Magnetic therapy bracelets
Ecoflow is a British company who specialise in magnetic therapy - the theory that magnetic fields are good for you. Bioflow is the name for their magnetic therapy bracelets.
I was at an Organic Food Festival recently and there was a stand there with various Ecoflow products - including the Bioflow bracelets. From what I saw I was intrigued enough to give it a go. (Ecoflow also do a bunch of other magnet-based products, but this is not the place to go into those!)
The idea behind Bioflow is that you wear a bracelet or wristband with some magnets in them, and that eases all sorts of ills such as arthritis, joint and muscle problems, headaches, period pains - and back pain.
I must admit to being not completely clear on how magnetic therapy bracelets work, but from what I can gather they basically applies a magnetic field to your bloodstream. What that does is makes the blood better able to pick up oxygen from your lungs, which makes it able to perform better. (Apparently, over time your blood cells can clump together which can reduce its oxygen-carrying characteristics and also means it doesn't flow as well. The Bioflow magnets can, apparently, reverse this and break up the clumps.)
I have absolutely no idea how scientifically sound the theory is, but the British Medical Journal has published a study that seems to say that there's something in it. Here's the link to the study - but there is quite a bit of skepticism as well. Count me in the "don't know" camp.
Anyway, I bought a copper bracelet (with Bioflow's patented multidirectional "central reverse polarity" magnet technology) which I've now been wearing for 3-4 weeks. To my pleasant surprise, my back hasn't been so bad in that time. I can't honestly say whether it has anything to do with the bracelet - I'm still going to pilates, using the backfriends and flexibak as normal.
Bioflow products come with a 90-day money back guarantee, so there's nothing to lose. They do say that the magnets do no harm, but I've not seen the research so I'm taking that on faith only.
Anyway, I'll keep you posted.
After Three Months: Frankly,
I haven't noticed any difference in wearing the bracelet at all. My
back started off being pretty good, but then got worse for a while -
which is pretty normal. It's getting better, but I'm sure that's down
to exercise rather than the magnets. I removed the bracelet to see if I
noticed any difference - and I didn't. (At this stage however, my gut
feeling is that magnetic therapy is not at all effective.)
So my gut instinct is that if it works, it works by the power of
placebo. (Which I'm certainly not knocking - and if magnetic therapy
bracelets work for you, well, I'm jealous!)
Magnetic Therapy Bracelet Links
- Here's a news story from the BBC - Magnetic therapies "have no effect"
Your stories about magnetic therapy bracelets
If you have any stories or comments (or even tips) about using magnetic therapy bracelets in response to your back pain, please share them with me and I'll add them to this site. Click here to tell me your story.