Originally published April 30 2012
Ion, hologram, and magnetic bracelets - Don't waste your money!
by Dr. Daniel Zagst
(NaturalNews) It seems every mall across America has a stand with some young salesmen trying to sell a colorful bracelet that supposedly has an "ionic charge" or "magnetic hologram" that will give you better balance, healing, pain relief or whatever they may claim. These salesmen demonstrate to the consumer a weakness of theirs, usually balance or strength, then will have the consumer put on the bracelet and perform the same test. Magic! Suddenly balance is 100 percent and strength is through the roof!
Fooled by clever marketing
Sadly this is not the truth. Although these fancy bracelets are worn by celebrities and athletes, they have no effect on your body, unless you believe they do. Let's take a look at their "test of weakness." Usually salesmen will test arm strength or push your body to one side. This is the first time your body encounters this stimulus and you will be weak or off balance, which is normal. Your brain receives the stimulus and adjusts to counter that same stimulus should it occur again. Then you put the bracelet on and they test again, same place, and your brain has already made the changes to accommodate the stimulus so you are strong and balanced.
Since you put the bracelet on you are led to believe it is the bracelet's effect on your body that caused your improved performance. Therefore you convince yourself into believing this bracelet has a power over your body that cures weakness, and shell out $30 for a piece of rubber with some metal in it. Throw in some nonsense about magnetic interference or negative ions to confuse the consumer and make the product sound sophisticated and you have an easy sale. That's the placebo effect in a nutshell. The result of the second test would be the same with or without the bracelet because your brain makes the appropriate adjustments to counter the stimulus automatically. Try it for yourself on someone else.
False claims with no scientific premise
Magnetic bracelets claim to increase circulation through affecting the iron in red blood cells. If this were true, anytime a person entered an MRI they would explode due to the intense magnetic forces that would rip out the blood from the human body. If an MRI magnet has no effect on your well-being and circulation, what makes you think a tiny magnet around your wrist would have any effect? Hologram bracelets claim to normalize a person's energy flow and provide better balance, strength and flexibility with the use of two holograms. In 2010, one company had to retract their statements since there was no credible scientific evidence to support their claims; they even faced a class-action lawsuit in 2011 for false advertising and fraud. The latest craze is Negative Ion bracelets. Ion bracelets claim to remove harmful positive ions from your body to uplift mood and health. Negative ions do actually have a positive effect when inhaled, but this requires an air filter that uses electricity to separate ions, not a rubber bracelet with "proprietary mineral power" that will last indefinitely.
Use your brain to heal yourself, not a bracelet
These bracelets claim whole body enhancement, health and actual physiological changes. However there is no scientific evidence to support these claims. When tested against a placebo bracelet, there is no difference. Those who own these bracelets and believe they work are simply fooled by clever marketing and applied kinesiology to convince themselves they are receiving benefit. It's unfortunate consumers are gullible and always looking for the next quick fix, but actual results require actual work. For real enhancement, chiropractic, exercise, yoga, meditation, or massage can give you results you will really feel.
Sources for this article include:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com
http://www.statehornet.com
http://www.cmaj.ca/content/177/7/736.full
About the author:
Dr. Daniel Zagst is a chiropractic physician at Advanced Health & Chiropractic in Mooresville, NC. He has a BS in Professional Studies of Adjunctive Therapies, Doctorate of Chiropractic from NYCC, and an Advanced Certificate in Sport Science and Human Performance. Find out more at www.dzchiro.com
Dr. Daniel Zagst is a chiropractic physician at Advanced Health & Chiropractic in Mooresville, NC. He has a BS in Professional Studies of Adjunctive Therapies, Doctorate of Chiropractic from NYCC, and an Advanced Certificate in Sport Science and Human Performance. Find out more at www.dzchiro.com
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