The famous Power Balance Band turns out to be a placebo
There have been many dodgy health products over the years that claim to have some sort of a benefit but they actually do nothing. Recently a product came out that was exactly like that and it was targeted towards athletes. It is called the Power Balance
Band and it is a little silicone band with a hologram in the centre that is supposed to enhance a person’s athletic abilities. Scientists decided to do some tests on the thing in the last few months to see if it did actually enhance performance and they found
that it actually did nothing and was simply a placebo. Why do people believe in these sorts of things and why do companies try to sell them dodgy products?
The company behind the Power Balance Band is also called Power Balance and it was founded in 2007 by a group of athletes with a background in holistic care. The company is based in Orange County, California and makes a few products at the moment. It makes
two types of wristbands and a few types of pendants. The wristband which has become so famous with susceptible and naive athletes. It is claimed that this hologram works with the body’s natural energy flow and helps to optimise and enhance it. The website
of the product claims that the concept behind the hologram is similar to many Eastern philosophies, without giving any sort of scientific proof that it actually works.
The interesting thing about this wristband is that it can be seen on the wrists of elite athletes like David Beckham and golfer Ian Poulter. It is not hard to see why they would wear it; Power Balance probably paid them a lot of money to market it for them.
For a band that claims to be based on Eastern philosophies, without actually going into any sort of details about what those philosophies are or how the hologram actually optimises the body’s energy, they are selling a cheap silicone band for the outrageous
price of £38. Compare this with the Livestrong bracelet that sold for only $1 and all the proceeds went to charity without it claiming it help people become better athletes.
Recently researchers in Australia have decided to do the first scientific tests on the wristbands. They will conduct in-depth double blind tests of which they have already conducted the first batch and they will publish their results in December. In the
meantime though, researchers at a consumer watchdog organisation in Australia called Choice, did their own tests and found that the product was nothing more than a placebo and did nothing to enhance the power, balance or performance of a person in anyway shape
or form. In the recent Choice ‘Shonky Awards’, given to the worst products and companies, those companies and products that have no benefit, the Power Balance Band was one of the 8 award winners.
How is it ethical or morally acceptable for companies to be able to sell products which have absolutely no benefit and claim they do? These types of products seem to prey on the fact that sporty people and athletes want to increase their abilities and they
will try anything if they think it can do it for them. They are a susceptible bunch and dodgy marketers try and target them with products that do not have any benefit at all. It is a good sign that an organisation like Choice is bringing these types of products
to light and showing consumers that they actually have no benefit and are simply a waste of their money.
The company on the other hand, is pretty clever. Without saying how exactly the band does what it says it does, or proving anything and getting a few high profile celebrities to wear the product they can start selling it like hotcakes and make back their
money before people realise that they have been made a fool of. When they do realise it eventually, the company will be long gone and all they are left with is no increase in their athletic performance, empty pockets and a cheap silicone wristband that does
nothing.
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