Magnetic therapy has long been believed to relieve pain and promote natural healing with the use of magnets being used by ancient Egyptians and Greeks, mentioned in records written by Aristotle, and used in Chinese medicine from around 2000 BC.

Today it is claimed that magnetic therapy is a safe and effective method of relieving pain and promoting healing on both humans and animals including horses, and that magnetic therapy is a natural, non-invasive, complementary therapy without side effects.

Magnetic therapy involves placing small high strength static magnets as close to the point of pain as possible. It is suggested that magnetic therapy works by realigning the body’s natural magnetism, causing movement within the blood cells and this increased activity causes the blood flow to improve over the area where the magnets are placed. This then helps blood cells to absorb oxygen more efficiently and feed oxygen along with nutrients, antibodies, vitamins, minerals, iron, endorphins, etc distributed by the blood to the injured organs and tissues more effectively and quickly, speeding up the natural healing process by improving circulation, eliminating excess fluid along with toxins stored and reducing inflammation.

However sceptics dispute claims that static magnets can affect the body in such a way, that external magnetic forces are too weak to influence the flow of blood, that magnetic therapy is often used in combination with other treatments so the effect of the magnetic therapy is unclear, or that healing would have occurred naturally in many cases so who is to say it healed quicker.

Whist the use of electromagnets with pulsed magnetic fields used in conventional medicine have proven health effects, it does seem that many independent scientific studies into static magnetic therapy are inconclusive or produced mixed results, but despite this magnetic therapy is gaining in popularity and is now becoming more widely accepted and promoted worldwide.

Today there is an increasing range of magnetic therapy products for horses available ranging from leg wraps, back pads and even rugs – see http://www.equine-world.co.uk/shop/horse-magnetic-therapy.asp - and horse owners who claim such products have provided benefits to their horses from easing stiffness prior to or after exercise, speeding up healing or alleviating pain caused by a variety of conditions.

Whilst there are those who believe that magnetic therapy works, and those who remain sceptics, why not share your experiences on Equine World UK’s facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/EquineWorldUK to help other horse owners make up their minds as to whether magnetic therapy is a fact or myth.