October 10 2011
Power balance bracelets have become wildly popular in the last couple of years. There are dozens of professional athletes, celebrities and musicians wearing these, and some even endorsing these bracelets.
As the name suggests, these are just ordinary rubber bracelets made in China. What makes it stand out is they have embedded these bracelets with holograms.
They come at an 'affordable' price of $29.99.
Hologram: The hologram on the power balance band is supposed to interact with your body frequency and it supposedly reacts differently for different people. Also according to the website, “The thin polyester film hologram is programmed through a proprietary process, which is designed to mimic Eastern philosophies that have been around for hundreds of years.”
Performance: Before thy got sued for false and misleading claims, they advertized power balance to increase strength, power and flexibility by 500% and called it performance technology. Now they cleverly word it as “maximize their potential and live life to the fullest.”
Testimonials: There are lot of testimonials from professional athletes about how power balance bands has helped improve their performance and they just can't take it off now.
Nope.
There are no scientific studies showing that power bracelet balance works. And there is no earthly science even remotely saying that we can capture frequencies and bottle it in a hologram. Then why do some people feel or think it works?
Placebo Effect: If you believe or expect a procedure or a pill to improve you health or behavior, it will. Apparently, the pill or procedure do not have anything to do with is improvement. Watch this cool video about placebo effect.
Flexibility: Power balance band test involves a flexibility test where you try to stretch and reach as far as you can. And then they are made to repeat the stretch wearing the power balance band. This always works since now you have a goal to go beyond. People always do better the second time than the first one even if they wear a band or not.
Strength: Another test the power bracelet band use to have you stand on one leg and have your arm to the side. The sales guy then pushes down on your hand. Almost everyone falls off balance. After they wear the power band, no one falls off balance.
This is just basic physics being abused. The first time the sales person pushes down and out of the body which pulls you out off balance. The second time he just pushes down and 'into' your body which is not pulling you out of balance. This is what is shown in the picture.
Andreas Dietzel | Tue October 18, 2011
oh, paleo is a huge part of it as far as I’ve understood, but I’m interested in the movement aspect of it…not the anti-pizza part 
Though, I am interested in the paleo diet debate as well, but so far people seem more assertive than scientific…
I believe that this band works, i tried experiments myself and it definitively works, i tried that “law of physics” thing you talk about but it didn’t change the end result. Here: I put the band on my cousin without telling him what it was for, then i tried knocking him out of balance but it didn’t work, now when i took the band of and tried to knock him out of balance he fell. I believe this band works. Don`t believe this guy who wrote the thread.
Anoop | Mon January 23, 2012
Hi Juice,
Sure the experiments tried by an anonymous poster on his cousin is evidence for the validity of power band.
Thanks
wesley lawlor | Mon February 13, 2012
it defenetley works i put it on and boom i was feeling so good i couldnt stop smiling
I just got this band for my 16th birthday today, and I really don’t care whether it ‘works’ or not. It looks cool. It was bought for me with me in mind. And, scientific proof or not, I’ll take that placebo effect. No need to be ragging on people who decide to wear it.
Anoop | Sat March 10, 2012
Hi Garrett,
Thanks for the comment.
Just want people to know that we shouldn’t be endorsing these charlatans even if it looks so cool.
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Copyright 2008-2012 Anoop Balachandran. All rights reserved.
