-- Posted by Indianna  on Oct. 4, 2001

Does anyone know of a supplier of a rug with magnets which is not horribly expensive?  The only one I've seen so far is in the CAM catalogue at £174!

Also has anyway any experience of using magnetic healing aids and if so, did they work?

-- Posted by TF1 on 1:40 pm on Oct. 4, 2001

magnetic rugs are expensive I think.
Try http://www.equinetherapy.co.uk.
I've got magnetic boots for my horse (£65) and I think they are very good.
What is the reason you want a rug? Is it anything in particular?

-- Posted by Alison on 1:40 pm on Oct. 4, 2001

All the magnetic rugs I have seen are expensive but I know of a couple of people who have used them and swear by them.

I have used magnetic boots to help my horse returning from injury and then seemed to do a lot for him. I know some people think they have calming properties but I am not so sure on that but I would agree with the healing properties of the magnets.

The magnets work by increasing the level of activity of the ions in the blood flow and so it has been proved that you don't necessarily need to put a magnet on the back to improve the blood flow as the blood is pumped regularly around the whole body and so as long as the magnet is at a point where the blood is close to the surface it will theoretically effect the whole body and improve circulation generally!

-- Posted by TF1 on 1:45 pm on Oct. 4, 2001

Oops just tried that link and it doesn't work but if you go to google.com and put in equine therapy, go to page 2 and there is a link there for Equine Therapy at Northfield Farmhouse, that's the one it should be!!

-- Posted by Indianna on 1:47 pm on Oct. 4, 2001

Thanks to you both - I'll try the website.  The rug idea is one of many that we are coming up with as a last resort for my youngster.  He has been lame for nearly 4 months and after nearly £4,000 worth of veterinary investigation we still don't know why!  He is now undergoing physio and the physio believes that his back is very, very sore.  The saddle was checked (again) by a different saddler who felt that the saddle was not fitting correctly.  I'm not sure if the saddle is/was causing the lameness (its worse under saddle) as the fitting was not really terrible just slightly so!  The horse also put up a major fight about loading to go to our last vet appointment and may well have hurt his back during this time (he spent nearly 2 hours on his hind legs!).

I thought perhaps that a magnetic rug MIGHT just help .... I'm at my wits end with the lameness as he is only just 4 yrs old.

-- Posted by AlisonWoods on 1:50 pm on Oct. 4, 2001

I was bought a magnetic wrist band by my mother at Burghly which I find quite effective.  Having read the material it seems that the magnets do not need to work on a specific area but on the bloodflow.  So would you need a magnetic rug or could you get by with boots?

I posted some of the info from articles etc in an earlier thread but hope it will help you if I post it again here.  Apologies for the length of my post.

TRADITIONAL MAGNOTHERAPY

How does magnetism help our bodies?  Basically our bodies require continual maintenance.  Essential to this is the provision of oxygen and enzymes to all our body cells and the removal of waste products from them.  Blood, the body's great transport system, carries oxygen, nutrients and enzymes to our tissues through a network of arteries and capillaries.  It then carries the waste material in veins back to the lungs and kidneys for excretion.  The actual 'carrier' of oxygen in the blood is haemoglobin, which contains ionised iron molecules to which oxygen temporarily bonds during transportation from the lungs to the tissues.  The carbon dioxide produced in the tissues during metabolism is carried away primarily in the form of bicarbonate ions, which are soluble in the blood plasma.

It is believed that the positive effect of magnotherapy is attributed to the blood's ability, subsequent to passing through the specific magnetic field, to absorb and carry larger amounts of oxygen and nutrients as well as larger amounts of waste products.  This process is called 'Ionisation by Magnetic Induction' (IMI).  Healing can be accelerated and pain reduced by an improved circulation and supply of the body's requirements.

Extract from the Camborne, Redruth & District Free Gazette (May 1998)


EXPLAINING MAGNOTHERAPY AND ITS BENEFITS FOR SPORTS PEOPLE AND HEALTH & FITNESS ENTHUSIASTS

How Does Magnotherapy Work?

The benefits of magnotherapy have been well documented in recent years by the many people who have undeniably benefited from its use - both to aid healing and to alleviate pain.  But, how exactly does magnotherapy work?…

The pain relieving and healing benefits of magnotherapy are the result of a change in the body's pH levels caused by magnetic energy1.

Stress and inflammation (together with the resulting pain experienced by many sports people and health & fitness enthusiasts) usually causes an excess of lactic acid to be produced by the body.

The importance of maintaining the correct pH balance is vital to the life of cells in the body - but the pH level of a cell can only be neutralised by the movement of electrons in and out of the cell.  Therefore an acidic cell (low pH) can be nuetralised by accepting electrons, and an alkaline cell (high pH) can be neutralised by donating electron.

The movement of electrons in the body is the fundamental action of magnotherapy.  In other words, without the movement of electrons, pH levels cannot change and the benefits are not felt.

Magnotherapy can play an important role in maintaining the correct pH levels which are important to optimum health and performance.

Magnotherapy and Healing - The Proof

Magnotherapy has been successfully used to help promote connective tissue healing and repair, musculoskeletal pain relief, bone repair and the acceleration of the healing of fractures - problems commonly experienced by sports people.

Thermography (heat) trials have shown an increase in blood flow when magnets are used2.

Scintigraphy scanning (which measures the metabolic uptake of an injected substance) has shown a 30% increase in the rate of substance uptake in the soft tissues, and in the bone of a leg, treated with magnets2.

Magnotherapy and Pain Relief - The Proof

Magnotherapy can help to reduce pain which has not been effectively controlled by medication.

In a double-blind, placebo controlled study, patients were treated with magnets applied to the skin.  A statistically significant reduction in lower back pain was observed.  The pain relief was significantly greater than the placebo group where unmagnetised pads were used2.

Why is it Important to Use Central Reverse Polarity Magnets?

Central Reverse Polarity (CRP) magnets are superior to any other static magnet because they are specifically designed to move electrons.  As the moving of electrons is the fundamental action of magnotherapy, which enables the body's pH levels to change, it is clear why it is important to choose a high quality CRP magnet.

How Can Magnotherapy Help Sporting Enthusiasts?

Many sporting injuries/conditions are the result of excess lactic acid production.  This has a detrimental effect on the body's pH balance and triggers the brain to respond as pain.

Magnotherapy can help to increase the cellular oxygen levels, increase fluid and gas circulation by dilating blood vessels, improve cell permeability, reduce imflammation and normalise pH levels in the body thus relieving pain2.

It is thought that the magnetic field influences ionic exchange across cell membranes thus influencing the metabolism of waste products left behind by injury.

By increasing the circulation to and around an injury site, pain can be alleviated and the healing process accelerated.

Magnotherapy can help to improve recovery rates after exercising, competing or illness and can also help to boost energy levels.

1 Vaclavek MV Doctor; Magnotherapy the pHacts (1999)
2 Ecoflow data on file

Written by Ron McAndrews, Athletics Coach & England Team

-- Posted by issyhotten on 2:10 pm on Oct. 4, 2001

My friend got magnets from somewhere and sewed them into a summer sheet, which is then used under the night rug.