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Phiten: Junk Science Abounds

Posted on October 29, 2004
Recently I've seen a surge in people wearing these Phiten bracelets (fabric-covered PVC rubber cord containing powdered titanium) and necklaces. This so-called therapeutic brand of accessories are really catching on in Japan. My neighbourhood has its own Phiten store with life size cut out of professional athlete endorser Randy Johnson, and they were apparently worn by the entire Japanese Olympic volleyball team. Even Phiten's TV commercials run during prime-time, and seem to market to the every-person and not just as an athletic accessory, hence all the men in suits I see wearing them on the train. Through the act of "Phild Processing" titanium the super jewelry is said to relieve pain and stiffness in muscles, and improve blood circulation by regulating the body's electrical current. Alrighty then.

I've never entered any Phiten shop or bothered to listen to a sales pitch so I found this account on skeptic James Randi's site of Phiten's test for potential buyers very interesting.
"They have a brown paper carrier bag that contains a brick shaped object wrapped up in newspaper and tape. They ask you to stand, extend your arm and lift the bag from a chair. You then put the bag down, and they drape the necklace across your arm and ask you to lift the bag again. It's supposed to be easier with the necklace on your body. Three of my Japanese work colleagues were so impressed by this that they bought the necklaces and eagerly repeated the demonstration around the office."

"I have an idea why this "test" might appear to work. When a person tries to pick up an object the brain makes a rough guess as to how much strength it's going to require. With an unknown object wrapped in paper, we have no idea how much it's going to weigh. The Phiten brick is actually quite heavy, and most people are likely to underestimate the effort required. The test with the necklace draped over the arm is always the second attempt, by which time our brain has recalculated and knows exactly how much effort is required. Hence it seems much easier to lift."
Phiten has a US website, but do people actually buy into this type of junk science overseas? If so, I've got some magic beans I need to get out of storage.
Leave a comment.


"do people actually buy into this type of junk science overseas?"

Of course they do! The whole new age crystal crapola thing was basically the same thing....

Seems a particularly Californian thing to do....many of my students can be seen with these bracelets and necklaces, for almost 2 years now I've seen them. I use it as a good opportunity to introduce the meaning of "placebo" to them :)


::posted by: Kurt at November 2, 2004 03:29 PM

Sure, but does the US olympic team wear them? "Hoodwinked" would be another good one to teach them.


::posted by: mark at November 4, 2004 02:31 PM

I have used the Phiten tape and necklace (they were a gift) and they work, conciderable pain relef. I lent the necklace to a friend with a severe headache and it worked for her as well. Don't knock it until you try it!


::posted by: Barbara Mackenzie at June 4, 2005 01:43 PM

Right. So are you interested in the beans? ;-)


::posted by: mhegge at June 12, 2005 06:11 PM

Yes, the US olympic volleyball team wears Phiten. So do players in the NFL and MLB (over 200 of them). Twenty plus players on the World Champion Boston Rex Sox wore Phiten during their season. College baseball and softball players wore them too.


::posted by: Heath at June 29, 2005 11:13 AM
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