Reading Practice Magnetic Therapy

This is a practice reading lesson for IELTS students that focuses on sentence completion questions. This topic was reported in the IELTS test this month. Tip: make sure your sentences are grammatically correct when complete.

Reading Passage: Magnetic Therapy

Magnetic therapy is an alternative medical practice that uses static magnets to alleviate pain and other health concerns. So-called therapeutic magnets are typically integrated into bracelets, rings, or shoe inserts, though therapeutic magnetic mattresses and clothing are also on the market.

Many well-conducted studies over the past three decades have shown that static magnetic devices offer no more or no less benefit than sham devices devoid of a magnet. These studies suggest that static magnetic therapy devices may not work at all beyond having a placebo effect on those who wear them. Despite a lack of scientific evidence to support claims that commercially available magnetic therapy devices work, wearable magnets remain extremely popular. Global sale of therapeutic magnets is estimated to be at least $1 billion a year.

Magnetic therapy dates back at least 2,000 years. Folk healers in Europe and Asia are believed to have used magnets to try to treat a variety of ailments. These healers may have believed that magnets could actually draw disease from the body. Regardless, the therapeutic magnets sold to ease aches and pains have magnetic fields that are generally too weak to penetrate your skin. This can be tested by observing the weak interaction between a magnetic shoe insert and a paperclip when separated by a sock. Human skin is about 3mm deep, thicker than some socks.

Questions 1-6

Complete the sentences using no more than one word and/or a number from the passage above.

  1. Magnetic therapy aims to ease ………
  2. It is possible to buy ………… to wear on the wrist that contain therapeutic magnets.
  3. Devices using magnetic therapy are considered to have only a …….. effect.
  4. The magnetic therapy market is said to be worth at least ……….. per annum.
  5. Magnets have been historically used to ………. disease from a sick person.
  6. The magnetic fields are unable to ……… human skin which is approximately …….. in thickness.

You can download the passage here:  Reading Passage However questions must be viewed online.

Notice: The passage above has been adapted from a livescience.com article. You can read the full article here: Magnetic Therapy. The picture is from www.emfscience.com. You can read their article on this page: Does magnetic therapy work

Answers

The answers are now available.

Click here: Answers to Magnet Therapy Reading

All the best

Liz

For more reading practice lessons for IELTS preparation, see my Main IELTS Reading Page

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