1950s, it was discovered that when heated, magnetically treated water was less likely to form scale in pipes than unmagnetised water. A water molecule consists of two positively charged hydrogen atoms (H+) and a negatively charged oxygen atom (O2-). Because of the electron configuration of these molecules, the positively charged hydrogen atoms of one molecule tend to attract the negatively charged oxygen atoms of other water molecules. This results in the formation of clusters which can contain anywhere from four to literally hundreds of water molecules. Magnetisation is thought to break up clusters of water molecules that surround lime deposits and other foreign molecules so they remain in the water stream rather than being deposited on pipe walls.
Red blood cells also contain the red blood pigment, haemoglobin, which contains iron – one of the most easily magnetised substances on Earth. In 1954, Linus Pauling received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry partly for discovering the magnetic properties of haemoglobin, each molecule of which contains four atoms of iron.

This means that red blood cells can respond to an electromagnetic field and even become magnetised themselves. Blood also contains copper and dissolved ions (eg sodium, potassium, chloride) that make it a powerful conductor of electric and magnetic currents.

As red blood cells pass through small capillaries in the skin under an applied magnet, they travel through a magnetic field which is believed to produce effects within the haemoglobin molecules that help them carry oxygen to the tissues more effectively. As the charged ions in blood pass through the magnetic field, they inevitably produce a small electric current which will also boost blood flow and strengthen the circulation. In some cases, blood flow is increased by as much as three fold within five minutes. Improved blood flow in turn increases the amount of oxygen, glucose and nutrients available to cells, and flushes away cell toxins, helping to keep tissues healthy and improving healing. Greater oxygenation in tissues also increases resistance to infection.

Possible mechanism 3:
Boosting immunity
T-lymphocytes are immune cells that play an important role in the body’s immune and inflammatory responses. In order to move easily between other cells in the body’s tissues, T-cells polarise themselves into tiny magnets (using positively charged calcium ions) so they can move towards an electromagnetic field more easily. These electromagnetic fields are formed in the body around damaged cells, damaged nerves, and electric currents produced by pressure (piezoelectric currents) where bones rub together in arthritic joints. T-lymphocytes therefore accumulate wherever there are unusual electromagnetic fields in the body. Once there, they release powerful chemicals (lymphokines) that attract other immune cells into the area which tends to make the inflammation and pain worse. Magnetic therapy is thought to have a beneficial effect on T-lymphocytes so that they don’t over-react and inflammation can resolve more quickly.

Possible mechanism 4:
Regulating enzyme reactions
Most metabolic reactions in the body depend on the activity of enzymes – proteins that facilitate the interaction of two or more molecules so that reactions that would otherwise occur at too slow a rate can occur at an accelerated, yet controlled rate. Experiments have shown that exposure to a magnetic field (strengths ranging from 60 gauss to 20,000 gauss for up to 25 hours were used) increased the activity of certain plant enzymes by amounts ranging from 20% to over 90%. Other experiments have found that a magnetic field can also slow the activity of some other enzymes by around 25% with different field strengths having different effects. It is likely that magnetic therapy can produce similar effects on human enzymes, by speeding up some reactions (eg to do with healing) and slowing others (eg to do with inflammation).

Possible mechanism 5:
Regulating the flow of calcium ions
Magnetic fields affect the chemicals bonds found within calcium bicarbonate molecules, stretching and breaking them so that more is converted into calcium hydroxide (+ carbon dioxide gas which is removed). Over all, this has the effect of improving the alkalinity of extra-cellular fluids. This both increases the amount of oxygen that can be absorbed, and damps down growth of micro-organisms. It also allows mineral ions such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc and chromium to move more freely, ensuring improved cell nutrition and excretion. For example, one magnetic polarity can help calcium move away from painful arthritic joints, and the other magnetic polarity can attract calcium ions towards a broken bone to hasten healing, especially where non-union has previously occurred (See page).

Possible mechanism 6:
Boosting healing
Magnetic fields seem to stabilise human DNA, to enhance DNA synthesis, and to activate a cell’s metabolic processes. These two effects combined seem to boost the healing and repair processes.

Possible mechanism 7:
Producing analgesia
Magnets are thought to reduce pain by reducing inflammation (See 3, page 66), by normalising the movement of ions and the flow of electric ‘messages’ in affected areas, which in turn damps down over-activity of pain receptors, and by stimulating production of the body’s natural painkillers, known as endorphins, to damp down pain perception. When levels of endorphins were
measured in blood before and after exposure to a static magnet (3950 gauss) for fifteen minutes, endorphin levels were found to increase by 25% one hour afterwards, and by 45% two hours after exposure. Some researchers also believe that the effects of stress hormones cause magnetic imbalances in cells, and that applying the negative pole of
a magnet can stabilise or ‘repolarise’ affected cells which may also reduce pain perception.

Possible mechanism 8:
Stimulating production of melatonin
Melatonin is a hormone produced within the pineal gland in the brain. Melatonin has a variety of effects in the body, including helping to regulate the body’s biorhythms and sleep-wake cycle and boosting immunity. Exposure to electromagnetic fields emanating from 60 Hz alternating current has been shown to reduce nocturnal melatonin concentrations in electric utility workers, especially if they also worked in low light levels. Another study of 12 men with low back pain also found that exposure to a low-frequency alternating magnetic field for 3 weeks (20 min per day, 5 days per week) either at 10 o’clock in the morning, or at 6 o’clock in the evening experienced a significant reduction in the nocturnal melatonin rise that usually occurs, regardless of the time of exposure although the percentage of inhibition of melatonin secretion varied among individuals.

Magnetic therapy may therefore help to offset the effects of exposure to harmful environmental electromagnetic radiation although this is not yet confirmed.

Possible mechanism 9:
Boosting the Earth’s Electromagnetic field
The earth’s magnetic field has decreased by 50% over the
last 500 years. In the last 100 years it has decreased by 5% and is continuing to reduce at the rate of 0.05% per year. Magnetic therapy is believed by some to help boost a cell’s degree of exposure to beneficial electromagnetic fields to help offset the fall in background exposure to the Earth’s field thereby helping to offset the effects of Magnetic Field Deficiency Syndrome