Involving celebrities in the promotion of what is essentially pseudoscientific nonsense is neither safe nor helpful
MY ATTENTION was caught recently by a head-to-head debate in the British Medical Journal. Simon Chapman, an Australian professor of public health, argued for the beneficial contribution of celebrities in public-health campaigns, while research fellow Geof Rayner from City University London argued against. There are many celebrities who speak on health issues in the public domain, some sensibly, some not so.
Shortly after reading these pieces, I was in a local pharmacy and picked up a brochure promoting magnetic therapy products marketed by the company Lifes2good. The front cover of the brochure was dominated by a photograph of elite athlete Eamonn Coghlan with a quote from him stating “thanks to magnetic therapy, I’m now free of pain”.
He is pictured twice again on page two along with well-known Irish golfer Christy O’Connor Jnr, who also speaks glowingly of magnetic-therapy products.
What is the objective evidence that magnetic therapy works? Minimal to none is the short answer. According to its consumer website, the US Food and Drug Administration has not cleared for marketing any magnets promoted for medical use, and companies engaged in such activities are in violation of US law.
It has been claimed that magnets can effectively treat a wide range of conditions from rheumatism and arthritis to cancer and Aids. There is no convincing objective evidence in support of such claims.
Magnetic therapy has a history stretching back to Paracelsus, a 16th-century physician and alchemist. He utilised naturally occurring magnetite or lodestone in the treatment of a variety of ailments. Perhaps the most famous promoter of magnetic therapy was Franz Mesmer who gave his name to mesmerism and worked in the latter half of the 18th century. He initially used magnetised water and metal wands to treat his subjects, but soon found that waving his hands about produced similar effects. Hence he claimed to have discovered “animal magnetism”.
Mesmer was eventually exposed as a charlatan. He retired to Austria and oblivion.
Magnets that are sold over the counter as medical devices are so weak as to be useless in penetrating the skin, especially as they are generally packaged in bandages or cloth pockets that significantly diminish their power. They have no impact on deeper tissue and do not affect blood flow in any meaningful way.
It is argued in the brochure mentioned above that magnetic therapy is effective for the treatment of pain and works by increasing circulation and reducing inflammation, while aiding pain management through its impact on the nervous system.
Many objective studies have been carried out to investigate the effect of static magnets on a variety of conditions with no supportive evidence accruing. A systematic review of studies published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal in 2007 concluded that the evidence does not support the use of static magnets for pain relief, and therefore magnets cannot be recommended as an effective treatment.
The involvement of celebrities in the promotion of what is essentially pseudoscientific nonsense is not helpful. Useless therapies cost money that many people can ill afford and can be dangerous if used to treat self-diagnosed problems, or as a substitute for evidence-based therapies.
I do not suggest that Eamonn Coghlan or Christy O’Connor Jnr are in any way dishonest in their assessment of the efficacy of magnet therapy, but it is my view that in the face of overwhelming evidence and basic physics they are mistaken, and are more likely beneficiaries of the placebo effect or of the supportive impact of the wraps within which the magnets are housed.
I would suggest, however, that pharmacists who sell magnetic devices about which medical claims are made are more culpable, and as trained scientists should know better. Selling inert medicines and inert medical devices is unethical and potentially dangerous to patients. The former consists mainly of homeopathic preparations. I also suggest that readers log on to senseaboutscience.organd sign up to its "ask for evidence" campaign.
Paul O’Donoghue is a clinical psychologist and founder member of the Irish Skeptics Society. contact@irishskeptics.org