Ionised jewellery

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Ionised jewellery appears in many shapes and sizes, usually peddled by homeopathic "healers" and similar charlatans, all with claims of relief from the symptoms of rheumatic pains caused by arthritis and various non-specific causes of inflammation.[1] They have a basis in various forms of woo like Traditional Chinese Medicine, including "Qi". The evidence supporting the efficacy of ionised jewellery is very much similar to that surrounding magic crystals, etc..

Much of the "science" behind these claims seems to be based on the fact that metals display "magical" properties, such as magnetism, electro-conductivity, "being very shiny" and making wearers feel warm and fuzzy.

This kind of woo goes as far as, believe it or not, ionised football kits![2]

[edit] Magic bracelets

There are different variants of alternative health bracelets. Copper bracelets, for example, are usually worn by old people claiming to have arthritis — rather than just experiencing the effects of ageing — who swear that when they do not wear the jewellery they suffer immense pain. Similarly, magnetic therapy bracelets are said to restore the body's hypothetical "electromagnetic energy balance".

The same lack of evidence is exhibited by ionised bracelets which supposedly affect a wearer's "Qi". The mechanism of action for the different bracelets is now completely understood, thanks to double blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trials, some of them notably conducted by Jacksonville Florida Mayo Clinic in 2002, proving that no more than a placebo effect is apparent.[3][4]

[edit] Footnotes

  1. http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5189118_do-ionized-bracelets-work_.html
  2. http://soccerlens.com/pompeys-miracle-ionized-shirt-technology-scientific-breakthrough-or-futuristic-doping/4606/
  3. "Effect of 'Ionized' Wrist Bracelets on Musculoskeletal Pain: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial" Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2002. 77:1164-1168.
  4. http://www.nhs.uk/news/2009/10October/Pages/Copper-bracelets-and-arthritis.aspx
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