Ionetix and negative molecular therapy?

[gdtbiker]

Does anyone know anything about the Ionetix proprietary technology? I've done a quick search of the forums here but came up empty.

I'm having a debate with a close friend who is involved with new product development at Izzo Golf which is marketing the Callaway Golf Therapeutic Silicon Sport Magnetic Bracelet with Ionetix™.

From: http://www.sportsunlimitedinc.com/callaway-golf-therapeutic-silicon-sport-bracelet-with-ionetix.html

The Callaway Golf Therapeutic Silicon Sport Magnetic Bracelet with Ionetix™ is perfect for golfers and active people because they are specifically designed for athletic activity. Much more than ordinary magnetic bracelets, these silicon based bracelets feature an Ionetix strip which contains minus ion attracting titanium. All Callaway Golf Therapeutics are well designed, stylish products that can also help you achieve your peak performance level.
Features:

IONETIX™ - Performance Enhancing Technology

Ionetix is a proprietary technology that utilizes two types of negative molecular therapy - minus ions & magnetics. These therapies have been known to help reduce stiffness in joints, lower toxin levels, improve blood circulation, lower stress levels, reduce pain and promote an overall feeling of well being.

* Silicon based sport bracelet for active people
* Ionetix strip
* Two types of therapies - Minus Ion & Magnetics

I say that it's bogus, malarkey, bull, unadulterated nonsense. But he is convinced that they do wonders for him and his company's customers. I'm wearing a free sample wrist band right now, but have not noticed anything unusual although he claims that most folks notice significant feelings of improved health within minutes or at least days.

From the handout he gave me from his company:

Ions are charged particles in the air, formed when energy acts of a molecule of CO2, O2, H2O, or N, to eject an electron. The displaced electron attaches to a nearby molecule and becomes a minus, or negative ion. The original molecule is now a positive ion. Small negative ions are short lived and mobile. There are approximately 3,000 to 6,000 -ions/cubic centimeter in normal air. These are the ions that are attracted by Ionetix Silicone bracelets and necklaces. Ionetix can attract up to 200,000 -ions/cubic centimeter. These negative ions help the body chemistry to be properly balanced.

What say you? Comments, analysis, opinions welcome.

 

[Gravy]

Just ask him for the studies – not anecdotes – that show "These are the ions that are attracted by Ionetix Silicone bracelets and necklaces. Ionetix can attract up to 200,000 -ions/cubic centimeter. These negative ions help the body chemistry to be properly balanced."

He will be unable to do so. Then present him with the results of this study:

Enter the renowned Mayo Clinic. Over a two-year period in 2000 and 2001, the clinic did a randomized, double-blind study in Florida of 610 participants age 18 or older, averaging 48 years-old, all who claimed to have musculoskeletal pain in the neck, lower back, elbows, wrists, or feet. Half of the group wore the Q-Ray “ionized” bracelets exactly as specified by the manufacturer. The other 305 wore a placebo, look-alike non-ionized bracelet. Neither the subjects nor the researchers knew which bracelet they were wearing (a “double-blind” test). Each participant wore their assigned bracelet for four weeks for the study and was asked to rate the intensity of their pain immediately after putting the bracelets on, and again at one, three, seven, 14, 21 and 28 days.

To sum up the results, analysis of the data showed “significant improvement” in pain scores in both groups. What is significant is that no differences were observed between the group wearing the Q-Rays and the group wearing the placebo bracelets.

The full report is here (PDF).

So, these products can have beneficial effects for some people, but due to the placebo effect, not due to the reasons advertised. And if they're not careful how they advertise, they can get into trouble:

On September 8, 2006, a federal judge ruled that Mr. Park's Q-Ray claims were fraudulent and he should repay at least $22.5 million to the suckers who bought them. (Park and QT could end up owing as much $87 million, depending on how many Q-Ray customers seek refunds.) In his 136-page ruling, the judge noted that Park made up all his claims about the way the bracelet works and the wonders it supposedly performs. U.S. Magistrate Judge Morton Denlow barred Park and QT from claiming the bracelet relieves pain, but they are still free to sell the thing.

Note the delightful opinion in the appeal case:

Q-Ray appealed and lost. In January 2008, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit upheld the district court ruling requiring the Q-Ray folks to pay a minimum of $22.5 million, representing their profits from January 2000 to June 2003. They also will be required to provide up to an additional $64.5 million in refunds to consumers who bought the bracelets during that time period.* The court upheld the district judge's ruling that the Q-Ray folks "set out to bilk unsophisticated persons who found themselves in pain from arthritis and other chronic conditions."* Chief judge Frank Easterbrook wrote that the Q-Ray claims about ionization and enhancing the flow of bio-energy were "blather" and that the “defendants might as well have said: Beneficent creatures from the 17th Dimension use this bracelet as a beacon to locate people who need pain relief, and whisk them off to their homeworld every night to provide help in ways unknown to our science."

http://www.skepdic.com/qray.html

"Magnet therapy," which is commonly used by golfers? Same thing, same judgments against companies making false and misleading claims. Some info:
http://www.quackwatch.org/04ConsumerEducation/QA/magnet.html

 

[OldTigerCub]

It seems a bit disappointing that Callaway Golf would lend their name to a product that is, at best, unproven and at most outrightly fraudulent. With all of the other gadgets marketed to golfers with the promise that it will make their swing more consistent, their drives straighter and their putts more predictable, it's inevitable that a product that promises to get rid of the aches and pains that come with the game will be snatched up by the gullible.

 

[gdtbiker]

Thanks guys! But it may be an uphill battle. He is normally quite rational and reasonable, but he just started this new position in the company (his old position had nothing to do with new product development) and no doubt is quite unconsciously biased in favor of both keeping his better-paying position and remaining loyal to the company he has worked for for years.

And, though I feel compelled to try to correct him, I am hesitant to turn the issue into a personal confrontation that jeopardizes our friendship. So, I'll have to be gentle about it.