Index
Also known as Biomagnetism, it is one of the basic physiotherapeutic procedures.
The basic form, the application of the static magnetic field (the permanent magnet), has been used since time immemorial as one of the natural sources of healing.
It should be noted that Magnetotherapy is the predecessor of Biomagnetism, and the latter is the one that gained more importance thanks to the scientific advances and tests developed by Dr. Isaac Goiz of Mexico.
Magnet therapy is the treatment through the application of magnets. The human body is a magnet; disease occurs when there is an imbalance in the flow between the two poles.
Biomagnetism and energy flow at a specific frequency between the two poles of each cell/organ. The earth and the human body are magnets.
However, only the arrival of the electronics and the power switching elements allows for the rapid development of low-frequency pulse magnet therapy. Whose effects are several times higher than those of the static magnetic field.
Recent studies imply that the therapy carried out using the electromagnetic pulse field is 100 times more effective than the application of the stationary magnetic field.
That is why magnetic therapy is now becoming a widely used physiotherapeutic method.
With some conditions (for example, chronic pain in degenerative joint diseases), this method has proven successful as a therapy with a long-term therapeutic effect even when other therapeutic methods fail.
Magnetic therapy can be very effective with the correct indication and application.
It can also be recommended for use with other therapy methods such as pharmacotherapy, whose effects are usually supported by magnetic therapy.
That is why magnetic therapy should not be omitted in the case of an integrated treatment approach nor given as a preference for monotherapy. The latest findings on the physiological response of the organism to the electromagnetic field imply the following effects of Magnetotherapy:
- analgesic effect
- Antiedematous effect.
- Antiphlogistic effect.
- Trophic effect (acceleration of healing and growth).
- My relaxed and spasmolytic effect.
- Vasodilation
Physical foundations of Magnetotherapy
The magnetic field is an integral part of the electromagnetic field consisting of electrical and magnetic components.
Both components of the electromagnetic field are mutually connected and can not exist without the other, except in the following two exceptional cases:
- The electrostatic field in which the magnetic component of the field is zero.
- The stationary magnetic field in which the electrical component is zero.
Due to the frequencies used up to 150 Hz and due to the design of the BTL applicators, the magnetic component of the field predominates over the electric one.
A magnetic field is detected mainly through its force effects which affect magnetically conductive things, moving charges, and conductors with electric current flowing through them.
The effects of force are not very important for our theory because biological objects are diamagnetic.
However, it is necessary to consider these effects of force in the case of metallic implants, especially those fixed in soft tissues and not made of antimagnetic materials.
Another interaction between the magnetic field and matter occurs at the moment when the matter is exposed to the magnetic field.
At that time, the individual free molecules are oriented to minimize the energy within the field.
In the case of biological objects, these forces act against the bonds between the atoms, molecules, and ions in the tissues. This, therefore, also influences cellular processes.
Therapeutic effects
Magneto-therapy is one of the commonly used physiotherapeutic procedures. This method is successful in some diseases that require long-lasting therapeutic effects (e.g., chronic pain of vertebral etiology or degenerative joint diseases) even when other therapy methods have been unsuccessful.
However, it is also necessary to consider that, like all therapeutic procedures, Magnetotherapy also has a specific failure rate.
It has been shown that it is better to use the static magnetic field to treat patients in acute stages. At the same time, it is better to use magnetic pulse therapy in chronic diseases.
The application of magnet therapy should always be based on a thorough medical history and a detailed examination of the patient.
The latest findings on the physiological response of the organism to the electromagnetic field imply the following effects of Magnetotherapy:
- Analgesic effect,
- Antiphlogistic effect,
- Trophic effect (acceleration of healing and growth),
- My relaxed and spasmolytic effect,
- Vasodilation
- Antiedematous effect.
Analgesic effect
The analgesic effect of Magnetotherapy is applied in most painful conditions of the muscular and articular etiology. The detailed description of this effect is quite complicated; Its physiological effects have been specified in recent years.
According to these findings, the analgesic effect of magnetic therapy is explained by the increased secretion of endogenous opioids.
These are caused by the correlation, the antiphlogistic and anti-edematous effects, and perhaps the impact on the presynaptic inhibition of the nociceptive signals at the level of the dorsal medullary horns.
The treatment should be combined with targeted pharmacotherapy, manual, and relaxation therapy, at least in the initial stage.
Antiphlogistic effect
This effect has not been convincingly explained until now. However, recent studies agree on the following principle: The antiphlogistic effect is induced by increased phagocytosis of neutrophils and increased production of superoxide.
This is followed by the induction of superoxide dismutase attached to the endothelium, which probably leads to a higher concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the exposed area.
Because superoxide inhibits catalase activity, hydrogen peroxide does not degrade and, therefore, can destroy leukotrienes, the most potent activators of phagocytosis.
This mechanism also explains the initial controversial action of the magnetic field in sterile inflammations and microbially induced inflammations.
This effect also explains the temporary deterioration of rheumatic conditions during the first two or three exposures, when the increase in superoxide produced intensifies the inflammatory symptoms.
