"Powerbracelets" Finally Busted

U

untamed

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Jan 7, 2003
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http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/post/Makers-of-power-bracelets-admit-there-s-no-scien?urn=top-303858

LOL! I'm surprised they came clean. Finally uncovered the "secret" of the those wonder accessories that supposedly enhance performance, boost strength, blah, blah, etc.

Sometime last year, I met someone set on selling me a similar product and was generously willing to "demo" the supposed benefits to me. Already skeptical from the claims, I asked my Fil-Chinese Tai Chi Chuan instructor friend who had already been given a previous demo. My friend confirmed my suspicions when he said it was "biomechanical smoke-and-mirrors." Not to mention the price of those different accessories EEK!
 
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Duh --- whats really weird is that people believe that crap
 
OOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOO!! :eek:


I was thinking about getting 30 of these for Superman strength!!! :(


And if Kobe wears one, and says it works for him, he must be telling the truth, he's never lied before. :rolleyes:


And I'm with you, I thought companies who make products like these would never come clean.
 
Just like lucky socks, those titanium necklaces worn by baseball players or that $5 putter you bought from a sale rack at a pro shop, the only benefit derived from the Power Balance bracelet is the idea that it makes you better. Belief is a powerful thing; just watch a basketball player during a hot shooting streak or a golfer with the yips.
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And there you have it. At the top level, athletics is as much in the mind as in the body. Were I the employeer of an athlete who performed well wearing one of these bracelets and now suddenly has had a sudden change, I would sue the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission who forced this revelation for destroying my property.
 
Hopefully the FDA will add one of these to their museum of fraudulent medical devices....
 
M67 said:
OOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOO!! :eek:


I was thinking about getting 30 of these for Superman strength!!! :(


And if Kobe wears one, and says it works for him, he must be telling the truth, he's never lied before. :rolleyes:


And I'm with you, I thought companies who make products like these would never come clean.
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haha! yeah, look wat it did for that big bastard to the upper right
of the link.
 
Gollnick said:
And there you have it. At the top level, athletics is as much in the mind as in the body. Were I the employeer of an athlete who performed well wearing one of these bracelets and now suddenly has had a sudden change, I would sue the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission who forced this revelation for destroying my property.
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Sue for telling the truth? whats the world coming to.
 
When you go to see a stage magician perform his illusions, where is the truth? The truth is in the outcome, that you were entertained. And what is this performer's product that he should charge you money for? It is not a rabbit that came out of an empty hat. No. It is the illusion and the entertainment that results.

This company may, in some people's definition, produce a fraud. But, they may say that their product is not so much the bracelet but is an illusion. What the customer purchases is the illusion. And isn't that a real product? Isn't that as real as the magician's stage show? And if someone derives some benefit from it -- even if that benefit is entirely in his head -- isn't there legitimate value in that?

Unlike some medical frauds which are either directly harmful or which may distract from true medical treatments, this one is quite harmless. So if some people BELIEVE that it is beneficial and if, as a result of that belief focused by the object, they obtain a benefit (even if that benefit is just the pleasure of thinking that there is another benefit, of thinking that their athletic performance is improved), then what is the damage in that?

An interesting way to look at if from a different perspective.
 
Gollnick said:
When you go to see a stage magician perform his illusions, where is the truth? The truth is in the outcome, that you were entertained. And what is this performer's product that he should charge you money for? It is not a rabbit that came out of an empty hat. No. It is the illusion and the entertainment that results.

This company may, in some people's definition, produce a fraud. But, they may say that their product is not so much the bracelet but is an illusion. What the customer purchases is the illusion. And isn't that a real product? Isn't that as real as the magician's stage show? And if someone derives some benefit from it -- even if that benefit is entirely in his head -- isn't there legitimate value in that?

Unlike some medical frauds which are either directly harmful or which may distract from true medical treatments, this one is quite harmless. So if some people BELIEVE that it is beneficial and if, as a result of that belief focused by the object, they obtain a benefit (even if that benefit is just the pleasure of thinking that there is another benefit, of thinking that their athletic performance is improved), then what is the damage in that?

