What do magnets do?

scheherazade

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I have a horse who is currently on box rest, he is being treated for cellulitis although he is having additional x rays to rule out a fracture. He is massively lame and has been for a week. I have a pair of NEW magnetic boots, would it be worth putting those on him during the day to see if they help (he is bandaged overnight)? I have no idea what they are actually meant to do, how they work or what they are meant to achieve.

Mince pies all round
 
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I am pretty sure magnets have been proven time and time again to have no actual benefit. There was a discussion on here not so long ago and a vet student (was it Badgermyers? I'm not too sure) who said that there was no evidence to support it.

Magnets are supposed to increase blood flow on the premise that blood has iron in it. Yet, the amount of iron in a humans, or a horses body "you can fit on the end of a pin". Now that IS a quote I got from t'internet quite some time ago but I couldn't tell you where... google is your friend.

In fact, I might go and refresh my memory now and I find anything remotely useful, I shall pop back and paste it :)

...

Nope, nothing interesting, plenty of anecdotal success stories. Plenty of things don't have evidence yet are still used.

The iron thing I put above is wrong though - apparently it helps to heal by improving the properties of blood.
 
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I use magnetic wraps on the TB - I have no idea if they do anything or not, but I suppose they're not doing any harm. I don't see any harm in using something that has anecdotal success as long as it's not likely to harm.
 
In answer to your original question
1. Attract ferrous metals.
2. Point North/South when allowed to rotate freely
3. Like poles will repell.
 
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