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why doesn't this article specify that this item has only a placebo effect marketed as working "like magic" ? is it possible to mention this is quack medecine while staying neutral and objective ? other than leaving an outside like to do the dirty work of telling the reader that this is all a big load (or just understate that this is a big load by association just by leaving a link to a skeptic website) is there a way to say this is snake oil, this is just a small rubbery metal-looking steel cable-shaped open bracelet called an "ionized bracelet" that doesn't contain anything that is even "ionized" (even it's paint is probably non-conductor !) that doesn't do anything more than sugar pills without being non objective ? ... I think I'm just going to add a link to snake oil in the see also section just for that ! shodan at wikipedia@domn.net
"The flat ball terminal ends hold an international design patent." [1]
The international design patent covers only the shape of the bracelet, not its function. It is pointless to mention this in the article, so I am removing it.
Previously, the link to QRay.com was removed because "Wikipedia is not for free advertisement". I don't believe that was the contributor's issue with the link. Marketing placebos as working products can be seen as an ethical grey area, however by linking too their page, Wikipedia is not condoning the company's business practices.
To maintain a NPOV, I have linked to both the company's own website and to the Quackwatch article.
WikipediaExpert is very insistent on keeping a link to the online retailer. Looking at WikipediaExpert's contributions we can see that all this account has ever done up to this point is create external links to http://www.naturesbracelets.com/. Though, he did fix one of my typos. Thank you for that.
This leads me to believe that this is linkspam. I've removed it once, and asked for a discussion on the topic if there was any objection, but it was re-added. That aside, I don't believe Wikipedia should link to places to buy products off of pages which discuss them. If you go to the entry on Shoes, for example, you wouldn't want to see them linking to a random online shoe retailer.
So, anyway. I'm going to remove the link again. If anyone objects, please comment here and then I might be persuaded to stop reverting your contributions in the future.– Gunslinger47 02:03, 25 June 2006 (UTC)
User:Suraky made this contribution:
==Ionization== Ionized bracelets are not actually ionized despite the claims of the manufacturers. Solid metal objects are not in an ionized state. This raises the question as to how the bracelets can have any of the alledged health benefits the manufacturers claim are imbued upon the jewellry by their secret ionization process.
I have moved the text from the entry to here because I don't like reverting people, and because I'd like to get some feedback on the subject. The section poorly written, references no sources, and exists only to label QT Inc. as charlatans selling worthless hunks of solid steel. QT Inc. says they have a secretive ionization process, but from everything we know about ionization, this seems highly unlikely. However, it is not our place to call them liars in an encyclopedic entry. At least not without reputable sources. I would not be against a discussion of ionization (or lack thereof) in the page, but if it is going to be there, I'd like it to be phrased much better than this. Opinions? – Gunslinger47 23:13, 20 July 2006 (UTC)
Why is this talk page tagged with "Controversial topic" and why is there a comment to that effect in the article? Where's the controversy? The double-blind scientific study has been conducted, so any controversy should now be resolved. The only thing remaining is the honesty of the advertising, and that's hardly controversial. It's not like this article is about an un-testable question like the abortion debate wrangles with. - Amatulic 02:47, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
I've read the article, but it doesn't explain what an ionized bracelet is. What is it? What process is involved? How is it different from a magnetic bracelet? This seems to be an advertisement with no additional value. Chris 05:43, 6 October 2006 (UTC)
I just saw a commercial for this... and I'm wondering how the *bleep* can the metal be ionized? I'm just a university student, but in order for metals to lose their electrons, massive amounts (depending on the metal) but usually at least constant energy needs to be applied to remove the electrons from the metal orbits. This creates an ion, which is a positively or negatively charged particle. Ions are everywhere, and in the gas phase known as plasma, ex. flouresent (sp?) tubes. Metals also have ionization potentials, ie, lighting lithium or copper with high temperature flames will cause the metals to become ions which has a distinct color (eg, fireworks). So I'm sort of at lost here at how this bracelet at equilibrium can be ionizing (eg. giving the wearer any effect other then being just an ordinary bracelet?) or are the manufacturers refering that it has been ionized and now rests in its non ionic state so that it has be "ionized" but is now just like any other ordinary piece of metal? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 129.128.146.215 ( talk • contribs).
