QT, Inc. of Elkgrove Village, Illinois, markets "ionized" bracelets which claim to benefit people by balancing the body's flow of "electro magnetic energy." It is said to have been invented in 1973 by Manuel L. Polo, a chiropractor living on the Spanish island of Mallorca.
In 1997 and 1998, the manufacturer's website stated: The Q-RAY bracelet is designed to achieve many of the same goals as traditional Chinese acupuncture. Acupuncture was developed to balance the body's yin (negative ions) and yang (positive ions), the two inseparable, complimentary energies that permanently circulate in the human body. When these energies become unbalanced the body's functioning is thought to be altered -- which can be at least very annoying and at worst debilitating. Acupuncture is BELIEVED to regulate these two energies.
In the human body, which is electro-magnetic by nature, bio magnetic alpha and beta waves circulate throughout the vital centres. When the flow is cut off and these alpha and beta waves become stagnant in one particular area of the body, bio-electrical alterations and ionic imbalances can result.
The Q-RAY bracelet's effectiveness is grounded in the phenomenon of radioelectrical "Resonance", balancing of positive and negative ions within the human body. Because of its unique characteristics and specialized configuration, the bracelet is considered to be an excellent Resonator of electro magnetic waves. (www.quackwatch.org)
For several years QT Inc., claimed that its bracelets could restore health, relieve cancer pain, improve muscle flexibility, improve sports performance, restore energy, and provide other health benefits. It was also claimed to "energize your whole body instantly." In 2000, an infomercial stated: "When you have a severe injury or a chronic injury or a chronic problem like arthritis, you have build-up of positive ions, wherever that is you are going to have pain. In order to remove this pain, Q-RAY bracelet rips it right out of the body!"
The above descriptions of bodily electrical energy flow are nonsense. Ions exist in solution throughout the body. There is no such thing as an "ionized bracelet" because solid objects are not ionized. There is no such thing as an ionic imbalance of the body, and no scientifically recognized connection between allegedly "ionized" objects and pain relief. Furthermore, the Q-RAY bracelet has no power source so even if "ionic imbalance" could exist, the claim that the Q-RAY could influence the body's "electrical energy" supply is preposterous.
In 2002, researchers from the Mayo Clinic published the results of a 4-week study involving 710 participants who wore either a Q-RAY bracelet (said to be "ionized") or an identical-looking placebo bracelet (said to be "non-ionized"). Subjective improvement in pain scores was equivalent in both groups, which indicates that the bracelet exerted no special effect.
Consumer Protection Actions
In June 2003, the FTC charged QT, Inc. Q-RAY Company, Bio-Metal, Inc., and their principals, Que Te (Andrew) Park and Jung Joo Park, with false advertising, and the Federal District Court in Chicago issued a temporary restraining order freezing their assets and prohibiting further use of misleading claims.
In September 2006, the Chicago Court sided with the Federal Trade Commission and ordered Que Te Park and his companies to turn over $22.5 million in net profits and provide up to $64.5 million in refunds to consumers who had bought the bracelets. During the trial, Park testified that he could not define the term "ionization" but picked it because it was simple and easy to remember. The court concluded that his testimony on ionization was "contradictory and full of obfuscation" and that "he is a clever marketer but a poor witness." Park also acknowledged that QT had at least a 25% refund rate from dissatisfied customers (more than 100,000 people). In January 2008, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the lower court in an opinion which stated that the marketers "made statements about Q-RAYS, ionization, and bio-energy that they knew to be POPPYCOCK."
The Bottom Line
The Q-RAY bracelet is a line of costume jewellery that has been claimed to relieve pain and to provide various health benefits. It is claimed to work by balancing "energy" that cannot be measured with scientific instrumentation. Its supposed mechanism of "ionic" action is preposterous. The only published scientific study of the device found that it had no special effect against pain. Its marketing claims were greatly turned down by a private consumer protection lawsuit filed in California but I believe that the manufacturer still exaggerates what the bracelet can do. The Balanced Bracelet has been marketed with claims that were equally false.
Excerpts from "CBC MarketPlace"
Sandra Post, a famous Canadian athlete, who wears one was asked "what do they do?" She said that her arthritis was helped. When told that it makes no medical claims re. pain, she said that it had cured her pain for two years. She also said she doesn't know how it works but she believes that it does.
Due to deceptive advertising the company has been ordered to repay $87 million re. pain claims and for defrauding people. Over 150,000 bracelets have been sold in Canada at approximately $200 a pop using deceptive, misleading advertising and claiming that it has the ability to take pain away. The maker of the product said we can't control how vendors market and we can't dictate how they run their businesses. It's just jewellery. There's no harm in it.
The made-up science consists of performance enhancement, energy balance in the body and increased vitality. A serious performance bracelet claiming to achieve a state of Chi can cost up to $500. Golfers are the biggest fans -- it's a miracle!
It's all in your head. Claims about pain are a tricky business. All vendors are still making claims of pain relief. Over 600 retailers continue to sell the product while talking about its benefits for relief of pain. Retailers are not getting the message that ionization, analyzed in a lab, is not ionized at all.
