Mesmerism or Magnetic Therapy?

Mesmeric : Related to or induced by hypnotism.

Mesmerism: Refers to therapy using hypnosis or hypniotic suggestion.

"...the sun, moon, and fixed stars mutually affect each other in their orbits; that they cause and direct in our earth a flux and reflux not only in the sea, but in the atmosphere, and affect in a similar manner all organized bodies through the medium of a subtle and mobile fluid, which pervades the universe and associates all things together in mutual intercourse and harmony." Mesmer’s theory of 'body-fluid' was originated in a work entitled "De imperio solis ac lunae in corpora humana et morbis inde oriundis" (Richard Mead, 1673-1754), in which the gravitational force was the source of both water and atmospheric tides. From this idea, the notion that the configuration of the planets affected the fluidal balance of the human body was extracted straight-forward.

In a excellent article (Magnetic Therapy: Plausible Attraction?), James D. Livingston analyzes a double-blind experiment on magnetic tharapy done at the Baylor College of Medicine by Valbona et al. during 1997. Some of his conclusions: "The more extreme claims of magnetic therapy, such as curing cancer by hanging supermagnets around your neck, are not only nonsense but also dangerous, since they may divert patients from seeking appropriate treatment from mainstream medicine. Magnetic jewelry and most other magnetic-therapy products probably are harmless beyond a waste of money.

... The results of the Baylor study, however, raise the possibility that at least in some cases, topical application of permanent magnets may indeed be useful in pain relief, a conclusion that should be regarded as tentative until supported by further studies. Any mechanism for such an effect remains mysterious, but an effect of static magnetic fields on the complex electrochemical processes of the human body is not impossible. My own guess is that inexpensive refrigerator magnets are as likely to provide help as the more expensive magnets marketed specifically for therapy. (But since human nature leads us to expect more from more expensive items, use of refrigerator magnets will probably decrease the placebo effect!) "