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--Dr. William Pawluk, a former faculty member at Johns Hopkins, maintains that magnets stimulate red blood cells, which contain iron. "I placed a round bull's-eye magnet on a nurse's knee following a ski injury," he writes in a Web article. "The next morning she had a perfect bull's-eye pattern over her bruise!"
--Dr. Yee-Wing Tong, a California physician, writes in another Web article, "When magnets are placed on the body, the positive and negative ions in the blood separate, physically pushing the walls of the blood vessels apart, thereby increasing blood flow to that area."
--BIOflex, a Florida company that sells magnetic wraps, claims in its literature that the magnetic field creates a slight electrical current that stimulates the nervous system and blocks the sensation of pain.
--Bharti Vyas, an alternative-health practitioner in London, says major organs of the body are held in place by the vibration of the cells, and illness or injury can upset the frequency of vibration. Magnetic force pulls the frequency back into equilibrium. She recommends drinking magnetized water.
Believe those or not, one fact is irrefutable: biomagnetics is a growth industry. Nikken Inc., the North American division of a Japanese company that claimed worldwide sales of more than $1.5 billion in 1994, has become the Amway of magnetic products, with 60,000 distributors nationwide. The BIOflex line of products--$45 wrist wraps to $95 back braces--will soon be available in sporting-goods stores.
McFarland cautions, "Right now, use on a widespread basis would be a mistake." But he adds, "The most probable harm to consumers would be over expense." Funny, that's what people think is wrong with Irabu.
--Reported by Joanna Downer/Washington and Alice Park/New York