Washington: Copper bracelets and magnet wrist straps don't have any real effect on pain, swelling, or disease progression in rheumatoid arthritis, according to a new research.
In the first randomised controlled trial to study the effects of copper bracelets and magnetic wrist straps on rheumatoid arthritis, 70 patients with active symptoms each wore four different devices over a five-month period, reporting on their pain, disability, and medication use throughout the study.
Participants also provided blood samples, after wearing each device for five weeks, in order to monitor changes in inflammation.
The research showed that both the standard magnetic wrist strap and the copper bracelet provided no meaningful therapeutic effects beyond those of a placebo, which was not magnetic and did not contain copper.
Lead researcher Dr Stewart Richmond , a Research Fellow in the Department of Health Sciences at York, said that the findings reveal that people who suffer with rheumatoid arthritis may be better off saving their money, or spending it on other complementary interventions, like dietary fish oils for example, which have far better evidence for effectiveness.
The research has been published in PLOS ONE.
ANI
