The research involved 50 patients suffering from severe joint and muscle pain caused by post-polio syndrome. Half were treated with magnets, the rest with nonmagnetized items that looked just like the magnets. Neither the patients nor their doctors knew which was which. When researchers looked for results, they found that 76 percent of the patients treated with magnets reported reduced pain, compared with 19 percent who were treated with the placebos. Mainstream medical authorities say this single study gives no clue as to why magnets might help treat pain, and that more research is needed before they can recommend magnet therapy.
More experiments are under way now.
Lots of consumers, however, aren't waiting for more research, which is why magnet therapy products are readily available in neighborhood drug stores, discount stores and health food outlets. When Boucher looked for such products in pet stores, though, he came away empty-handed. The same thing happened when he checked pet product catalogs and veterinary supply centers. After an exhaustive search, Boucher couldn't find a single supplier making magnets for pets. What he did find, however, was that the market for pet products is exploding.