Matt (Millbrook, Ny) on 10/26/2009:
What we call the South pole (in the Antarctic) is actually a physical North pole, the physical South pole then being in the Arctic. So the red needle that points north is actually South seeking, therefore we want the red needle to point AWAY from a magnet to find it's north pole. A simple way to remember it is that the "northern" end on our compass is actually a north pole magnet.
A simple and informative video demonstrating this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKpviTjRT0Q
I woke up today with a very sore, stiff neck from sleeping in an awkward position. As I am writing this, I have a strong north pole ceramic magnet on my neck, and my pain has become more tolerable after maybe ten minutes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Magnetic_Pole
Ted (Bangkok, Thailand) on 03/01/2004:
The use of north pole magnets (using a very powerful neodymium magnets) will help reduce inflammation. South pole increases inflammation, so please take note to apply the correct one. To identify the north pole is to get a compass. If the north pointing compass points to your magnet. It means this side is north. So mark the positions accordingly. The idea is well accepted in sports area, but are not well accepted in conventional medicine. Sports people need results and the faster they heal, the faster they can compete.