Well then, why isn't this topic of what exactly is ionizing about the bracelet on the front page? Darkcurrent 01:18, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
well then why not add something that says along the lines of "becasue of the vagueness of the company, it is currently unknown what is ionized about this bracelet, thereby making it impossible to discredit this bracelet"
Further, the title of the article is Ionized bracelet. Doesn't this imply the damn bracelet has been ionized?
If they said it's ionizing, then that's clearly impossible because in order for something to be IONIZING, a charge is needed, which automatically means energy input is required, specifically electricity since we haven't found a metal that converts heat directly into electricity, I call bullshit on this and it should say somewhere in the article about it. If they said it was IONIZED then you could make a note on the article that many ordinary objects are ionized, ie anything with electroplating or the mercury in florescent lamps etc..
I mean, the article title is "ionized bracelet" yet the article didn't even contain a link to ionization or ions. At least this a lone should be added as people (generally) don't know what ionized mean, and this article does little to clarify that. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Darkcurrent ( talk • contribs).
I think that the lead paragraph really does need to have at least one forceful line from the mainstream opinion on it that explains the mainstream case, particularly as a good chunk of this article is poorly sourced to promotional material for the devices themselves.
I like this addition:
In a 2006 US Circuit Court case, Judge Frank Easterbrook ruled, of the purported claims for the Q-Ray bracelet, that "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 home world every night to provide help in ways unknown to our science", and ordered the surrender of $16 million (US) and to refund $87 million to customers. [1]
As te quote is strong, sets out the mainstream position in a forceful way, and thus serves to make the article more NPOV. It doesn't have to be that, but we shoudl include something. Adam Cuerden talk 02:10, 22 January 2008 (UTC)
References
With "Ion Therapy", when suitably purged of commercial advertisement. Redheylin ( talk) 17:53, 6 June 2008 (UTC)
:I'm sorry, but if you want to call QT a "lying piece of shit" in this article,
[9] you're going to need a reference. The threshold for inclusion in Wikipedia is whether material is attributable to a reliable published source, not it is true. –
Gunslinger47
22:35, 25 April 2007 (UTC)
You seem to be asserting that the US govt and courts are not a reliable source, and that you think we should structure this article to suggest that they may be wrong and Park may be right? Right? Redheylin ( talk) 20:51, 10 June 2008 (UTC)
Court Rules In FTC's Favor In Q-Ray Bracelet Case
Orders Defendants To Pay Up To $87 Million |
---|
The federal district court in Chicago has ruled for the Federal Trade Commission in its case against the marketers of the Q-Ray ionized bracelet following a bench trial earlier this summer. In a decision issued September 8, the court found that advertising by Que Te (Andrew) Park and his companies was false and misleading in representing that the bracelet provides immediate, significant, and/or complete pain relief, and that scientific tests proved that it relieves pain.
