Promising new use for magnets in health

The New England Journal of Medicine - that bastion of medical knowledge and lover of chowdah - has an paper up about the possibility of using magnets to better direct aerosols into the lungs of patients. The paper, written by Allan L. Coates, M.D., C.M., is available here. [Ed. Note: the site requires a subscription to view the entire document.] Also, did you notice that Allan is from the "Hospital for Sick Children?" Derek Zoolander is branching out, I suppose!

What if...

All this thinking about magnets has me wondering about this one huge magnet that we all know about. That's right; Mother Russia Earth.

In case you weren't aware, we all live on a huge iron magnet. I know the magnetic field is much less pronounced than the little ones you can buy, but how much? I wonder if all of the zen spots and mystical places throughout the planet have something to do with stronger magnetic fields? You know, besides the Lost island.

Yahoo! Health (!) has an article!

Sorry about the extraneous explosions of exclamation points upon entry to this post. And the needless and most definitely unwarranted use of alliteration. What was I saying?

Yahoo Health has a great article about the benefits of pain fighting magnets. It goes into a studied regarding the use of a placebo, and how the magnets provided significantly higher reduction in injury. I won't steal the articles thunder, but most certainly check it out!

The article also mentions several studies that I am not familiar with regarding the effects of magnets. I will look into these for the benefit of you, faithful reader.

They work!

[UPDATE: The picture to the left is relevant... fake doctors, quacks, ducks... ok, nevermind!]


Before I write anything profound, let me first clarify this entire blog. Two weeks ago, I would scoffed [scoffed I tell you!] at the thought of magnets actually doing something... You know, besides sticking plastic to cooled food storage devices.

Anyhow, I saw an article on how effective magnets actually are... Now I'm a believer! Not a trace of doubt in my mind! I'm in love, wooooooooo... oh, sorry. Didn't mean to break out in song there. I will be following this up with said proof, once I find it.

But just in case you did want to let out your inner Davey Jones, feel free.