Ionized jewelry: Difference between revisions
Tagging 4 dead links using Checklinks;(tool puts deadlink template ''inside'' ref tags); →History: verification failed |
Cyberbot II (talk | contribs) Rescuing 4 sources. #IABot |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
'''Ionized bracelets''', or '''ionic bracelets''', are a type of metal [[bracelet]] [[jewelry]] purported to affect the [[qi|chi]] of the wearer. No claims of effectiveness made by manufacturers have ever been substantiated by independent sources, and the [[Federal Trade Commission]] (FTC) has found the bracelets are "part of a scheme devised to defraud".<ref name="FTC06">[http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2006/09/qray.shtm Court rules in FTC's favor in Q-Ray bracelet case]{{ |
'''Ionized bracelets''', or '''ionic bracelets''', are a type of metal [[bracelet]] [[jewelry]] purported to affect the [[qi|chi]] of the wearer. No claims of effectiveness made by manufacturers have ever been substantiated by independent sources, and the [[Federal Trade Commission]] (FTC) has found the bracelets are "part of a scheme devised to defraud".<ref name="FTC06">[http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2006/09/qray.shtm Court rules in FTC's favor in Q-Ray bracelet case] {{wayback|url=http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2006/09/qray.shtm |date=20090825181525 }} [[U.S. Federal Trade Commission]] (2006)</ref><ref>[http://www.alternet.org/copper-and-magnetic-healing-bracelets-are-pseudoscience Quackwear: Big Pseudoscience Wants to Sell You Wearable Metal to Improve Your Health; Alternet; January 10, 2015.]</ref> |
||
Q-Ray, Balance, Bio-Ray, IRenew, Rayma brand bracelets are considered to be of the "ionized" family.<ref name="ionic-health">[http://www.ionic-health.com/q-ray_balance-bracelet.asp QRay Ionized Bracelets]{{ |
Q-Ray, Balance, Bio-Ray, IRenew, Rayma brand bracelets are considered to be of the "ionized" family.<ref name="ionic-health">[http://www.ionic-health.com/q-ray_balance-bracelet.asp QRay Ionized Bracelets] {{wayback|url=http://www.ionic-health.com/q-ray_balance-bracelet.asp |date=20080509065803 }}</ref> Other [[alternative medicine|alternative health]] bracelets, such as [[magnet therapy|magnetic]] or [[copper]] therapy bracelets, are considered a different type of product. |
||
==History== |
==History== |
||
| Line 9: | Line 9: | ||
===Marketing claims=== |
===Marketing claims=== |
||
Western interest in the Q-Ray Ionized Bracelet rose as a result of an [[infomercial]] campaign by [[QT Inc.]] which ran from August 2000 through June 11, 2003.<ref name="timeline">[http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2007/11/14/a_qray_timeline/ A Q-Ray timeline]{{ |
Western interest in the Q-Ray Ionized Bracelet rose as a result of an [[infomercial]] campaign by [[QT Inc.]] which ran from August 2000 through June 11, 2003.<ref name="timeline">[http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2007/11/14/a_qray_timeline/ A Q-Ray timeline] {{wayback|url=http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2007/11/14/a_qray_timeline/ |date=20071116132724 }} ''CBC Marketplace'' 14 November 2007</ref> During this time many [[marketing claim]]s were made regarding the product's alleged effectiveness, most notably regarding relief from pain and arthritis due to manipulation of a body's [[qi|chi]]. |
||
In a [[Marketplace (TV series)|Marketplace]] interview, Charles Park, president of Q-Ray Canada, explains that the term "ionized" does not mean the bracelets themselves are [[ionization|ionized]], but rather that the term comes from their secret "ionization process" which, he asserts, affects the bracelets in undisclosed ways.<ref name="CBC">[http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2007/11/14/buying_belief/ Meet the little bracelet that raises big questions]{{ |
In a [[Marketplace (TV series)|Marketplace]] interview, Charles Park, president of Q-Ray Canada, explains that the term "ionized" does not mean the bracelets themselves are [[ionization|ionized]], but rather that the term comes from their secret "ionization process" which, he asserts, affects the bracelets in undisclosed ways.<ref name="CBC">[http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2007/11/14/buying_belief/ Meet the little bracelet that raises big questions] {{wayback|url=http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2007/11/14/buying_belief/ |date=20071117230307 }} ''CBC Marketplace'' 14 November 2007</ref> |
||
===FTC action=== |
===FTC action=== |
||
Revision as of 10:57, 25 June 2016
Ionized bracelets, or ionic bracelets, are a type of metal bracelet jewelry purported to affect the chi of the wearer. No claims of effectiveness made by manufacturers have ever been substantiated by independent sources, and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has found the bracelets are "part of a scheme devised to defraud".[1][2]
Q-Ray, Balance, Bio-Ray, IRenew, Rayma brand bracelets are considered to be of the "ionized" family.[3] Other alternative health bracelets, such as magnetic or copper therapy bracelets, are considered a different type of product.
