Magnotherapy and Pacemakers – Managing Your Implant Around Magnets

Got a pacemaker, or some other electronic implant? Then, unless you have one of a few new designs that aren't magnetically set or are MRI-shielded, you'll have been warned about getting it too close to magnets. It's a genuine risk: strong magnets are used for setting the pacemaker's parameters for your own situation, and a strong magnet can upset it – which can have nasty consequences for how your heart is working.

What's Your Cardiologist Like? But there's risk and risk, and that's what this article is about. I'm going to place risk in three categories below, but they aren't the groups you might think; Instead of lists of risky magnets, I'm going to be talking about risk-shy doctors! You see, most doctors haven't been properly trained in risk management, and – wanting to avoid the possibility of being sued by you if they advise you wrongly, they tell you to take no risks at all. I call them:

THE BLINKERED DOCTOR … Who's that? Well, let's compare your risk of a pacemaker reset with the risk of getting injured on the roads. In our comparison, this doctor will warn you, "Never go near a road". OK, I know that's crazily impractical; in fact you can't even get to the doctor to hear his advice without breaking this rule! But that's blinkering: you'll be told to avoid all magnets. Our blinkered doctor is kind of telling you to avoid going near TVs, fridge magnets, telephones (including cell phones) and anything else with a loudspeaker or hard drive – they all contain magnets.

Of course, that's silly and impossible to live with. The doctor will tell you so if you ask – but won't want to tell you exactly what you should avoid. At best, they'll give you a shortlist of magnet-containing stuff that's probably safe (though they're still not read themselves). And anything specific you ask about, like a therapy bracelet, will certainly be a 'no' simply because he won't dare give you a 'yes'.

THE HELPFUL DOCTOR … will recognize that a total ban is impractical and unnecessary, so they'll tell you not to go near STRONG magnets. That's a lot better – the doctor has some idea of ​​risk management, or, at least, recognizes that not every magnet is likely to affect your pacemaker. In our road risk comparison, it's like being told, "It's fine to go on safe roads, but keep away from dangerous ones." What are those? They've no idea. Nor have they about 'strong' magnets.

Is that what your maker's advice sheet says? Makers can be just as blinkered, whether they made the pacemaker or the magnetic therapy bracelet. Here's an example from one bracelet maker:

Our products should not be worn by anyone fitted with a heart pacemaker or other implant that could be affected by a strong magnetic field. "

As woolly as advice gets: a blanket warning, with no help! They cover all risk bases and lose you as a customer. So try getting your 'helpful' doctor to define what a strong magnet is, so you can find out exactly what to avoid. You'll almost certainly get an evasive answer! Again, you'll probably be given a list of maybe's to try to avoid, but it's your risk, not theirs. And asking for more advice will get you blank looks and a brushoff, because – of course – they're not expert in every kind of magnet you might meet, so won't they advise you.

THE SAVVY DOCTOR … then, is who you're looking for: the doctor who's been risk-management trained and can show you how to cope in your own circumstances. Interestingly, this doctor won't necessarily be your cardiologist, because the principles they can show you apply everywhere. And every hospital should have at least a few consultant-level staff with this training.

How can you spot such doctors? Because they will begin by asking you about yourself, and what you consider to be a fair risk. Then the advice will be tailored to keep you comfortable with the risk, although if you have a devil-may-care attitude, they might well want to give you stronger warnings! The same, sensible attitude is probably what you already have yourself towards road risks, and this sensible safety-first approach allows you to use magnetic therapy safely.

The What-To-Do List For Staying Safe

This list is intended to help you with risk management if you can't get to a risk specialist at your hospital.

• Know your pacemaker / device. Keep your data card safe and accessible and carry the warning card everywhere with you – in a Medic-Alert bracelet if you feel safer that way. And make sure that you discover the magnet power level used for setting it, so that you can get accurate advice to keep well below it when handling magnets.
• Find out and get familiar with the sort of magnets you shouldn't put close to the pacemaker. Old-type cathode-ray TVs, for example, are certainly dangerous – but you won't be putting your chest against the tube magnets unless you're a service engineer, so it's not a worry.
• By far the majority of magnetic therapy devices are safe with all but the oldest pacemakers. The magnetic flux at your chest skin level won't trigger anything inside – they're just too weak, which is why they don't usually work for therapy. This is the advice from one US cardiology website:

Use of therapeutic magnets such as those for treating arthritis or muscle aches, etc. does not interfere with pacemaker function if the magnet stays at least six inches away from the device. Magnet mattress pads should not be used because these can modify the function of your pacemaker. "

And this is out-of-date; few pacemakers today will be triggered even by skin contact with weaker magnets, and even strong magnets need to be very close to your skin to trigger a response – a few millimetres – because all magnetic fields drop off very rapidly with distance.

• A few, very powerful magnetic therapy devices WILL trigger the pacemaker if they contact your skin over it. These include those from Norstar, a few by Nikken and one Bioflow model – the Boost Button (other Bioflows are safe when being worn). All of these use unshielded neodymium magnets over a centimetre across (nearly half an inch). Good risk management says that if the therapy is valuable, you should manage the risk by keeping the magnet away from the pacemaker, rather than by dumping the therapy – but it's your choice, not your doctor's! And other therapy magnets, including all other Bioflows, should be fine unless you press them against the pacemaker.
• When you do wear a magnetic appliance, be aware that the danger usually comes when a wrist magnet is raised to the chest – a natural movement, for example, when you cross your arms or pull off a jumper or top. This, and similar actions, simply have to be made with more care than previously. You simply need to train yourself to take more care, just as you do already with hot objects.
• When you next change your pacemaker, ask whether the maker has an MRI-proof model, which is also even better shielded against therapy magnets. The Canadian newspaper report below has some guidance.

So remember, wearing a pacemaker doesn't make you an invalid. Unless you're of a very nervous disposition, you can find a happy medium between totally avoiding magnets and risking a reset to asynchronous mode. All you need do is find out what kinds of magnet are what sort of risk, then use common sense and a modest change in your own behavior. And a good cardiologist who knows risk management (or his savvy colleague) can find a sensible medium course for you.

Source by David Croucher