10 November 2010

Power Bracelet Quackery Spreads To Universities

Posted by Dan Satterfield

No blog post I’ve ever written has had more comment than the one about these so called “magic power bracelets” being sold on cable TV.

You know the ads- They promise this little bracelet will harness your bodies natural energy field and correct all kinds of problems. Issues like balance and the sudden urge to eat dog food among others. They don’t, however, seem to correct the urge to throw money away.

While skimming the blogosphere tonight, I see Phil Plait on Bad Astronomy has a post up about the University of Colorado Athletic Department. They are licensing their logo to be sold on these bracelets. That left me utterly dumbfounded.

Then I find this. It’s on a well known news site. These people are in college! You know, that place where you are supposed to pick up some knowledge!

I’ve no idea who Vincent Velasquez is. I do think he missed a great opportunity to pass on some good information to his readers. Instead, he likely inspired a lot of people to throw their money away.

Several MD’s have emailed me to say thank you for telling people about these hoax bracelets. Here is a link to a medical opinion about them.

Just to be clear, one more time.

This is  QUACKERY.

iPower, iRenew, Power Balance they are all the same. They are lying to you. There is no such thing as an energy field around your body. If there was, this little piece of plastic wouldn’t control it.

My favourite quote is by Physicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. It’s very apropos here: “The laws of physics are real, everything else is just politics.”

A note to my alma mater, The University of Oklahoma: If you start licensing this kind of quackery, you can save the stamp on that letter you send me each year asking for money.

For those of you about to write me and tell me that you bought one, and that it has actually curbed you urge to eat dog food, etc. Let me ask you to read this first.

Most people in science see this kind of thing and just shake their heads. We live in an age where science needs to stand up and not be afraid to call something like this out. With America 21st in the world in maths and 25th in science, it’s even more imperative.