History
In October 1973, corporate websites claim,[clarification needed] Manuel L. Polo began investigating the effects of different metals on humans, believing that some metals offered a benefit when worn. This led directly to his creation of the Bio-Ray (Biomagnetic Regulator), the first ionized bracelet.[4][failed verification – see discussion]
In 1994, Andrew Park bought a Bio-Ray bracelet while visiting Barcelona, Spain. Believing that it had reduced his lower back pain, he was inspired to found QT Inc., which began manufacturing and selling Q-Ray bracelets in the United States by 1996.[5]
Marketing claims
Western interest in the Q-Ray Ionized Bracelet rose as a result of an infomercial campaign by QT Inc. which ran from August 2000 through June 11, 2003.[5] During this time many marketing claims were made regarding the product's alleged effectiveness, most notably regarding relief from pain and arthritis due to manipulation of a body's chi.
In a Marketplace interview, Charles Park, president of Q-Ray Canada, explains that the term "ionized" does not mean the bracelets themselves are ionized, but rather that the term comes from their secret "ionization process" which, he asserts, affects the bracelets in undisclosed ways.[6]
FTC action
These claims were the topic of a 2003 injunction by the Federal Trade Commission[7] and later a high-profile court ruling in 2006.[1] The court was unable to find any basis for QT Inc.'s claims related to traditional Chinese medicine, concluding that it was "part of a scheme devised by QT Inc to defraud its consumers".[1]
Research
A placebo controlled randomized trial study published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings compared the effect of ionized bracelet produced by Q-ray to an identically appearing placebo bracelet. The study found no difference between the ionized bracelet and control with respect to musculoskeletal pain, suggesting the effects of Q-ray bracelet was due to the placebo effect.[8]
See also
- List of topics characterized as pseudoscience
- Quackery
- Negative air ionization therapy
- Power Balance
- Hologram bracelet
- Magnet therapy
- Energy medicine
References
- ^ a b c Court rules in FTC's favor in Q-Ray bracelet case Template:Wayback U.S. Federal Trade Commission (2006)
- ^ Quackwear: Big Pseudoscience Wants to Sell You Wearable Metal to Improve Your Health; Alternet; January 10, 2015.
- ^ QRay Ionized Bracelets Template:Wayback
- ^ Bio Ray
- ^ a b A Q-Ray timeline Template:Wayback CBC Marketplace 14 November 2007
- ^ Meet the little bracelet that raises big questions Template:Wayback CBC Marketplace 14 November 2007
- ^ FTC halts deceptive pain relief claims. U.S. Federal Trade Commission (2003)
- ^ Bratton, RL; Montero, DP; Adams, KS; Novas, MA; McKay, TC; Hall, LJ; Foust, JG; Mueller, MB; O'Brien, PC; Atkinson, EJ; Maurer, MS (Nov 2002). "Effect of "ionized" wrist bracelets on musculoskeletal pain: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial". Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 77 (11): 1164–8. doi:10.4065/77.11.1164. PMID 12440551.