Magnet Therapy

Researchers from Assiut University Hospital, Egypt have discovered that magnetic stimulation of lower back can reduce the frequency of nighttime bedwetting. Bedwetting causes distress in children and young adults.

Scientists have found that repetitive sacral root magnetic stimulation (rSMS) can reduce the frequency of nighttime bedwetting. For the study they divided 41 patients suffering from bedwetting or nocturnal enuresis into two groups. The first group received real magnetic stimulation whereas the second group received sham stimulation. The equipment and procedure used in both the cases were same. Each patient received 10 sessions, five per week. During the experiment, a magnetic stimulator was placed over the sacral vertebrae in the lower back and 15 Hz pulses were applied for 10 seconds on and 30 seconds off. In case of sham procedure the stimulator was adjusted internally so that little magnetic stimulation could reach the underlying tissue.  

Following the experiment, the average number of nocturnal enuresis fell from 5.7 to 0.3 per week for the first group compared to 6.5 to 1.8 per week for the second. One underlying observation after the experiment was that the real group retained the behaviour (1 per week) but the sham group returned to its baseline behaviour (5.2 per week).