title: Magnet therapy for the relief of pain and inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis (CAMBRA): a randomised placebo-controlled crossover trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rheumatoid arthritis is a common inflammatory autoimmune disease. Although disease activity may be managed effectively with prescription drugs, unproven treatments such as magnet therapy are sometimes used as an adjunct for pain control. Therapeutic devices incorporating permanent magnets are widely available and easy to use. Magnets may also be perceived as a more natural and less harmful alternative to analgesic compounds. Of interest to health service researchers is the possibility that magnet therapy might help to reduce the economic burden of managing chronic musculoskeletal disorders. Magnets are extremely cheap to manufacture and prolonged treatment involves a single cost. Despite this, good quality scientific evidence concerning the safety, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of magnet therapy is scarce. The primary aim of the CAMBRA trial is to investigate the effectiveness of magnet therapy for relieving pain and inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis.
  
  
  METHODS
  The CAMBRA trial employs a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled crossover design. Participant will each wear four devices: a commercially available magnetic wrist strap; an attenuated wrist strap; a demagnetised wrist strap; and a copper bracelet. Device will be allocated in a randomised sequence and each worn for five weeks. The four treatment phases will be separated by wash out periods lasting one week. Both participants and researchers will be blind, as far as feasible, to the allocation of experimental and control devices. In total 69 participants will be recruited from general practices within the UK. Eligible patients will have a verified diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis that is being managed using drugs, and will be experiencing chronic pain. Outcomes measured will include pain, inflammation, disease activity, physical function, medication use, affect, and health related costs. Data will be collected using questionnaires, diaries, manual pill counts and blood tests.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Magnetism is an inherent property of experimental devices which is hard to conceal. The use of multiple control devices, including a copper bracelet, represents a concerted attempt to overcome methodological limitations associated with trials in this field. The trial began in July 2007. At the time of submission (August 2008) recruitment has finished, with 70 trial participants, and data collection is almost complete.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN51459023.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, The University of York, England, UK. sjr503@york.ac.uk
authors.forename: Stewart J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Richmond
references.citation: Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2001 Oct;82(10):1453-60
references.pmid: 11588753
references.citation: Arthritis Rheum. 1995 Jun;38(6):727-35
references.pmid: 7779114
references.citation: BMJ. 2004 Feb 21;328(7437):432
references.pmid: 14761905
references.citation: Clin Exp Rheumatol. 1993 May-Jun;11(3):271-81
references.pmid: 8353981
references.citation: J Chronic Dis. 1967 Aug;20(8):637-48
references.pmid: 4860352
references.citation: Arthritis Rheum. 1988 Mar;31(3):315-24
references.pmid: 3358796
references.citation: J Rheumatol. 1988 Mar;15(3):427-32
references.pmid: 3379620
references.citation: Complement Ther Med. 2009 Oct-Dec;17(5-6):249-56
references.pmid: 19942103
references.citation: Am Fam Physician. 2005 Sep 15;72(6):1037-47
references.pmid: 16190501
references.citation: Clin Trials. 2004;1(6):490-8
references.pmid: 16279289
references.citation: J Clin Epidemiol. 2000 Feb;53(2):157-61
references.pmid: 10729687
references.citation: Agents Actions Suppl. 1981;8:359-67
references.pmid: 7008557
references.citation: BMJ. 2006 Jan 7;332(7532):4
references.pmid: 16399710
references.citation: Lancet. 2002 Feb 23;359(9307):696-700
references.pmid: 11879884
references.citation: Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2004 Aug;18(4):539-56
references.pmid: 15301985
references.citation: BMJ. 2000 Oct 14;321(7266):936-40
references.pmid: 11030685
references.citation: Complement Ther Med. 2003 Sep;11(3):165-7
references.pmid: 14659380
references.citation: Rheumatology (Oxford). 2004 Mar;43(3):381-4
references.pmid: 14623948
references.citation: BMJ. 2000 Oct 7;321(7265):882-5
references.pmid: 11021871
references.citation: BMJ. 2006 Jan 21;332(7534):152-5
references.pmid: 16424492
references.citation: Pain. 1989 Jun;37(3):295-303
references.pmid: 2755711
references.citation: Med Hypotheses. 1984 Dec;15(4):333-48
references.pmid: 6152006
references.citation: J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2002 Sep;102(9 Suppl 3):S21-7
references.pmid: 12356037
references.citation: BMJ. 2005 May 21;330(7501):1202-5
references.pmid: 15905259
references.citation: Med J Aust. 1997 Aug 4;167(3):134-6
references.pmid: 9269267
references.citation: BMC Health Serv Res. 2004 Jun 07;4(1):11
references.pmid: 15182379
references.citation: J Altern Complement Med. 2005 Jun;11(3):495-509
references.pmid: 15992236
references.citation: J Clin Pathol. 1983 Jan;36(1):14-17
references.pmid: 6822675
references.citation: Complement Ther Med. 2001 Mar;9(1):2-11
references.pmid: 11264963
references.citation: Arch Dis Child. 2005 Aug;90(8):840-4
references.pmid: 16040885
references.citation: N Z Med J. 1980 Jan 23;91(652):47-50
references.pmid: 6929437
references.citation: Lancet. 1994 Mar 26;343(8900):769-72
references.pmid: 7907735
references.citation: BMJ. 2004 Dec 18;329(7480):1450-4
references.pmid: 15604181
references.citation: Agents Actions. 1976 Jul;6(4):454-9
references.pmid: 961545
references.citation: JAMA. 1998 May 20;279(19):1548-53
references.pmid: 9605899
references.citation: Arthritis Rheum. 1993 Jun;36(6):729-40
references.pmid: 8507213
references.citation: J Am Acad Nurse Pract. 2002 Aug;14(8):347-53
references.pmid: 12242851
references.citation: Scand J Rheumatol Suppl. 1987;65:81-4
references.pmid: 3317811
references.citation: Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2005 Sep-Oct;23(5 Suppl 39):S109-13
references.pmid: 16273794
references.citation: Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2009 Jun;6(2):133-9
references.pmid: 18955243
references.citation: Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2001 Sep;82(9):1261-9
references.pmid: 11552201
references.citation: Health Policy. 1990 Dec;16(3):199-208
references.pmid: 10109801
references.citation: Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2004 Aug;34(1):484-99
references.pmid: 15305246
references.citation: Rheum Dis Clin North Am. 2000 Feb;26(1):51-62, viii
references.pmid: 10680193
references.citation: JAMA. 2000 Mar 8;283(10):1322-5
references.pmid: 10714732
references.citation: Curr Med Res Opin. 1999;15(2):121-7
references.pmid: 10494495