Do Magnetic Bracelets Actually Improve Health or Vitality?

I received a stainless steel magnetic bracelet for Christmas several years ago. The bracelet is a simple "ring" with two small magnets at each end. The magnets rest over your wrist. According to Chinese traditional medicine, there are important "meridians" and pressure points located in the wrist.

Those who believe in the curative properties of magnetic bracelets will explain to you that the magnetic force somehow stimulates these pressure points, leading to noticeable improvements in health, mood, and vitality levels. Some golfers swear by these products, claiming that they perform better while wearing them.

Skeptics point out that magnetic forces are not known to influence human physiologic function in any significant way. They also point out to the fact that MRI scans use powerful electromagnets to produce images of the body, yet do not appear to have any impact on the patient.

New Age enthusiasts counter this claim by reminding us that our bodies have an electromagnetic force, and that placing magnets in certain areas can stimulate this "force." Of course, there is some basis in truth: our hearts do rely on an electromagnetic current in order to operate and our brains appear to function by sending thousands of small electromagnetic "blasts" back and forth across neural networks.

Anyway, enough scientific background: do these bracelets work or not? I was frankly a little embarrassed to wear mine in public at first, but did so out of courtesy for the gift-giver. Despite this, I now wear it everyday, as I have noticed certain improvements. These are all anecdotal, meaning it is my experience but not scientifically confirmed or necessarily the experience of others. You may experience similar results -- or not! Considering how cheap these bracelets are, though, it is worth giving it a try (I recently saw one for sale at the mall for about $20 before taxes; no doubt there are similar or better deals available online).

Improvements I have noticed:

-- I go to sleep faster. When I wear the bracelet, I have less trouble going to sleep, and don't need to rely on a "nightcap" (alcoholic drink before going to bed) or sleeping pill to assist me.

-- I have more energy. I find myself needing less coffee throughout the day to function when I wear the bracelet. In addition, I have found I am less fatigued after a workout when I have the bracelet on.

-- Less frequent headaches. I do not experience headaches as often when I wear the bracelet. This could also be because I now drink a lot of water, and I think a lot of my headaches were due to work-related dehydration.

-- Greater sexual stamina. This needs no explanation, I suppose.

I don't know why the bracelet works, I only know that it does. Could it be the placebo effect? Sure, I suppose it could, but I still feel better when wearing so what's the harm in that? It is also entirely possible that the bracelet does stimulate some sort of electromagnetic field in the body; traditional Chinese medicine has hundreds of millions of practitioners, and I am not narrow-minded enough to assume that Western medicine is the only solution to every problem. If it works, I use it. That's really all I care about.

I have also found the bracelet is a good conversation starter. Several people at work have asked about mine and I tell them what I am telling you now -- the abridged version, anyway.