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Compiled by Janice Kleinschmidt
Magnetic Pain Relief
Three years ago, Palm Springs Fire Chief Blake Goetz found a simple way to ease the pain he suffers from a back injury and carpal tunnel syndrome. Although he has received relief from traditional treatment such as chiropractic, Goetz can use the powerful magnet products developed by Dr. Alvin A. Bakst on a daily basis.
Goetz took a magnet he had been using to Bakst’s office, where its strength was measured. “Mine registered zero, and his registered quite a bit more,” he recalls. “I bought three products.”
With cox-inhibitor pharmaceuticals being the subject of recalls and class-action lawsuits because of concerns that they could cause heart attacks, increasing numbers of pain sufferers in the United States are turning to magnet therapy as a remedy for their aches.
“Skepticism about pain-relief magnets is still widespread,” notes Bakst, founder of Magnatech Labs and a Palm Springs resident, “and there certainly are many such products on the market that don’t work. The in-ferior products are inexpensive and use magnets that are bipolar instead of unipolar; they are too weak to penetrate into the body to reach the affected nerve carrying the pain impulse. If the depth of penetration into the body is too weak to affect that nerve, it simply cannot work. But when magnets are designed properly and used correctly, they are a wonderful alternative treatment for pain.”
A thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon for more than 45 years, Bakst set out to find relief for his own debili-tating back discomfort. In Korea, Taiwan, and Japan, he learned about the benefits of magnetic therapy. He tested many such products and then developed devices of his own. He claims the Dr. Bakst Magnetics penetrate up to 4 inches deep through muscle and bone.
“Pain sensation is communicated to the brain through a flow of tiny, magnetically charged particles called ions. Our products put out very powerful negative charges, which interrupt the flow of those ions, causing the pain message to diminish or disappear. There is no such thing as pain if the impulse does not reach the brain,” Bakst says.
“There’s plenty of scientific reasoning to explain why magnets can help to relieve pain and make us feel better,” Bakst notes. “The atoms and molecules that make up human cells have a magnetic field. They have positive and negative poles. The Earth, too, has a natural magnetic field, a north and south pole, and our bodies have acclimated to the Earth’s field over the centuries.
“Unfortunately,” he continues, “we’ve become surrounded by harmful magnetic energy from power transmission lines, televisions, computers, microwaves, cellular phones, and numerous other such devices. This has many negative effects on the body at the cellular level, including changes in blood chemistry that can hamper the body’s disease-fighting ability. This unhealthy energy is all around us and disrupts the balance by competing with natural magnetic fields.”
Some researchers report that a side benefit of therapeutic magnets is that they help the body heal itself by increasing blood flow, which sends more warmth, oxygen, and nutrients to the affected area. This can reduce inflammation and swelling. In a study published in the American Journal of Pain Management in 1999, magnetic insoles were found to reduce pain in diabetics.
Bakst has donated a magnetic back belt to each fire station in the Coachella Valley because the firefighting and first-response work of firefighters involves a lot of heavy and awkward lifting. Other products include shoulder harnesses, knee and wrist devices, ankle braces, insoles, golf gloves, and bracelets.
Information: (800) 574-8111 or www.drbakst.com |