The court also found that the defendants deceptively advertised their refund policy. Although the court has not yet issued a final judgment order, it stated that it will require the defendants to turn over $22.5 million in net profits and pay up to $87 million in refunds to consumers. The court also stated that it will impose a permanent injunction to prevent them from engaging in such deceptive conduct in the future. “This is an egregious example of false advertising," said Lydia Parnes, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. "These defendants lied about the so-called medicinal benefits of their product, and deceived people in pain. The judgment against them is a real victory for all consumers." The FTC filed the case in May 2003, alleging that the defendants had misrepresented that the Q-Ray ionized bracelet “provides immediate significant or complete relief from various types of pain, including, but not limited to, musculoskeletal pain, sciatic pain, persistent headaches, sinus problems, tendinitis, or injuries,” and that “tests prove that the Q-Ray bracelet relieves pain.” The FTC also alleged that they falsely represented that defendant QT Inc.’s 30-day satisfaction guarantee permits "consumers to readily obtain a full refund of the purchase price if they return the Q-Ray bracelet within 30 days.” The court found that defendants QT Inc., Q-Ray Company, and Bio-Metal, Inc., located in Illinois, and their owner, Que Te Park, also known as Andrew Q. Park, had engaged in misleading and false advertising in violation of Sections 5 and 12 of the FTC Act. The court did not find defendant Jung Joo Park (Que Te Park’s wife) liable. From September 2000 through June 2003, the Q-Ray bracelet was advertised on infomercials shown on cable TV channels, such as the Golf Channel, the Learning Channel, USA Network, and the Discovery Channel, as well as on Internet Web sites and at trade shows. Retail prices for the bracelets ranged from $49.95 to $249.95 – a mark-up of over 650 percent, according to the court’s findings. Net sales to consumers, during the time the infomercials ran, were $87 million. The court found that pain relief claims of the type made by the defendants should be supported by competent and reliable scientific evidence consisting of at least one well-conducted, placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind clinical study. The court held that the FTC met its burden of proof in establishing that the defendants did not have or rely upon any such data. The court also ruled that the claims were not supported even if some studies showed that the bracelets had a placebo effect, noting that, for a placebo to work, “the consumer must be duped” and that “the advertiser must trick the customer into believing that an inherently ineffective bracelet actually relieves pain.” The defendants’ advertising described the Q-Ray bracelet as “ionized,” but the court found no evidence that the bracelet has any properties different from any other bracelet made of the same metals. Instead, it stated, “The Q-Ray bracelet was marketed as an ‘ionized bracelet’ as part of a scheme devised by Que Te Park and the corporate defendants to defraud consumers out of millions of dollars by preying on their desire to find a simple solution to alleviate their physical pain.” The court also concluded that the defendants promoted the relationship between the Q-Ray bracelet and Eastern medicine as a marketing device, “which is a disservice to the practitioners of this ancient art.” The court found that Que Te Park had made up the theory and that “he had no testing or studies to support this theory and that he testified that anyone can find the theory on Google.” The court found that, “Defendants have sought to clothe the Q-Ray bracelet with the credibility of Traditional Chinese Medicine and thereby deceive consumers.” The court has advised that it will require the defendants 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 will issue a final judgment on September 28, 2006. The FTC has set up a hotline number, 202-326-2063, for consumers with questions about the court’s opinion and order. Details about the refund program will be made available as they become known. Copies of the decision and minute order are available from the FTC’s Web site at http://www.ftc.gov and also from the FTC’s Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580. The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish (bilingual counselors are available to take complaints), or to get free information on any of 150 consumer topics, call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), or use the complaint form at http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/complaint.htm. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to thousands of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. Media Contact: Frank Dorman, Office of Public Affairs 202-326-2674 Staff Contact: Heather Hippsley or Ted Hoppock, Bureau of Consumer Protection 202-326-3285 or 202-326-3087
(FTC File No. 032-3011) |
Posted by: Redheylin ( talk) 20:18, 8 June 2008 (UTC) (MY EMPHASES)
Links normally to be avoided Shortcuts: WP:ELNO WP:LINKSTOAVOID WP:EL#AVOID
2. Any site that misleads the reader by use of factually inaccurate material or unverifiable research. See Reliable sources for explanations of the terms "factually inaccurate material" or "unverifiable research". 5. Links to sites that primarily exist to sell products or services, or to sites with objectionable amounts of advertising.
This article has some serious flows and mistakes in it. Let's just start with the fact that the so-called lesser known RAYMA bracelet is the original on world famous ionic bracelet, NOT the Q-Ray as mentioned in the article. The idea for ionic bracelets was originally takon on by Grupo RAYMA in 1984 and in 4.3.1992 they were given a medal in Brussels, Belgia for "the merits to progress" and "the idea provided for invention".
