Consumerwatch: Do magnets really have healing properties?

Some companies claim magnets have healing properties which can help everything from multiple sclerosis to arthritis.

Beverly Dobran has lived with  multiple sclerosis for 35 years.

The disease has gradually made walking difficult for the 60-year-old, but she says, that’s changed.

"It's just so much nicer now, I have more spring in my step. More joie de vivre!"

Dobran credits that newfound spring in her step to $80 magnetic insoles.

"I find I have much more energy after getting out of bed and having worn these at night and this in my pillow,” sais Dobran.

Dobran discovered magnetic therapy through Nikken, a multi-level marketing company that originated in Japan.

It’s been operating in North America for nearly 25 years and offers a wide range of health and wellness products from magnets to supplements.

Nikken distributor Bill Zeweniuk says magnets help stimulate cellular health by blocking electronic interference around us.

"We get out of frequency with our magnetic being and when we don't have the right frequency, we get diffused,” Zeweniuk says.

But Dr. Daniel Sitar, a professor of pharmacology and therapeutics at the University of Manitoba, says there is no scientific validity behind magnetic therapy especially in cases of MS.

"If you happen to do something right at the point of when the disease is settling down then you may attribute that change to what you just did yesterday, which might have absolutely nothing to do with why you’re feeling better," he said.

Dr. Sitar says while  there isn't any scientific research to prove magnets have any therapeutic benefit, they could be harmful if someone has a pacemaker or any other metal devices in their body.

Health Canada has also looked into the effectiveness of magnets. A draft policy published in 2001 states:” There is insufficient published evidence to indicate static  magnets are beneficial for therapeutic purposes."

But Zeweniuk says Nikken doesn't claim that its products cure any diseases. Rather, he says, the company’s reputation rests on personal testimonials from people like Beverly Dobran.

“Try one of the products and see for yourself,” says Dobran, “Because seeing is believing after all.”

Dobran has now signed on to distribute Nikken products and is encouraging others to see and believe for themselves, despite the lack of scientific proof.

- with a report from Karen Rocznik