Magnets have a long history in medical applications. In 18th century Europe, the use of magnets was just another type of what we today call “faith healing.” To this day, people continue to experiment with magnetic therapy. Claimed therapeutic magnetic devices include: magnetic bracelets, insoles, knee and wrist bracelets, back and neck braces, and even pillows and mattresses. Magnetic therapy has become so common that a Google search for “magnets and pain relief” returns more than 700,000 results. Some proponents of magnetic therapy say that magnets are an attractive alternative to conventional painkillers. But are magnets a legitimate form of medicine? Besides their everyday use – in televisions, refrigerators and computers – magnets have gained a medical reputation for relieving pain. Magnets are said to increase circulation to problem areas, reduce swelling and aid recovery. As early as 2007, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCAM) had carried out a number of preliminary scientific studies without clear results on the effectiveness of the healing powers of magnetic devices. Just as importantly, NCAM continues to present magnetic therapy as a mystical form of relief that is very real but cannot yet be explained. Yet magnet sellers dominate Internet searches. As Cepeda, Carr, and Sarquis explain, “…it is abundantly clear that billions of dollars [$300 million in the United States alone] have already been spent on magnetotherapy, or perhaps wasted on magnetotherapy. To be frank, there are no proven benefits to magnetic therapy. This article will examine the legitimacy of magnetic therapy, the pseudoscience that serves as evidence for its proponents, and the science that questions its theory...... middle of article ......D Carr and T Sarquis . “Static magnetic therapy does not reduce pain or opioid requirements: a double-blind randomized trial.” Anesthesia and analgesia 104 (2007): 290-294.2. Harlow, T and C Greaves. “Randomized controlled trial of magnetic bracelets to relieve pain in osteoarthritis of the hip and knee.” BMJ 329 (2004):3. “Magnets”. US Food and Drug Administration. May 8. 2012. .4. Mook, Douglas G. Classic Experiments in Psychology. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004.5. Ruscio, John. Critical thinking in psychology: separating meaning from nonsense. Wadsworth Editions, 2005.6. Smith, Randolph A. Questioning Your Preconceptions: Thinking Critically About Psychology. Wadsworth Editions, 2001.7. Stanovich, K.E. How to think clearly about psychology. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2001