Second, for the placebo effect?, the RAYMA bracelets have actually won two respected and scientific prizes for its SCIENTIFICALLY proven effect on peoples health. In 9.4.1992, four years before the first Q-Ray bracelet was made, the RAYMA bracelet won the silver medal award at the 20th international convention of inventors and new techniques in Geneva, Switzerland, an honour that has never before or after this been awarded to a manufacturer of therapeutic bracelets. Also on 1996 the first World Congress of Magnetotherapy said, and I quote: "It has been scientifically proven that RAYMA bioelectromagnetic resonators can have therapeutic effects on the human body by interacting with its biocurrents if worn as a bracelet." And to this day RAYMA is the original and only manufacturer of scientifically proven therapeutic health bracelets.
Third, do the people who write to these discussion pages ever bother to google these subjects and to actually read more than just the headlines of the first three articles that come up. To my knowlidge wikipedia is about facts not personal views and opinions. Just btw. Here's some useful sites:
—Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.16.78.153 ( talk) 22:27, 8 October 2009 (UTC)
I saw this on TV recently, and it immediately caught my interest. I will stay out of the discussion of its medical efficacy. What interested me were the statements “it will harness natural frequencies that occur in your immediate environment to help tune and rebalance your biofield to a more natural state” and it “works to balance the frequencies of energy surrounding you”.
Energy is defined as the capacity of a physical system to do work (i.e., force acting through a distance). Thus, any energy surrounding you must by definition be measureable: it must have the capacity to deflect a needle on some suitable meter (i.e., perform work to deflect that needle). I am very interested in the measurements of such energy that were made, and how the IRenew bracelet affects that energy. I am also very interested in what frequencies were measured. In my career as a scientist, I have never talked to any other scientists (or read any articles in the literature) involving measurements of natural frequencies that occur in the immediate environment. What are these frequencies? 1 GHz? 10 GHz? Someone please enlighten me. I honestly don't know ( talk) 12:52, 19 December 2010 (UTC)
There is actually a reference to a university research study on the Irenew research page [13]. There is not an FDA approval yet, so the "irenew" people cannot discuss it with you. Seeing that there is a study, they might be in the process though. Stvclanton ( talk) 20:44, 11 July 2011 (UTC)
I think the universal "every" in the first sentence is too strong. There is at least one study that manufactures use to claim the effectiveness of an ionized bracelet. I am removing the word "every" and attaching an appropriate reference to irenew's research page Stvclanton ( talk) 20:49, 11 July 2011 (UTC)
I'm not sure about the classification used. The Q-ray, Bio-Ray, and Rayma bracelets are metal, as the article suggests. I could not find a "Balance" bracelet, but there is a Power Balance bracelet that is probably the one. However, the Power Balance and iRenew are both silicon, not metal. I don't know if some bracelets are included that should not be or if the ionized family of products expanded but the defining property wasn't adjusted with it. As far as I can find, wikipedia is the only place where there is any definition at all. Most other references are ads and seem to use ionic to mean not magnetic.
I followed the reference to
QRay Ionized Bracelets, but it is an advertisement page and isn't very helpful. Also, I notice it does not mention the iRenew. It references the "Balance" bracelet, but I couldn't find any other reference to it. I did notice that every bracelet on that the cited reference is magnetic metallic. However, I also noted that it is a seller of metal bracelets.
