BIOMAGNETIC THERAPY

Developed by Dr Isaac Goiz Durán in 1988, biomagnetic therapy is based on the idea that a wide range of conditions are associated with changes in the ph levels of internal organs. The theory goes that placing pairs of magnets on the body can neutralise the ph level of your organs, making it harder for bacteria, parasites, fungus and viruses to grow. It also suggests that emotions are stored in your body, and that by pairing magnets in the right places, you can release those emotions and boost your energy levels. As for evidence, it’s scarce – and let’s get real: your ph levels will only become imbalanced as a result of your lungs or kidneys malfunctioning – but a 2017 pilot study of 13 patients with typhoid fever, published in Acupuncture In Medicine, found the technique to be effective at improving symptoms. A second found it to be promising for managing diabetes when practised alongside a low-gi diet. But the medical community remains sceptical about its effectiveness, and as for its influence on energy levels, the jury’s out.

I make an appointment with Pema Varela, a biomagnetic therapist who trained with Dr Goiz Durán. After removing my watch (I’m told the metal might interfere with the magnets) and slipping into some flat leather shoes (so it’s easier for her to feel my body reacting), I lie on a bed. Varela holds on to my heels while listing parts of my body out loud, telling me my right leg will shorten when she detects an imbalance. Within a few seconds, she’s found a ‘reservoir’ of bacteria between my vagus nerve and my left kidney, which she says could be a lingering TB vaccine from when I was a child, and she places red and black flat magnets on my body with masking tape. During the 50 minutes that follow, she checks over 500 points on my body and places 10 pairs of magnets on me. They’re mainly on my right side, which does tend to hold a lot of tension. She detects elements of the HPV virus – which is news to me – and some inflammation in my eyes, which makes sense – I had an eye problem recently.

When the treatment is over, she places three tuning forks set to different frequencies on my chakras – to ‘seal the work’ she has done – and my whole body vibrates. I feel so heavy that I can barely get off the bed. ‘You’ll feel a bit lethargic as your body starts healing itself, but in a few days, you’ll have more energy,’ she explains. I do feel tired, but no more so than usual, and the promised energy never arrives. But Varela’s ability to identify ailments I already know about makes me think she could be on to something with the ones I don’t. That said, some 80% of us will have the HPV virus at some point in our lives, and it usually clears up on its own, so her claim that she removed it is nigh on impossible to verify. £170 for a 90-minute treatment; biomagnetictherapy.co.uk