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Alf, There is a tremendous amount of research being done on Magnetic Therapy in the USA. I did research on it before using my magnets (and they aren't charm braclets either). Which I guess is why I jumped up and down when I read Fineberg's article. He hasn't done his homework!!!!!!!!!!! just me, Marjorie At 11:50 AM 08/02/2000 +0930, you wrote: >The clinking sound is my 5 cents worth hitting the floor. >Someone in this group said, a while ago, "what does it matter if it's a >placebo, if it works?" > From a pragmatic point of view, that's true. Magnets may work or not, but as >far as some people are concerned, they definitely do. Wheat grass juice may >work or not. I'd be the last person to discourage anyone from using anything >which offers relief. However, where a causal relationship between the >treatment and its effects is not obvious, I'd also be the first to encourage >people to look for other possibilities. So, for example, I now take Enada >first thing every morning, and it seems to be making a difference, but I >also drink a half pint of water with it, which I never did before, and maybe >that alone is making the difference. How will I know? Well, at some point >I'll knock off the Enada and keep taking the water and see what changes. >Ideally, someone would slip in some chalk tablets so I wasn't even aware >that I had stopped getting Enada. > >With a bed full of magnets, it sounds to me like a substantial change of >sleeping arrangements. The ideal test would be for someone to >surreptitiously replace the magnets with similar sized bricks and see if >anything else changes. I think we all cling to placebos because, like Linus' >blanket, they give us comfort and hope. We are frightened to look too >critically in case the effect goes away. But we may be missing something >important. Behind the placebo there may be a real effect which we are not >giving due credit for, and therefore which we cannot replicate and pass on >to others. > >So hang in there with your snake oils and charm bracelets, if they work for >you that's great! But please be brave enough to look behind the scenes and >consider if something else may be waiting to be discovered, maybe even the >real cause for why magnets work! >Alf >Adelaide, Australia >50 <1 48