Stvclanton (
talk)
03:17, 16 July 2011 (UTC)
If you review WP:MEDRS, I think you'll see that this edit restores content that does not belong in WP. Medically-relevant claims require a high standard of evidence - namely a relatively recent secondary source. -- Scray ( talk) 08:31, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
Or perhaps not. Many of the links are currently dead. I will try to find archiveurls. In addition, assertions made in the History section cannot be verified. There's evidence on this talk page of past interest in the article and in the controversy, but if that's all in the past, perhaps this article just needs to go away? —jmcgnh (talk) (contribs) 08:35, 25 June 2016 (UTC)
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This is the
talk page for discussing improvements to the
Ionized jewelry article. This is not a forum for general discussion of the article's subject. |
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Find sources: Google ( books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL |
This article is rated Start-class on Wikipedia's
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The subject of this article is controversial and content may be in dispute. When updating the article, be bold, but not reckless. Feel free to try to improve the article, but don't take it personally if your changes are reversed; instead, come here to the talk page to discuss them. Content must be written from a neutral point of view. Include citations when adding content and consider tagging or removing unsourced information. |
why doesn't this article specify that this item has only a placebo effect marketed as working "like magic" ? is it possible to mention this is quack medecine while staying neutral and objective ? other than leaving an outside like to do the dirty work of telling the reader that this is all a big load (or just understate that this is a big load by association just by leaving a link to a skeptic website) is there a way to say this is snake oil, this is just a small rubbery metal-looking steel cable-shaped open bracelet called an "ionized bracelet" that doesn't contain anything that is even "ionized" (even it's paint is probably non-conductor !) that doesn't do anything more than sugar pills without being non objective ? ... I think I'm just going to add a link to snake oil in the see also section just for that ! shodan at wikipedia@domn.net
"The flat ball terminal ends hold an international design patent." [1]
The international design patent covers only the shape of the bracelet, not its function. It is pointless to mention this in the article, so I am removing it.
Previously, the link to QRay.com was removed because "Wikipedia is not for free advertisement". I don't believe that was the contributor's issue with the link. Marketing placebos as working products can be seen as an ethical grey area, however by linking too their page, Wikipedia is not condoning the company's business practices.
To maintain a NPOV, I have linked to both the company's own website and to the Quackwatch article.
WikipediaExpert is very insistent on keeping a link to the online retailer. Looking at WikipediaExpert's contributions we can see that all this account has ever done up to this point is create external links to http://www.naturesbracelets.com/. Though, he did fix one of my typos. Thank you for that.
This leads me to believe that this is linkspam. I've removed it once, and asked for a discussion on the topic if there was any objection, but it was re-added. That aside, I don't believe Wikipedia should link to places to buy products off of pages which discuss them. If you go to the entry on Shoes, for example, you wouldn't want to see them linking to a random online shoe retailer.
So, anyway. I'm going to remove the link again. If anyone objects, please comment here and then I might be persuaded to stop reverting your contributions in the future.– Gunslinger47 02:03, 25 June 2006 (UTC)
User:Suraky made this contribution:
==Ionization== Ionized bracelets are not actually ionized despite the claims of the manufacturers. Solid metal objects are not in an ionized state. This raises the question as to how the bracelets can have any of the alledged health benefits the manufacturers claim are imbued upon the jewellry by their secret ionization process.
I have moved the text from the entry to here because I don't like reverting people, and because I'd like to get some feedback on the subject. The section poorly written, references no sources, and exists only to label QT Inc. as charlatans selling worthless hunks of solid steel. QT Inc. says they have a secretive ionization process, but from everything we know about ionization, this seems highly unlikely. However, it is not our place to call them liars in an encyclopedic entry. At least not without reputable sources. I would not be against a discussion of ionization (or lack thereof) in the page, but if it is going to be there, I'd like it to be phrased much better than this. Opinions? – Gunslinger47 23:13, 20 July 2006 (UTC)
Why is this talk page tagged with "Controversial topic" and why is there a comment to that effect in the article? Where's the controversy? The double-blind scientific study has been conducted, so any controversy should now be resolved. The only thing remaining is the honesty of the advertising, and that's hardly controversial. It's not like this article is about an un-testable question like the abortion debate wrangles with. - Amatulic 02:47, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
I've read the article, but it doesn't explain what an ionized bracelet is. What is it? What process is involved? How is it different from a magnetic bracelet? This seems to be an advertisement with no additional value. Chris 05:43, 6 October 2006 (UTC)
I just saw a commercial for this... and I'm wondering how the *bleep* can the metal be ionized? I'm just a university student, but in order for metals to lose their electrons, massive amounts (depending on the metal) but usually at least constant energy needs to be applied to remove the electrons from the metal orbits. This creates an ion, which is a positively or negatively charged particle. Ions are everywhere, and in the gas phase known as plasma, ex. flouresent (sp?) tubes. Metals also have ionization potentials, ie, lighting lithium or copper with high temperature flames will cause the metals to become ions which has a distinct color (eg, fireworks). So I'm sort of at lost here at how this bracelet at equilibrium can be ionizing (eg. giving the wearer any effect other then being just an ordinary bracelet?) or are the manufacturers refering that it has been ionized and now rests in its non ionic state so that it has be "ionized" but is now just like any other ordinary piece of metal? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 129.128.146.215 ( talk • contribs).
