12. Magnet Therapy
While the strange, wired basins and sleeves of magnet therapy may look alarming, this treatment falls firmly in the realm of harmless placebo. Around the turn of the 20th century, magnet therapy was becoming a huge fad. Magnetic and electric necklaces, rings, bracelets, belts and more were being sold as magical cure-alls in numerous locations, even the legendary Sears-Roebuck catalogs of the era. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wasn’t founded until 1906, so the turn of the century was still rife with advertisements boasting miraculous claims that went unresearched by anyone.
After the FDA’s founding, research began on whether or not magnetic fields have any effect upon human health. They also began regulating the hyperbolic panacea claims of health products being marketed to the public. The World Health Organization (WHO) has found no evidence to show adverse effects on health from low levels of magnetism. Some research has found potential benefit in using pulsating electromagnetic therapy on arthritic joints. However, we can safely say that the cure-all electromagnetic devices of the early 1900s were merely snake oil.