# Have Magnets Ever Been Found to Be Therapeutic?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-magnets-ever-been-found-to-be-therapeutic/533937>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 26, 2010, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-magnets-ever-been-found-to-be-therapeutic/533937 "2010-03-26T20:38:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-magnets-ever-been-found-to-be-therapeutic/533937/1 "2010-03-26T20:38:59Z")

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I ask because a few years back, magnets were touted as cure-alls, for muscle painst, sprains, cuts, etc. You could buy magnetic bracelets, bandages with magnets in them, etc.  
These were sold through the mail, in drugstores, health shops, etc.  
Has any research ever been done on these things?  
Were they ever proven to have any beneficial effect?

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**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-magnets-ever-been-found-to-be-therapeutic/533937/2 "2010-03-26T20:44:41Z")

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[There has not been a whole lot of research](http://www.skepdic.com/magnetic.html): the people who sell these magnets are doing so as alternative therapies and are not motivated to run double blind scientific tests. The evidence says it’s crap. If you have wrist pain and it improves after you put on a brace with a magnet in it, it’s not because the magnet cure you, it’s because the brace supported your wrist. If magnets had therapeutic benefits, having an MRI would probably cure any disease you have.