New evidence shows that magnetic and copper bracelets and wrist straps for relieving arthritis pain are ineffective. This means many millions of dollars are being wasted. According to the press release announcing the research study: "The devices are used worldwide for helping to manage pain associated with chronic musculoskeletal disorders. The results of this trial conflict with those from previous studies, by showing that both magnetic and copper bracelets were ineffective for managing pain, stiffness and physical function in osteoarthritis. The research is published in the latest issue of the journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine."
The Daily Mail did a respectable job of explaining the research methods in an everyday way. [Photo courtesy of Daily Mail.]
These findings received wide coverage, including BBC and Medical News Today. A gold star goes to Catharine Paddock, PhD, of Medical News for explaining the research methods quite well, and unlike most media, including the name of the actual research study and a link to the published source: "For the randomised double-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial, the researchers recruited 45 people aged 50 and over from general practices in rural and urban areas of Yorkshire. All the participants had already been diagnosed with osteoarthritis. Each participant was asked to wear four wrist strap devices over a period of 16 weeks. The order in which they wore them was randomly determined. The four types of device were: two wrist straps with differing levels of magnetism, a demagnetised wrist strap and a copper bracelet.... The results showed there was no meaningful differences among the devices in terms of their effect on pain, stiffness, and physical function."
The study tells us that "any perceived benefit obtained from wearing a magnetic or copper bracelet can be attributed to psychological placebo effects." said Stewart Richmond, a Research Fellow in the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York, who headed up the study.
But still... The BBC story quoted Jane Tadman of the Arthritis Research Campaign: "Although there is a big public appetite for non-drug treatments from arthritis patients, we would not encourage them to spend a lot of money on products for which there is very little scientific evidence." Nevertheless, I know some sharp, interesting people who have bought into the expensive magnet/watch phenomenon - for treating arthritis, lifting their mood, etc. It's their money, and they claim to get a benefit (I won't be the one to tell them it's a placebo effect).
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