Module 4 — The Magnets
Choosing, verifying and caring for the tools of the method.
- Field strength ranges and the two common magnet materials
- The polarity conventions and colour coding
- How to verify a magnet’s polarity with a compass
- Care, storage and the real safety hazards of strong magnets
4.1 What kind of magnets
Biomagnetic Pair Therapy uses static (permanent) magnets of medium field strength — not electromagnets. Typical ranges span roughly 1,000 to 15,000 gauss, but most working practitioners settle in the ~3,000–10,000 gauss band, and many teaching lineages cap intensity around 7,500 gauss for comfort and safety. Beginner kits are commonly sold in the 3,000–5,000 gauss range. Two materials dominate:
- Ferrite (ceramic) — inexpensive, gentle, with a softer, more diffuse field; often preferred for its comfort.
- Neodymium — far stronger for their size; compact but brittle and forceful.
4.2 Polarity conventions and colour coding
As introduced in Module 3, the two poles are named by biological effect. Kits are usually colour-coded so the operator never has to think twice mid-session:
The black (negative/North) magnet is the one you sweep over the body to find pairs; the red (positive/South) magnet is placed with it to impact the pair.
4.3 Verifying polarity — never trust the label
Coatings rub off and labels get swapped, so confirm polarity before you rely on a magnet:
- Magnetic compass. The compass needle’s north-seeking end is attracted to the magnet’s south (positive) face. Identify each face and mark it.
- Known magnet. Like poles repel; use a magnet of known polarity to confirm (repulsion = same pole).
- Smartphone magnetometer apps can serve as a quick cross-check.
Verify any new magnet, and re-verify whenever the markings become ambiguous.
4.4 Care, storage and safety
Genuine hazards
Strong magnets are not toys. Neodymium magnets are brittle and snap together with surprising force — they can pinch skin badly or shatter into sharp fragments. If swallowed (especially by children), two or more magnets can pull together across bowel walls and cause serious internal injury — keep them secured and out of children’s reach.
- Keep magnets well away from credit cards, phones, watches, hard drives, hearing aids and any implanted electronic device (pacemakers, defibrillators, insulin pumps, cochlear implants).
- Store poles separated or with steel “keepers” so they don’t slam together.
- Clean the covers between clients — kits come vinyl-, silicone- or leather-coated for hygiene and comfort.
- Don’t drop or overheat them; both can weaken or damage the magnet.
Module 8 adds practical field tips for fixing magnets in place during a session (masking tape) and for storing a working set efficiently.