Everywhere I look; there are increased amounts of bracelets/necklaces for sale that promise increased performance, better health, increased strength. I have noticed them more and more in sport stores, vitamin stores, infomercials, and ads. Now sparkpeople.com is showing ads for these types of bracelets and necklaces. (I understand that ads pay for the site so we may use it for free) While Sparkpeople may choose to take their money where ever they can get it, as consumers should be cautious with our money. With our society in seemingly desperate need for science understanding, these bracelets/necklaces drive the point home even more.

What is a Magic Bracelet/Necklace? It varies in development, but the usual claim is ions in the bracelet or some electromagnetic energy from ions in bracelet claim to balance your body; affect the ions in your body that is out of balance. Thus calming the inflammation and pain you are experiencing. The problem with this claim is a flaw in understanding ions. Ions can only be formed when an ionic compound is dissolved in a solvent creating a solution. They CANNOT maintain ion status in a solid. The positive and negative ions attract each other to form strong bonds creating a solid. Ionic Compounds are solid. When ions bond together there is no longer any outward affect as the ions need for electrons has been satisfied.

Now your body has solutions running all through it and yes it has ions in it, these are called electrolytes. The body does not allow for an imbalance of positive ions over negative ions. Should there be an imbalance it would be that you do not have enough or you have too many electrolytes in your body. The most likely cause of this electrolyte change is your activity level or an illness.

“Electrolytes are minerals in your body that have an electric charge. They are in your blood, urine and body fluids. Maintaining the right balance of electrolytes helps your body’s blood chemistry, muscle action and other processes. Sodium, calcium, potassium, chlorine, phosphate and magnesium are all electrolytes. You get them from the foods you eat and the fluids you drink.
Levels of electrolytes in your body can become too low or too high. That can happen when the amount of water in your body changes. Causes include some medicines, vomiting, diarrhea, sweating or kidney problems. Problems most often occur with levels of sodium, potassium or calcium.” (U.S. National Library of Medicine)

There is not a single device out there that is going to fix this problem. What is a really good fix? Your fluid intake! Just plain old clean water, drink more or less (maybe some sports drink, depending on your doctor’s diagnosis if necessary) and you will feel better! You will have better endurance, speed, and muscle performance and there is not magic involved!

“Oh, but it works for me!” Does it really? “Yes! The pain goes away a few minutes after I put it on!”
What is the common thread that makes these situations tricky and believable? Answer: You. You cannot do a study with only you involved. To many ways for your mind to play tricks with you not even knowing it. If your pain is the result of a minor problem, chances are it would have gone away with out the item. If your pain keeps on persisting chances are it may not be a minor problem and will require you to see your doctor.

Things to consider: What were you doing at the time? Are you distracted at any point? Are you favoring that area? Placebo Effect? Then minor aches and pains will go away with in minutes. Are you favoring that area? When you are distracted or become “into” what you are doing your aches and pains tend to go away as well. If you are favoring the afflicted area then the pains have a tendency to go away. Sometimes we do not even realize at the time we are favoring a limb when we are doing various actives. Another factor to consider is the Placebo Effect.

The placebo effect is the measurable, observable, or felt improvement in health or behavior not attributable to a medication or invasive treatment that has been administered.
A placebo (Latin for “I shall please”) is a pharmacologically inert substance (such as saline solution or a starch tablet) that produces an effect similar to what would be expected of a pharmacologically active substance (such as an antibiotic). (Skeptic’s Dictionary)

This is a power effect on the mind and body. You want the pain to go away, you inadvertently look to things to ease that pain. It is understandable, but it can also lead the mind to be easily fooled.
Something else to consider, if these items actually worked, then why do the companies that make them get shut down or sued? Why do they have to change their healing claims to fit with in the law?

In September 2006, the Chicago court sided with the FTC and ordered Que Te Park and his companies to turn over $22.5 million in net profits and provide up to $64.5 million more in refunds to consumers who had bought the bracelets [11]. During the trial, Park testified that he could not define the term “ionization” but picked it because it was simple and easy to remember. The court concluded that his testimony on ionization was “contradictory and full of obfuscation” and that “he is a clever marketer but a poor witness.” Park also acknowledged that QT had at least a 25% refund rate from dissatisfied customers (more than 100,000 people)
(quackwatch)

“Q-Ray is a crescent of metal capped with a pair of metal beads. In the past it was marketed as a pain-relief device. Now, it is being marketed as a way to achieve “performance,” balance” and “vitality,” and also as something that will “balance the negative and positive energy forces in your body.” All this is apparently the work of “ionization,” which is a five-dollar word for electric charge.” (cbc marketplace)

If it was a true medical cure wouldn’t the medical community embrace these bracelets/necklaces? The Hippocratic oath would surely require them to push these medical miracles. The facts are no matter what the brand or scientific claim is the result is the same: It does not work. That is the bottom line of these products. They are gimmicks and they are expensive.

How can I help myself not get sucked into these gimmicks?
Watch out for the following red flags:

• Scientifically Proven
• Scientific Studies Show
• U.S. Patent Pending
• Testimonials
• Doctors/Scientists supporting claims
• Physical Tests shown i.e.: person not wearing magic item can support self against force, same person wearing magic now can support self against force.

