Are Magnetic Mattress Pads Beneficial?
A magnetic mattress pad is generally about 3 inches thick and is used as a supplement to place on top of your ordinary mattress. The mattress pads contain approximately 100 magnetic strips sewn inside the mattress pad. These mattress pads are supposed to increase blood flow by attracting the iron in the blood to the magnet, allowing the user to experience more open capillaries and a more active circulatory system. Magnetic mattress pads are especially recommended for senior citizens who have decreased mobility and may not be able to experience normal blood flow in their bodies.
History
Magnetic mattress pads are based on magnet therapy, which is sometimes called magnetotherapy or magnotherapy. According to by Dr. William H. Philpott, the author of "A Brief History of Magnet Therapy," a medical text written in 2,000 B.C. in China entitled "The Yellow Emperor's Book of Internal Medicine" featured a section on applying medical stones to the body to cure certain ailments. Magnet therapy has also been used in ancient Greek, Swiss and English medicine, and was used in the United States beginning in the twentieth century.
Features
According to magnetic mattress pad manufacturers, their product can improve a variety of illnesses, including back pain, joint pain, post polio, insomnia, fibromyalgia, circulation problems, lupus, migraines, bone density issues, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, rheumatoid arthritis, incontinence due to stress, erectile dysfunction, peripheral neuropathy, nicotine addiction and emphysema. Although using magnet therapy is not approved as a treatment for any ailments by the F.D.A., many doctors recommend using magnet therapy in conjunction with other treatments.
Considerations
According to a report made by Stephen Barrett on the website Quack Watch, the state of California has sued the company European Health Concepts, Inc., a Florida-based producer of magnetic mattress pads. The attorney general has received hundreds of complaints from buyers of the magnetic mattress pads, claiming that they do not cure or help the ailments listed in their advertising. After promising a money-back guarantee, most unsatisfied customers had problems getting any money back from European Health Concepts.
Benefits
Although magnetic mattress pads may not particularly cure any ailment or disease on their own, most doctors do not deny the benefits of increased blood flow in the circulatory system. Even if no noticeable effects are noted among patients who sleep on magnetic mattress pads, there may be some negligible benefits to owning one. Whether or not magnetic mattress pads will extend a person's lifespan or overall well-being is not proven, but it is recommended by doctors to periodically sleep without the mattress pad for several nights to determine the benefits.
Warning
Magnetic mattress pads are not an official cure for any illness or ailment. If you are experiencing any severe medical symptoms, see a doctor immediately. Do not count on magnetic mattress pads to cure your symptoms. If you have been sleeping on a magnetic mattress pad and you have any negative symptoms such as nausea, fatigue or a rash, discontinue using the mattress pad. Magnetic mattress pads are not manufactured to be a substitute for going to the doctor. If you are experiencing severe health problems, it is imperative to seek your doctor's advice on whether or not to sleep on a magnetic mattress pad.
Tags: mattress pads, magnetic mattress, mattress pads, blood flow, magnetic mattress, magnetic mattress pads, circulatory system