Those horse-shoe magnets that we often see in comics and cartoons are useless for magnet therapies. The most common magnets for therapeutic use are the flat ceramic magnets or at best the neodymium magnets. Neodymiums are stronger magnets than the ceramic types and are probably the best ones for therapeutic use. Magnet Therapy And Relief Management Today, in the presence of so many medical innovations, there are still old practices that may not be deemed effective by the medical community but are still favored by those who practice them. One is magnet therapy. It has a long history dating to as far back as 600 BC. It is used for pain relief, reduce unwanted growths, soothe inflammations and arrest infections. Lengths of use The magnets need not be handled directly or touch the skin. It can be inside a bag, inside some wraps with the right poles facing the body. Strong magnets (those that can lift a kilo or more) may be used for one hour daily. Some also claims that the same magnetic field disrupts muscle contractions preventing muscle spasms to occur. The magnets also seem to block or the very least interfere the flow of sodium and calcium inside the body s cells. These two elements are responsible for sending pain signals to the brain. By blocking their movements, the magnets are stopping the cells to tell your brain that you are in pain. Actually, it is not only arthritis that magnets can heal. There are also users who have testified the effectiveness of magnets on carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis. In fact, the use of magnets could be traced as early as the Chinese, Indian, Egyptian and Greek civilizations. Magnetic treatment or healing can balance the body s positive and negative energies. In the treatment group, 76% of the participants reported improvements, as against the 19% in the placebo group. Peripheral neuropathy On peripheral neuropathy, there was a 4-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study of 19 people. Four participants wore magnetic foot insoles during the day all throughout the trial period.