Well then, why isn't this topic of what exactly is ionizing about the bracelet on the front page? Darkcurrent 01:18, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
well then why not add something that says along the lines of "becasue of the vagueness of the company, it is currently unknown what is ionized about this bracelet, thereby making it impossible to discredit this bracelet"
Further, the title of the article is Ionized bracelet. Doesn't this imply the damn bracelet has been ionized?
If they said it's ionizing, then that's clearly impossible because in order for something to be IONIZING, a charge is needed, which automatically means energy input is required, specifically electricity since we haven't found a metal that converts heat directly into electricity, I call bullshit on this and it should say somewhere in the article about it. If they said it was IONIZED then you could make a note on the article that many ordinary objects are ionized, ie anything with electroplating or the mercury in florescent lamps etc..
I mean, the article title is "ionized bracelet" yet the article didn't even contain a link to ionization or ions. At least this a lone should be added as people (generally) don't know what ionized mean, and this article does little to clarify that. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Darkcurrent ( talk • contribs).
I think that the lead paragraph really does need to have at least one forceful line from the mainstream opinion on it that explains the mainstream case, particularly as a good chunk of this article is poorly sourced to promotional material for the devices themselves.
I like this addition:
In a 2006 US Circuit Court case, Judge Frank Easterbrook ruled, of the purported claims for the Q-Ray bracelet, that "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 home world every night to provide help in ways unknown to our science", and ordered the surrender of $16 million (US) and to refund $87 million to customers. [1]
As te quote is strong, sets out the mainstream position in a forceful way, and thus serves to make the article more NPOV. It doesn't have to be that, but we shoudl include something. Adam Cuerden talk 02:10, 22 January 2008 (UTC)
References
With "Ion Therapy", when suitably purged of commercial advertisement. Redheylin ( talk) 17:53, 6 June 2008 (UTC)
:I'm sorry, but if you want to call QT a "lying piece of shit" in this article,
[9] you're going to need a reference. The threshold for inclusion in Wikipedia is whether material is attributable to a reliable published source, not it is true. –
Gunslinger47
22:35, 25 April 2007 (UTC)
You seem to be asserting that the US govt and courts are not a reliable source, and that you think we should structure this article to suggest that they may be wrong and Park may be right? Right? Redheylin ( talk) 20:51, 10 June 2008 (UTC)
Court Rules In FTC's Favor In Q-Ray Bracelet Case
Orders Defendants To Pay Up To $87 Million |
---|
The federal district court in Chicago has ruled for the Federal Trade Commission in its case against the marketers of the Q-Ray ionized bracelet following a bench trial earlier this summer. In a decision issued September 8, the court found that advertising by Que Te (Andrew) Park and his companies was false and misleading in representing that the bracelet provides immediate, significant, and/or complete pain relief, and that scientific tests proved that it relieves pain.
