A study led by Stewart Richmond, a research fellow from the University of York, revealed that the two devices were ineffective for managing the pain that is caused by osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis. Richmond's work was published in a journal entitled Complementary Therapies in Medicine.
"It appears that any perceived benefit obtained from wearing a magnetic or copper bracelet can be attributed to psychological placebo effects," said Richmond.
"People tend to buy them when they are in a lot of pain, then when the pain eases off over time they attribute this to the device."
Yet Richmond says that these kinds of bracelets are no better than ones that don't contain copper or are not magnetic. Furthermore, devices containing metal can be more expensive than ones that don't.
Magnet therapy is still a growing industry with annual worldwide sales of up to $4 billion.
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