Thursday, June 14, 2012
Trion:Z, Phiten Power Balance Bracelets - more scams promoted by sporting personalities?
A reader asked me to comment some time ago about Trionz energiser bracelets. Trionz reminded me very much of Phiten which you can read about here (scroll down a little to get to the article). There is now a proliferation of similar bracelets and devices that come with magical claims and big price tags ($60 for something that might have cost less than 10c to manufacture).
Many health claims are made for this over-priced bling, none of which appear to be supported by peer reviewed research, or anything at all near this. If you have persistent aches and pains, injury problems, poor balance or undue fatigue, you would be much better off spending your hard earned cash on a weekly deep tissue massage, tai chi and a Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis to sort out your health and nutrition requirements.
When the goal is health and/or performance, there are no fancy gimmicks or easy short-cuts.
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8 comments:
I had chronic fatigue and was in a support group, I seemed to be the only one who was interested in changing my diet to improve my health. most of the other people in the group were looking to the medical establishment or some flakey pseudo health modality to come up with a magic pill or vaccine to sort them out, it just didnt occur to them to make the effort themselves to look at ways of improving their health themselves. many were overweight, little sign of a life of adequate exercise. i felt i was going nowhere in that support group, it was more a psychological prop for people were's recovery had nothing to do with the group.
It's hard to monetise common sense Gary :-)
---Ian---
I'm a police officer and wear a trion z bracelet. When I first started the job, it was very stressfull and by the end of a week, I was absolutely shattered and worn out. This bracelet was recommended to me and I gave it a go. The effects aren't so dramatic that all of a sudden I was absolutely fine, but it did make a difference in that at the end of the week, I didn't feel so tired and worn out and still had energy to do other things. I also felt less stressed. In terms of a placebo, one week I didn't wear it, just forgot to, and at the end of the week I was shattered again which reminded me that I wasn't wearing it. I do regular exercise and keep myself fit and eat a balanced diet. My personal opinion is that it does work.
one swallow does not a summer make, need to find a study where scientists have given people a similar device as part of a double blind trial where others have been given a placaebo
Indeed, and to the police officer, I respectfully submit that any new job or change in routine can be tiring and take time to get used to - I imagine that working in the police force is a more intense environment than most. I think it more plausible that with some time you adjusted and your body and mind got used to the new routines and demands placed upon them. The Human Being is remarkably resilient and flexible to the many demands we place on it, but this doesn't happen overnight. People who've just had a newborn struggle with no sleep the first weeks, but they get used to it after a few months. This isn't magic bracelets at work. Its you.
I'm not taking any particular side here, but science can't explain or "justify" everything. Just remember my research friends that many of your "slam dunk" views of the world and the universe are just theories in reality. So if some people say it works for them, then it works for them. This might sound crazy, but there is a reason that the highest paid preachers make more money than the highest paid scientists. ;)
The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare have recognised for some years now Trion:Z products as a medecine.
Owned.
Anonymous: I would advise you take a deeper look at the meaning of the word theory.
There are plenty of things science cannot explain, it's a method, not a worldview. A filter through which we can help overcome the limitation of our, quite fallible, senses and subjectivity.
There's a common misunderstanding that "theory" means something is not proven. This stems from the colloquial use of the word. This interpretation is what we call a "hypothesis" in science - or a proposed explanation for a phenomenon.
Once a hypothesis is corroborated by facts, it becomes a theory and the general definition is this: "a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment"
The alternative is: "an unsubstantiated claim about some aspect of the natural or supernatural world, unsupported by facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment."
People can ignore theories, but they'd need to consider that this means ignoring the the theory of gravity and motion or the many theories that allow us to have this conversation online.
The placebo effect is well established, and well supported, and in light of the facts currently available on the bracelets clearly the most likely explanation. Why that should offend people, surprises me since we know from experience how eager companies are to hoodwink us and it should come as no surprise when they do.
I take it from the last poster that we should assume all decisions made by governments are based on sound judgment and people's bets interest as this reflects people's experiences with governments today and historically.
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