Magnets and Pain Relief Reflection Questions

Lindsay Roundtree

1. In the pretest, the numbers were relatively similar. The placebo group in the pretest had

an average pain rating of 9.5 with a range of 3 while the active magnet group in the

pretest had an average pain rating of 9.6 and a range of 2. This is likely because they had

not had any magnetic treatment yet, therefore their pain scale would have been very

similar.

2. In the post-test, the average/range varied greatly in comparison to the pretest. The

average pain for the placebo group was rated at an 8.4 with a range of 6 while the

average pain for the active magnet group was rated at a 4.4 with a range of 10. This

shows the placebo effect in action here, because the placebo group reported a change

of 1.1 lower than in the pretest. The active magnet group had an even larger change of

5.2 lower than the pretest. This shows that the active magnets really do help to alleviate

pain.

3. I calculated the difference in pain pretest and post-test by taking the post-test number

and subtracting it from the pretest number. For the placebo group, there was only a

range of 5, meaning that while there was some reported change, there wasn’t nearly as

much significant change. For the active group, a much greater range of 10 showed that
 there was significant change in the amount of pain after the active magnet was utilized.

A higher the number in the change column shows that a greater amount of pain was

relieved. We see these higher numbers in the active magnet groups, and much lower

numbers in the placebo groups. I believe the outcome of the change is different because

the active magnets really work to help alleviate pain and the outcome of the study

(specifically the amount of change on the pain scale) shows this.

4. The statistics found in this study definitely support the theory that active magnets help

to alleviate pain. This is reflected in the amount of change before and after application

of the magnet in both the active group and the placebo group. The active group showed

a greater amount of pain relief, while the placebo group did not show as much pain

relief. It is important to note since the study was double-blind, the patients wouldn’t

know whether they were receiving the treatment or not. The fact that the

placebo/active group didn’t know which group they were in, and then reported their

changes to be beneficial (active magnet) or not beneficial (placebo) shows that the

active magnet works and these numbers support this finding.

There are limits for which the data can be used. If the person had taken pain medication

immediately prior to the study, the data collected would not be valid (although it does

mention that all participants had not taken any in the 3 hours prior to the study). This

study also couldn’t be used on someone with, for example, a pacemaker.

The three benefits that I could use this statistical tool are if I became a director of

nursing in a hospital or care facility, I could chart patients pain levels and report my

findings back to the doctor. In my current job, I could chart and analyze my level of

efficiency in sterilizing surgical tools with different methods, and I could also use it to

find the quickest route with the most efficient gas mileage to and from my workplace.