An interesting way to look at if from a different perspective.
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Sounds like a Religious discussion. Belief is a powerful thing.
 
Hey, Vince McMahon even admitted that pro wrasslin' was :eek: fake, so that he could run WWE as an entertainment and not as a sports competition.

It didn't seem to hurt his business much.
 
Pretty funny, in cruising the malls during the holidays I saw so many carts popping up selling these bracelets. I didn't really know what they were but they were everywhere and people were lined up buying them. It was the Tickle Me Elmo for this season I guess.
 
The placebo effect is interesting and becoming in some ways more so. For instance, if folks are given a placebo analgesic, they will report that it is more effective if they are also told that it is very expensive.
If they are told it costs pennies per dose, not so much....

Further, a recent study found that the placebos worked pretty much as well even if the participants were told they were being given placebo. Researchers hypothesize that much of the effect is the "ritual" of being given a treatment by a medical professional, even if they are told it's a placebo.
(of course, cynical me wonders what percentage of people even understand the term?)
 
Gollnick said:
When you go to see a stage magician perform his illusions, where is the truth? The truth is in the outcome, that you were entertained. And what is this performer's product that he should charge you money for? It is not a rabbit that came out of an empty hat. No. It is the illusion and the entertainment that results.

This company may, in some people's definition, produce a fraud. But, they may say that their product is not so much the bracelet but is an illusion. What the customer purchases is the illusion. And isn't that a real product? Isn't that as real as the magician's stage show? And if someone derives some benefit from it -- even if that benefit is entirely in his head -- isn't there legitimate value in that?

Unlike some medical frauds which are either directly harmful or which may distract from true medical treatments, this one is quite harmless. So if some people BELIEVE that it is beneficial and if, as a result of that belief focused by the object, they obtain a benefit (even if that benefit is just the pleasure of thinking that there is another benefit, of thinking that their athletic performance is improved), then what is the damage in that?

An interesting way to look at if from a different perspective.
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"Frauds" are sold all the time in grocery stores. Airborne, zinc, vitamin C...all said to cure the common cold but actual tests show that it's nothing more than a placebo effect.

Now the shake weight, that's the ticket to a strong upper body and superhuman strength. Just ask my girlfriend LOL.:D
 
Shann said:
Hey, Vince McMahon even admitted that pro wrasslin' was :eek: fake, so that he could run WWE as an entertainment and not as a sports competition.

It didn't seem to hurt his business much.
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True but people actually know or accept that don't they? The end result, as Gollnick tries to say in his post, is that they want or are willing to be entertained.

Those bracelets on the other hand were actively being marketed with a said list of physical, therapeutic and performance benefits backed-up with "science."

[youtube]Piu75P8sxTo[/youtube]
 
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Snake oil salesman are alive and well. Here's a few other fine products that don't do anything but lighten your wallet.

Platinum Fuel Saver and other such devices. (Just flat out liars)

EasyWater (No understanding of physics)

Enzite :D (You have to be kidding)

Slap Chop (Junk)

Just about anything "As Seen On TV"
 
If people weren't so stupid and gullible, there'd be no such thing as Energy Bracelets. People who fall for that crap don't deserve to keep their money.
 
How was THAT for a 10,000th post?

Sheesh. I would have held off for something more profound had I noticed. :(
 
UffDa said:
Snake oil salesman are alive and well. Here's a few other fine products that don't do anything but lighten your wallet.

Platinum Fuel Saver and other such devices. (Just flat out liars)

EasyWater (No understanding of physics)

Enzite :D (You have to be kidding)

Slap Chop (Junk)

Just about anything "As Seen On TV"
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To that add "ionized water". (No understanding of chemistry.)
 
If you believe you're playing well because you're getting laid, or because you're not getting laid, or because you wear women's underwear, then you ARE! And you should know that!
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-crash davis, bull durham.
 
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