“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 adjunct therapy” Fontaine, 2019). 

How would you increase awareness in you patients on magnetic healing and teach them the benefits of this type of therapy? 

Unquestionably, the use of permanent magnets for treating specific medical problems like arthritis, chronic pain syndromes, wound healing, insomnia, headache and others has steadily increased during the last decade. Furthermore, static magnetic field (SMF) therapy, applied via a permanent magnet attached to the skin, is internationally utilized for self-care. Regardless the lack of established SMF dosage and treatment regimens, various studies are conducted to evaluate SMF therapy effectiveness.

On the other hand, therapeutic devices incorporating permanent magnets are widely available and easy to use. Additionally, magnets may also be perceived as a more natural and less harmful alternative to analgesic compounds. Of interest to health service researchers is the possibility that magnet therapy might help to reduce the economic burden of managing chronic musculoskeletal disorders (Richmond, 2008).

Finally, magnets are excessively cheap to manufacture, and prolonged treatment involves a single cost. However, good quality scientific evidence concerning the safety, effectiveness as well as cost-effectiveness of magnet therapy remains scant. As nurses, we have to instruct our patients to consult with their primary care provider about the use of magnetic healing and remind them the importance to seek a certified provider for proper treatment. 

References

S., J., Richmond. (2008). Magnet therapy for the relief of pain and inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis (CAMBRA): A randomised placebo-controlled crossover trial. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2556642/