The court also found that the defendants deceptively advertised their refund policy. Although the court has not yet issued a final judgment order, it stated that it will require the defendants to turn over $22.5 million in net profits and pay up to $87 million in refunds to consumers. The court also stated that it will impose a permanent injunction to prevent them from engaging in such deceptive conduct in the future. “This is an egregious example of false advertising," said Lydia Parnes, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. "These defendants lied about the so-called medicinal benefits of their product, and deceived people in pain. The judgment against them is a real victory for all consumers." The FTC filed the case in May 2003, alleging that the defendants had misrepresented that the Q-Ray ionized bracelet “provides immediate significant or complete relief from various types of pain, including, but not limited to, musculoskeletal pain, sciatic pain, persistent headaches, sinus problems, tendinitis, or injuries,” and that “tests prove that the Q-Ray bracelet relieves pain.” The FTC also alleged that they falsely represented that defendant QT Inc.’s 30-day satisfaction guarantee permits "consumers to readily obtain a full refund of the purchase price if they return the Q-Ray bracelet within 30 days.” The court found that defendants QT Inc., Q-Ray Company, and Bio-Metal, Inc., located in Illinois, and their owner, Que Te Park, also known as Andrew Q. Park, had engaged in misleading and false advertising in violation of Sections 5 and 12 of the FTC Act. The court did not find defendant Jung Joo Park (Que Te Park’s wife) liable. From September 2000 through June 2003, the Q-Ray bracelet was advertised on infomercials shown on cable TV channels, such as the Golf Channel, the Learning Channel, USA Network, and the Discovery Channel, as well as on Internet Web sites and at trade shows. Retail prices for the bracelets ranged from $49.95 to $249.95 – a mark-up of over 650 percent, according to the court’s findings. Net sales to consumers, during the time the infomercials ran, were $87 million. The court found that pain relief claims of the type made by the defendants should be supported by competent and reliable scientific evidence consisting of at least one well-conducted, placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind clinical study. The court held that the FTC met its burden of proof in establishing that the defendants did not have or rely upon any such data. The court also ruled that the claims were not supported even if some studies showed that the bracelets had a placebo effect, noting that, for a placebo to work, “the consumer must be duped” and that “the advertiser must trick the customer into believing that an inherently ineffective bracelet actually relieves pain.” The defendants’ advertising described the Q-Ray bracelet as “ionized,” but the court found no evidence that the bracelet has any properties different from any other bracelet made of the same metals. Instead, it stated, “The Q-Ray bracelet was marketed as an ‘ionized bracelet’ as part of a scheme devised by Que Te Park and the corporate defendants to defraud consumers out of millions of dollars by preying on their desire to find a simple solution to alleviate their physical pain.” The court also concluded that the defendants promoted the relationship between the Q-Ray bracelet and Eastern medicine as a marketing device, “which is a disservice to the practitioners of this ancient art.” The court found that Que Te Park had made up the theory and that “he had no testing or studies to support this theory and that he testified that anyone can find the theory on Google.” The court found that, “Defendants have sought to clothe the Q-Ray bracelet with the credibility of Traditional Chinese Medicine and thereby deceive consumers.” The court has advised that it will require the defendants 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 will issue a final judgment on September 28, 2006. The FTC has set up a hotline number, 202-326-2063, for consumers with questions about the court’s opinion and order. Details about the refund program will be made available as they become known. Copies of the decision and minute order are available from the FTC’s Web site at http://www.ftc.gov and also from the FTC’s Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580. The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish (bilingual counselors are available to take complaints), or to get free information on any of 150 consumer topics, call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), or use the complaint form at http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/complaint.htm. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to thousands of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. Media Contact: Frank Dorman, Office of Public Affairs 202-326-2674 Staff Contact: Heather Hippsley or Ted Hoppock, Bureau of Consumer Protection 202-326-3285 or 202-326-3087
(FTC File No. 032-3011) |
Posted by: Redheylin ( talk) 20:18, 8 June 2008 (UTC) (MY EMPHASES)
Links normally to be avoided Shortcuts: WP:ELNO WP:LINKSTOAVOID WP:EL#AVOID
2. Any site that misleads the reader by use of factually inaccurate material or unverifiable research. See Reliable sources for explanations of the terms "factually inaccurate material" or "unverifiable research". 5. Links to sites that primarily exist to sell products or services, or to sites with objectionable amounts of advertising.
This article has some serious flows and mistakes in it. Let's just start with the fact that the so-called lesser known RAYMA bracelet is the original on world famous ionic bracelet, NOT the Q-Ray as mentioned in the article. The idea for ionic bracelets was originally takon on by Grupo RAYMA in 1984 and in 4.3.1992 they were given a medal in Brussels, Belgia for "the merits to progress" and "the idea provided for invention".
