■ Reduce the crystal to its normal size.
■ Fade this picture from your mind, open your eyes, and take a few deep
breaths to bring yourself back into the here and now.
■ Be aware of any thoughts, feelings, or emotions that come to you.Tr ying Magnetic Therapies
Awareness of magnetic healing is gaining credibility in the United States and is
being applied by increasing numbers of conventional as well as alternative health-
care practitioners as an adjunctive therapy. Increasing numbers of people are sleep-
ing on magnetic beds at night and wearing small magnets during the day for pain
relief, greater energy, and healing.
Some controversy surrounds the issue of when to use the north, or negative pole,
and when to use the south, or positive pole. Some people believe that the north pole
of a magnet enhances healing and health while the south pole exacerbates disease.
Practitioners in Japan and Russia believe no strong evidence supports the use of one
pole over the other but rather that the entirety of the magnet is doing the healing.
The effectiveness of magnetic treatment depends on the number of magnets used
and their strength, thickness, and spacing. Magnets vary in strength and those used
for healing purposes are generally between 1,000 and 5,000 gauss. In general, heal-
ing magnets are unipolar and are either circular or rectangular. Several can be
stacked for increased gauss strength and, therefore, greater effectiveness: the thicker
the magnet, the greater the depth of penetration. The problem with this is that, with
increasing thickness, the magnet becomes more uncomfortable to wear. Most people
wear magnets between one-fourth and three-eighths of an inch thick. In general, the
magnet should be larger than the size of the area being treated. Patients who are
treating finger joints for arthritis will use a small magnet, while those who are treat-
ing the lower back will apply a much larger magnet.
The most common use of magnetic therapy is in pain treatment, with reports of suc-
cessful treatment in arthritis, rheumatism, fibromyalgia, back pain, headaches,
muscle sprains and strains, joint pain, tendonitis, shoulder pain, carpal tunnel syn-
drome, and torn ligaments. A magnetic field can also function like an antibiotic by
lowering acidity, creating a hostile environment for microorganisms. A magnetic
field applied to the head has a sedating effect by stimulating the hormone mela-
tonin. Biomagnetic therapy increases general well-being by enhancing energy
through cell repolarization. Many professional athletes revitalize their bodies by
sleeping on a magnetic mattress pad. Some even participate in their sport with
dozens of magnets taped to their bodies.292 ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TOALTERNATIVE MEDICINE