If these claims are being made, then really it is something to raise your eyebrows and question what is going on. The old cliché still holds true here: “If it sounds to good to be true..” Miracles do not exist. What is needed in cases like these is Critical Thinking! If the information is good and the data is properly collected and is good then why the need to fill the commercial with gimmicks. Question claims being made. Question the results being shown. If you cannot afford to go to the doctor to fix your ailment, then your really can’t afford to throw money away on an a bracelet or necklace claiming to have the cure.

Work Cited:

Stephen Barrett,M.D. “Q-Ray Bracelet Marketed with Preposterous Claims”. Quackwatch. Released 01/06/08. 6/27/2010

Brian Dunning. “Here be Dragons“. 6/27/2010

Author Unknown. “Fluid and Electrolyte Balance” U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National
Institutes of Health. Updated 06/23/10. 6/27/10

Author Unknown. “FTC Seeks To Halt Deceptive Pain Relief Claims and Provide Consumer
Refunds” Federal Trade Commision. Released 06/02/03. 6/27/2010

Author Unknown. “Buying Belief: Meet the little bracelet that raises big questions” CBC
Market Place. Released 11/14/07. 6/27/2010

Author Unknown. “Placebo Effect”. The Skeptic’s Dictionary. Updated 05/12/10. 6/27/10

Image from Flickr - Timothy Valentine

Today we look at something a little closer to home. In fact, it’s a place that I’m a member of and shop at from time to time. Concord Cooperative Market is a small grocery store that sells a lot of local, natural, and organic products. We don’t shop there often but when we do it’s because of the quality of the product and has little to do with the fact that it’s local, organic, or natural.

In the past I have sent emails to the company, mostly due to their support, and sales of homeopathic remedies. I was actually surprised by the first part of the reply where they sent me links to PubMed and told me what to search for. The problem with this was that it had to deal with a lot of herbal remedies that in deed do have some kind of effect, they basically ignored me entirely in regards to homeopathic remedies. Then came the standard reply:

If you do not see value to these products, you are free not to purchase
them. However, we carry them because many of our customers rely on these
products and would like a quality, local source to purchase them. It is part
of our mission statement to provide our community with high quality natural
and organic products as well as to be a resource for health and nutrition
information. This is one way that we do that.

Ahhh yes, if I don’t like it, don’t buy it. It’s not our fault for supplying a product that doesn’t perform as claimed, it’s your fault for buying it. Well you know what, that’s not good enough anymore. You’re selling a product that doesn’t perform as claimed.

I encourage all my readers to contact this store and ask them how they justify selling a product that fails double blind placebo controlled studies.

Now, keep in mind that it’s no secret that I’m not only a skeptic at work, but that I also run Granite State Skeptics. I wear my Surly Ramics necklace, I have stickers on both my personal and work computer, as well as my cube. As a result I think that people may have noticed more than usual that I was wearing this bracelet that they heard me talk about in passing.

In two days of wearing it I have been asked about it about a dozen times, and have shown coworkers the applied kinesiology tests 4 times. I’m sure to point out the normal cost of the bracelet, and also that I got them for the cost of shipping by getting the samples from a distributor. Now, this may not work while walking down the street, but I think that it’s been highly effective as an outreach tool here at work.

After a quick email to Dr. Rachie to get the website I found some fascinating information. I’m going going to post a link to the specific product, because as it turns out there are a lot of distributors that sell the product and some could be knock-offs. The site where you can search for them is Alibaba.com and they have a LOT more than just power balance bracelets. So go there and search for your favorite woo related items… But the fun doesn’t stop there.

Most of the distributors have a requirement for a minimum purchase. For the silicone bracelets the lowest number I could find was 500 pieces. Even at the 30-50 cents they charge, that’s more than I’m willing to spend for that product and what am I going to do with the other 495 after I put a few through some tests and hand them out at skeptics meetups.

Then I noticed something… They offer samples. I shot off an email to one distributor and asked how much it was for some samples. Within two hours I had an email back with some product pictures and was told they would send me three samples, in the box, for only the cost of shipping. I replied back with the colors of bracelets I wanted and what packaging I wanted and I’m now waiting for the shipping costs.

This is a great resource for trying to procure woo related items on the cheap to put them through the paces. Be sure to search around to look for the best deal.

Panelists will include Dale Roy, physical science teacher with 8 years experience in the classroom. Kitty Mervine, owner and operator of badalien.org a website devoted to helping those that think they were abducted, as well as a representative from the James Randi Education Foundation, a group dedicated to exposing pseudoscience and uncovering the paranormal. Your moderator will be Travis Roy, president of the Granite State Skeptics.

So join us, May 23rd at the Manchester, NH Radison. More info can be found at the official Facebook Event, or www.granitecon.com

I’m pleased to announce our first family friendly event. Skeptics at the Drive-In. Come join us Sunday, April 25th at 5pm at Cremeland Drive-In on Valley St. in Manchester, NH.

Please sign up on the Facebook Events page.