Do Magnetic Mattress Pads Affect Titatium Heart Stents?

Magnet therapy has been credited with a number of benefits, including relief of arthritis (see Resources). However, if you have a titanium heart stent and are considering a magnetic mattress pad, you should speak with a doctor before you buy. In fact, if you have any type of metal-containing or electromagnetic implant, it could be negatively affected by sources of magnetism.

Heart stents are used to open arteries of the heart following angioplasty. They can be "bare metal," which simply hold an artery open, or "drug eluting," which have a coating that releases a drug over time directly into the artery. They often resemble springs or those "Chinese finger traps" you may remember from your childhood. Magnetic mattress pads are designed to apply magnetic stimulation to the entire body. They have magnets sewn into them and are placed on top of your mattress. Western medicine is mostly ambivalent on the question of how effective they really are, but many people credit them for treatment of everything from arthritis pain to seizures to addiction.

"Titanium" heart stents are not simply made from titanium. Most have a stainless steel core and are coated in titanium, which is better accepted by your body's immune system. Different metals react differently to magnetism, and titanium is one of the least magnetic of all metals. However, steel is much more strongly attracted to magnets, so the steel core of the stent would most definitely be affected. Even though the titanium coating reduces the steel's attraction to the magnets, you will be sleeping on the pad every night for long periods, and prolonged exposure to magnets over time could cause problems with the stent. It is different than a pacemaker, which is electromagnetic, and can be very badly affected by magnetism. If you are serious about pursuing magnet therapy, consider a more localized device, like a bracelet, which is less likely to negatively affect the stent.

In the long run, sleeping on a pad like this every night is certain to affect your stent in some way. The magnetic force could cause the stent to become less effective and speed the clogging of the artery, or it could even partially dislodge the stent. At worst, you could end up back under the knife, needing more surgery to correct or replace the damaged device.

To be very clear: if you have any kind of implant that contains metal, no matter how small, talk to your doctor before starting any kind of therapy involving magnets. Long-term, prolonged exposure to magnets, as you would experience if you used a magnetic mattress pad, could cause serious injury. In the case of stents that are mostly titanium, your doctor may be able to recommend specific, clear guidelines on the strength and duration of magnets you can use for therapy.