Magnets have a long history in medical applications. In 18th century Europe, the use of magnets was just another type of what we now call “faith healing.” To this day, people continue to experiment with magnetic therapy. Magnetic devices claimed to be therapeutic include: magnetic bracelets, insoles, knee and wrist wraps, 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 over 700,000 results. Some magnetic therapy advocates argue that magnets are a strong alternative to conventional pain medications. But are magnets a legitimate form of medicine? In addition to magnets' use in everyday life – in televisions, refrigerators and computers – magnets have acquired a medical reputation for relieving pain. The magnets are said to increase circulation to problem areas, reduce swelling and aid recovery. Starting in 2007, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCAM) conducted a series of preliminary scientific studies with no clear findings on the effectiveness of the healing powers of magnetic devices. Equally important, NCAM continues to view magnetic therapy as a mystical form of relief that is very real but cannot yet be explained. However, magnet dealers dominate Internet searches. As explained by Cepeda, Carr and Sarquis, “… it is 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 is no proven benefit to magnetic therapy." This article will examine the legitimacy of magnetotherapy, the pseudoscience that serves as evidence for its proponents, and the science that challenges its fac...... middle of article ...... D Carr and T Sarquis. “Static Magnetic Therapy Does Not Decrease Pain or Opioid Requirement: A Randomized Double-Blind Trial.” Anesthesia and Analgesia 104 (2007): 290-294.2. Harlow, T and C Greaves. “Randomized controlled trial of magnetic bracelets for pain relief in hip and knee osteoarthritis.” BMJ 329 (2004):3. "Magnets." US Food and Drug Administration. May 8th. 2012. .4. Mook, Douglas G. Classical Experiments in Psychology. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004.5. Ruscio, Giovanni. Critical thinking in psychology: Separating sense from nonsense. Wadsworth Publishing, 2005.6. Smith, Randolph A. Challenging your preconceptions: Thinking critically about psychology. Wadsworth Publishing, 2001.7. Stanovich, K E. How to think straight about psychology. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2001