Magnet therapy
The physiological and curative effects of magnetic fields are based on fundamental physical laws. During exposure, magnet waves generate electric currents inside the human body due to reorientation of ionized biological macromolecules and free radicals, as well as due to physicochemical transformations of in-body water systems. Biochemical and biophysical processes trend to intensify. Magnetic reorientation of liquid crystals, being the basis for cellular and cytoplasm membranes, affect the membranes permeability and specific cellular functions.
Magnetic field causes transversal electric current induction (electromotive force) in conductors (Hall effect). Electromotive force appears during conductor travel inside direct magnetic fields and in resting conductors if exposed by alternating and impulse magnetic fields.
Liquid media of the human body are characterized with high conductivity. They are easy to conduct electromotive force when affected by external magnetic fields. Low electric currents generated in transversally flowing biological fluids (blood in vessels, lymph) by direct magnetic fields and in resting biological fluids by alternating and impulse magnetic fields are the driving force of magnet therapy.
The so-called Laurence magnomechanic effect serves another significant physical phenomenon to explain the biotropic effect of magnetic fields. It essentially deals with mechanic interaction forces (attraction and repulsion) between magnetic fields and transversally flowing electric charge. Depending on the charge direction, it is either attracted to or repulsed from the magnetic field.
The magnomechanic effect appears due to own magnetic field existing in the flowing electric charge. This physical phenomenon is realized inside living body due to mechanic forces that cause structural and functional changes at all levels (nuclear, molecular, subcellular, cellular and tissue) where elementary and bioelectric processes take place.
External magnetic fields benefit to changed configuration of unpaired valence electron clouds having uncompensated magnetic moment. This leads to physicochemical changes in atoms containing unpaired valence electrons.
In biological macromolecules with such atoms, there are conformational shifts generated which may result in increase or decrease of such macromolecules specific activity. In particular, magnetic fields activate enzymes (K-Na dependent ATP, tripsin, carboxydismutase, RNA-plymerase), change the affinity of the active myocardium adrenoreceptors and peripheral vessels to adrenaline, stimulate all intracellular biochemical reactions of the free radical type.
Exposed by magnetic field, the electron transportation in mitochondrion through respiratory enzyme chain (cytochrome) becomes faster, which results in stimulated oxidative phosphorylation and ATP accumulation inside cells. Due to competitive inhibition mechanism, glycolysis is inhibited, tissues are alkalized. Alkaline reactions suppress inflammatory processes.
The magnomechanic effect is realized in electrically active cells and tissues – neurons and neural fibers, central and peripheral nervous system structures, muscular tissues of cross-striated and plain types.
Exposed by external magnetic field, reversible structural changes take place in membranes of nervous and muscular cells, being material carriers of low depolarization and repolarization biocurrents which serve the source of biomagnetic fields (ponderomotive effect). This effect is accompanied with changes in membrane permeability, direction and speed of many biochemical reactions, catalyzed with membrane-fixed enzymes.
Distinct changes are found in activity of cerebral cortex neurons and subcortical nucleus (hypothalamus, thalamus), reticular formation of trunks accompanied with predominantly retarding reactions, retardation of reticular formation neuron activity, CNS adrenergic activity suppression and hypothalamus parasympathetic part stimulation. The nervous system peripheral part responds to magnet therapy exposure by increased excitation threshold in integument receptors of various sensitiveness, particularly, in nociceptors, accelerated impulses in ascending and descending nervous conductors.
For full-scale curative effect of magnetic fields, magnet therapy course should be prolonged. Each consecutive procedure of the therapy course benefits to increased and intensified curative effect. The therapy effects after 8-12 treatments are steady and long-preserving (up to 3-6 months). Magnet therapy proves to be one of the most sparing and easy-to-tolerate methods of physical treatment. Having no evident subjective discomfort, changes in central hemodynamics, heat effects, magnet therapy can be applied for elderly and senile patients, children, patients with severe concomitant somatic pathology. Magnet therapy is a natural treatment process which is close to the human essences, to the natural physical environment the human body is accustomed to since its conception.
Magnetic fields are easy to accommodate and combine with other physical factors. In this respect, such factors performance turns out to increase significantly (laser exposure, ultrasound, medicine electrophoresis, impulse currents). Low-frequency magnetic field exposure does not generate any sensations and other reactions with the majority of patients, that is why the exposure dose is measured by induction values in milliteslas (mT) and time of exposure in minutes.
Contraindications for application: magnet exposure individual intolerance, susceptibility to hemorrhages, bradycardia, Degree III cardiovascular collapse, Degree III hypertonic disease, vascular dystonias of the hypotonic type, acute suppurative diseases, malignant malformations, pregnancy, systemic blood diseases, alcohol intoxication.
