Many people may have heard of magnetic therapy as something that is used to treat arthritis and to relieve other forms of pain. However how many of us actually know the history of magnet therapy and how it has come to be used today. The aim of this article is to give you some background to the subject.
Early History
The use of magnet therapy goes back to the oldest medical writings, the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, which was written in 2000 B.C. In this text it mentions the application of ‘magnetic stones to correct health imbalances’.
It is also known that the ancient Egyptians were very well aware of the magnets and the power they had. It is believed that Cleopatra slept with a magnetic stone on her forehead. The idea was that this would maintain her youthful look.
It can also be seen that the ancient Hindus were aware of magnetic forces as when a person died it was important that they were laid with their head pointing north. The aim of this was to release pain and ease the person’s departure from their current life.
Origins of the Word Magnet
The word magnet originates from the Greek language and is thought to derive from the phrase ‘Magnes lithos’ which literally means ‘stone from magnesia’. Magnes lithos was actually an area in Greece that was famous for its volcanic rocks with magnetic properties.
More Recent History
Late 15th Century - In 1493, Paracelsus a Swiss born physician was the first to suggest that illness was caused by external factors i.e. diseases rather than internal imbalances, which was the common thought. He used many different herbs and foods to treat ailments and used magnets to energise and influence the body to begin the healing process.
Early 17th Century - In 1600, William Gilbert who was physician to Elizabeth I published De Magnete which summarised the current knowledge of magnetism. He was the first person to actually describe the Earth as a huge magnet with north and south poles. He also discussed the fact that magnetic stones were ‘beneficial in many diseases of the human system’.
18th Century - Franz Anton Mesmer was a pioneer of magnetic therapy in the 18th century and experimented with magnets to treat a large number of conditions. His theory was that the human body had magnetic poles and when a person was ill it was due to these poles moving out of alignment with the universal magnetic flow. He claimed he could heal people by touch, using his own magnetic field and travelled round Europe demonstrating this fact. His actual form of treatment later developed into early forms of hypnotherapy.
19th Century - There were a lot of experiments done on electricity which helped to establish a link between magnetism and electricity. This was a time when electricity and magnetism was very important and saw people being able to buy Magnetic boots, rings, girdles, and caps, as well as magnetic ointments.
20th Century - After World War II the use of magnets for healing saw a big down turn in popularity with things such as antibiotics becoming more common. However there was still a following and this was awakened again in the 70s and in 1976 he first International Conference on Biomagnetism was held. In 1983 a big jump was made with the invention of neodymium biomagnets which are 700% more powerful than ceramic magnets.
21st Century - Today magnet therapy is being used more widely and is gaining popularity. In fact it approved as an official therapy in over 45 countries worldwide.
