Is electromagnetic therapy harmful to the body?

Electromagnetism is a method of using artificial magnetic fields to achieve the effects of curing diseases and maintaining health. It is not only used to treat diseases clinically, but many health products based on the principle of magnetic therapy have appeared in our lives, such as magnetic therapy mattresses, magnetic therapy underwear, etc. The principle of magnetic therapy is very simple, but many people wonder whether its specific functions are as magical as advertised. So, is electromagnetic therapy harmful to the body? Let’s take a look below.

Magnetic therapy is a method of treating certain diseases by applying artificial magnetic fields to the human body's meridians, acupoints and lesions. The hospital's professional magnetic therapy equipment is effective for hypertension, arthritis, headache, insomnia, coronary heart disease, gastroenteritis, facial spasm, sprains and cervical spondylosis, etc. It’s just that for some diseases it is a direct treatment, while for some diseases it is an auxiliary treatment.

On May 11, 2011, the State Food and Drug Administration issued the "Guidelines for Technical Review of Magnetic Therapy Product Registration" (hereinafter referred to as the "Guidelines"), which stated that "it is currently believed that magnetic fields can regulate the body's biomagnetic field, generate induced microcurrents, change cell membrane permeability, change the activity of certain enzymes, dilate blood vessels, and accelerate blood flow, thereby achieving auxiliary therapeutic effects such as pain relief and swelling reduction."

Staff from the State Food and Drug Administration said that based on the information currently available, a magnetic field intensity that is too low may not achieve the desired therapeutic effect, while a magnetic field intensity that is too high may have adverse effects on the human body, such as dizziness, vomiting and other magnetic phobia phenomena.

On May 11, 2011, the State Food and Drug Administration issued the "Technical Review Guidelines for Registration of Magnetic Therapy Products", which listed the possible consequences of magnetic therapy products, including electric shock, burns, harmful radiation, infection, etc.

Yin Jin, a resident physician in the Department of Spine Surgery at the General Hospital of the Armed Police Force, said that patients with cervical spondylosis, lumbar disc herniation, lumbar spinal stenosis, etc. need to go to the hospital for specific examinations and treatments. It is definitely not enough to just do physical therapy at home. "It can be tried for early-stage cervical spondylosis, but it is only a symptomatic treatment and cannot cure the root cause. The claim that magnetic therapy can cure all diseases and does not require medication is definitely unscientific. Delaying treatment due to believing in merchants' propaganda that 'no medication is required when using magnetic therapy' can have serious consequences, and patients should not use magnetic therapy equipment at will."