Daiquirri Street

Prof. Jeff Nielson

Math 1030

April 24, 2017

Project 2: Magnets & Pain Relief

1. Does the data support or refute the claim that magnets relieve pain?

The data would show that the magnet study did support the claim that magnets

can reduce pain. Without looking at the histograms, and just the change data numbers

you can very easily tell a difference between the use of magnets or not. Almost all the

individuals that participated in the active magnet study showed a significant decrease in

pain. Only seven people had a change of one or less. While the placebo magnets over

half had no change. The histograms would show that the active magnet treatments had

much more of a positive decrease of the post-polio patients pain levels. Reducing it in

most cases by about half. So yes I would say for the most part the active magnets have

proven to help most people.

2. Use concepts from module seven to discuss population, population parameters,

sample statistics and bias.

The population of this study was post-polio patients experiencing pain, muscular

or arthritic. With the parameters of this experiments, we can obviously assume that all

the patients have pain, but they do not have the same pain, or assume the same level

of pain. The areas of pain could also be inconsistent from one another. The sample size

of each group of the fifty was equally balanced for testing with it I think could in some
cases skew the data, though with this study it was a wash, that the non active placebo

magnets had no effect. The active magnets tested twenty-nine of the fifty that

participated, and only twenty-one of the placebo. I also think another factor of this

experiment would be the patient's attitudes about the treatment. Even though this

experiment would appear to be double blind, I think willingness, and opinion can make a

difference in results.

3. Discuss how representative the data presented is for determining whether

magnets actually relieve pain.

The magnet study gives pretty substantial proof that the active magnets made a

difference in the patients pain levels. None of the patients experienced more pain and

most saw some improvement. 13.7% of the active magnet recipients experienced a

complete relief of pain. 75.8% of the recipients experienced relief of four or higher. With

this information I can assume that of those 75.8% they all were relieved of nearly half

their pain. For how the study describes the post-polio patients, I would believe that

losing about half the pain would be completely worth the treatments.

4. Discuss in some detail, what you would want to add to this study to make it

more representative and believe able.

I think what would make this study more believable would be to conduct the

experiment multiple times, and maybe without the placebo magnets. I believe it would

be beneficial to know and see how the active magnets could have an effect on the

individuals over time, and over how many tests. Maybe continue to treat those who said

that they did not have any change to if improvement is possible. Having a longer run
with this experiment and with many trials would make this more believable. Along with

give more information overall. Having a consistent or even sample groups, or even

larger sample groups would also help to give this study more credibility. This study

could also include comments from the patients, their opinion of the study, how they felt

and just any viewpoint they may have about it. It would also be good to know if the

active magnets consistently work or with the results plateau overtime or even potentially

reverse the effects. I think that there really may be something to this study and this

experiment, I would just be curious to see even more information on it over time.