What is the purpose of magnetic jewelry, and does it really work?

No peircing required..

I should also add that it is the medical benefits I am curious about.

Some users say they work, medical studies say they don’t.

I’ve seen some studies from Japan that say radon (which Americans spend millions to get rid of) has medical benefits.

well I’ve sold magnetic necklaces at the store I work at, and by having a magnetic beads means that you can stick any two beads together to adjust the length however you want, or wrap it up and use it as a bracelet/ anklet.

the “medical” magnets are an unorthodox way of treating a variety of medical conditions, and i have heard of people saying that it works very well while others see no benefit. one person who said it did work was a close friend of the family who is a very large man (about 400–450lbs, at 5’10) and predictably he has some pretty severe knee pain. he started taping these very small magnets, maybe 1/4–1/8 inch in diameter, to his knee is a specific pattern. he didnt say it was some miracle cure, and that he was back to normal, but that it did ease the pain a little bit, enough to be worth walking around with magnets taped to his knee. Another magnetic remedy is the ion bracelet, whose mechanism of action I can’t begin to understand but I do know some who swear by it. I think its certainly dependent on the user, and it is entirely possible that the positive benefits, specifically the pain-related ones, are completely psychosomatic.

I was actually wondering if there was a downside to magnetic jewelery—e.g., it interferes cell-phone radiation (I’m a klutz with the actual science, but I do use hands-free just becuase my ears actually hurt after using them)...

Anyone know?

They work by the placebo effect. Wikipedia “placebo” for a fairly good description.

Here is the theory behind the use of magnets and healing:

Each red blood cell is filled with hemoglobin. Hemoglobin carries oxygen by using heme, a large ring-like molecule which has at its center a single atom of iron, which is what actually binds to the oxygen.

The idea here is that placing a magnet against the skin will attract more blood to the sore region. Improving the blood flow and increasing healing.

The effectiveness of this therapy is not known and is attributed more to a placebo effect.