Second, for the placebo effect?, the RAYMA bracelets have actually won two respected and scientific prizes for its SCIENTIFICALLY proven effect on peoples health. In 9.4.1992, four years before the first Q-Ray bracelet was made, the RAYMA bracelet won the silver medal award at the 20th international convention of inventors and new techniques in Geneva, Switzerland, an honour that has never before or after this been awarded to a manufacturer of therapeutic bracelets. Also on 1996 the first World Congress of Magnetotherapy said, and I quote: "It has been scientifically proven that RAYMA bioelectromagnetic resonators can have therapeutic effects on the human body by interacting with its biocurrents if worn as a bracelet." And to this day RAYMA is the original and only manufacturer of scientifically proven therapeutic health bracelets.
Third, do the people who write to these discussion pages ever bother to google these subjects and to actually read more than just the headlines of the first three articles that come up. To my knowlidge wikipedia is about facts not personal views and opinions. Just btw. Here's some useful sites:
—Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.16.78.153 ( talk) 22:27, 8 October 2009 (UTC)
I saw this on TV recently, and it immediately caught my interest. I will stay out of the discussion of its medical efficacy. What interested me were the statements “it will harness natural frequencies that occur in your immediate environment to help tune and rebalance your biofield to a more natural state” and it “works to balance the frequencies of energy surrounding you”.
Energy is defined as the capacity of a physical system to do work (i.e., force acting through a distance). Thus, any energy surrounding you must by definition be measureable: it must have the capacity to deflect a needle on some suitable meter (i.e., perform work to deflect that needle). I am very interested in the measurements of such energy that were made, and how the IRenew bracelet affects that energy. I am also very interested in what frequencies were measured. In my career as a scientist, I have never talked to any other scientists (or read any articles in the literature) involving measurements of natural frequencies that occur in the immediate environment. What are these frequencies? 1 GHz? 10 GHz? Someone please enlighten me. I honestly don't know ( talk) 12:52, 19 December 2010 (UTC)
There is actually a reference to a university research study on the Irenew research page [13]. There is not an FDA approval yet, so the "irenew" people cannot discuss it with you. Seeing that there is a study, they might be in the process though. Stvclanton ( talk) 20:44, 11 July 2011 (UTC)
I think the universal "every" in the first sentence is too strong. There is at least one study that manufactures use to claim the effectiveness of an ionized bracelet. I am removing the word "every" and attaching an appropriate reference to irenew's research page Stvclanton ( talk) 20:49, 11 July 2011 (UTC)
I'm not sure about the classification used. The Q-ray, Bio-Ray, and Rayma bracelets are metal, as the article suggests. I could not find a "Balance" bracelet, but there is a Power Balance bracelet that is probably the one. However, the Power Balance and iRenew are both silicon, not metal. I don't know if some bracelets are included that should not be or if the ionized family of products expanded but the defining property wasn't adjusted with it. As far as I can find, wikipedia is the only place where there is any definition at all. Most other references are ads and seem to use ionic to mean not magnetic.
I followed the reference to
QRay Ionized Bracelets, but it is an advertisement page and isn't very helpful. Also, I notice it does not mention the iRenew. It references the "Balance" bracelet, but I couldn't find any other reference to it. I did notice that every bracelet on that the cited reference is magnetic metallic. However, I also noted that it is a seller of metal bracelets.
Stvclanton (
talk)
03:17, 16 July 2011 (UTC)
If you review WP:MEDRS, I think you'll see that this edit restores content that does not belong in WP. Medically-relevant claims require a high standard of evidence - namely a relatively recent secondary source. -- Scray ( talk) 08:31, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
Or perhaps not. Many of the links are currently dead. I will try to find archiveurls. In addition, assertions made in the History section cannot be verified. There's evidence on this talk page of past interest in the article and in the controversy, but if that's all in the past, perhaps this article just needs to go away? —jmcgnh (talk) (contribs) 08:35, 25 June 2016 (UTC)
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