GIBBERISH IS THE TONGUE-SPEAKER'S Q-RAY
When you are speaking gibberish, you are not actually speaking in tongues but that doesn't matter. What really matters is that you BELIEVE that you are speaking in tongues. It's not necessary for you to actually be speaking in tongues as long as you BELIEVE that you are. Gibberish creates this illusion for you. You actually believe that you are speaking in tongues when you really are not. Any child can do it and any non-Christian can do it. It can be taught to any man on the street. It is not divine, it is Satanic. Satan will do anything to throw Christians off the tracks, move them away from keeping the main thing - the main thing, keeping them in bondage to a wrong focus, and dragging the truth through the mud. Speaking gibberish accomplishes all of these things and much more for Satan. When you are speaking gibberish, you are assisting and supporting Satan's efforts in this area. He is working tirelessly to eliminate true Christianity and replace it with falsehoods.
The fraud that is being foisted on Pentecostals/Charismatics/Victory Churches people is that what they are claiming to be tongues is not tongues. Biblical tongues was an actual language which had a specific purpose at a specific time when the church was in the early stages. Scripture teaches that tongues will cease. "Restoring the fire" (Barrie Victory Centre's motto) is really the fire of hell. Speaking in tongues was not mentioned in the majority of the latter books of the New Testament which means that they had ceased and the Greek word for cease means permanent, never to be started up again. Speaking gibberish is the biggest hoax that has been perpetuated in the church in all of its history. Speaking gibberish is also very dangerous. It is addictive behaviour which acts like a drug that you cannot live without. It's primary purpose is to control and manipulate you so that you will remain with the cult which you are involved with and keep giving your money to provide the leader's lavish lifestyle.
Pentecostal healings and miracles, visions and divine revelations all have a Q-RAY element to them. Most of them are fraudulent and need to be purged out of the church. They are making false claims and promises which cannot be delivered.
The bottom line in all this is that you should not be speaking in "gibberish". It is Satan's most useful tool for distraction from truth. When you participate in gibberish, you are aiding and abetting Satan's efforts to derail Christianity. In actual fact, gibberish speakers are all Satan's accomplices in crime. The more people do it, the more successful he is!
GIBBERISH IS FRAUD. JUST LIKE THE Q-RAY, YOU THINK IT WORKS.
THERE'S A SUCKER BORN EVERY MINUTE AND THEY SPEAK GIBBERISH.
18 comments:
What a great comparison! I saw the original CBC show on the Q-Ray and I thought that it was a crock then. How intuitive of you to put this together with the junk of "speaking in tongues". I hope that all of these people involved in the Barrie Victory Center realize that tongues only works because they think it does - just like the dumb ionic bracelet idea. Dumber than a stick is anyone who gets involved with this so-called church. I hope you get a lot more readers who learn something from you. Glad to read that you're back.
Incredible! How true this is. What a great comparison between these gibberish speaking cults and the phoney claims of the Q-ray. It is unbelievable how easily some people are duped into believing that anything is possible. Great work!
This is a great analogy of what is wrong with the charismatic movement and their leaders. There is no truth is what they are teaching and comparing them to the Q-Ray garbage (believe it and it works), really has no basis in fact. I must say that I found this quite entertaining and if you substituted "tongues" into the ads for the Q-Ray you might be able to make a real case for stupidity. Loved it!
We knew it was too good to be true. Here you are, back again, with more confooluded drivel. How dare you compare our fantastic experiences with God to a consumer junk toy like the Q-Ray. You need to apologize and take this blog down immediately or God will strike you dead. Our pastor told us that he received this message directly so you'd better take note of it and stop writing.
Having a good day, I see. This is a great comparison that really should be taken to heart by these poor fools involved in the tongue-speaking churches. Gibberish is just another word for the grunts and other things that come out of people's mouths in these churches and it means absolutely nothing. It is nice to see that you haven't stopped the fight for Christianity.
I really enjoyed your take on the Q-Ray comparison to the speaking in tongues. This really makes a person stop and think at how guilible some people really are. I cannot image being drawn into choosing either of these things as a solution for anything. There is no biblical inference that tongues continues into this day and the Q-ray is just a piece of tin (or something). I only hope that some deluded people can figure out what happens when the highs of tongues-speaking stop for them. Really enjoy reading your blog.
Where do you get off? This is pure garbage! Q-Rays work and I've been wearing one for years which has resulted in no arthritis pain since I started. I don't know anything about this tongues stuff that you are comparing Q-Rays too but unless you have been relieved from such severe pain by the bracelet, you have NO right to comment.
D.J. Carridine: I would love to publish the comment that you sent to me but there appears to be a keyword missing in the second line which is confusing for the reader.
Thank you.
Only the Grand Poo-Bah could compare these two subjects. Very well done; however, I do not think that you were tough enough on the gibberish speakers. They should NOT be given the "credit" of speaking in tongues. Tongues was a recognized language in biblical times and what is passing for tongues in modern times is just garbage. You are absolutely correct because anyone can make strange noises and only the pentecostals could interpret it as a heavenly language. If they can prove it means something by having more than one person interpret it exactly the same, then maybe it could be taken seriously.
Only the Grand Poo-Bah could compare these two subjects. Very well done; however, I do not think that you were tough enough on the gibberish speakers. They should NOT be given the "credit" of speaking in tongues. Tongues was a recognized language in biblical times and what is passing for tongues in modern times is just garbage. You are absolutely correct because anyone can make strange noises and only the pentecostals could interpret it as a heavenly language. If they can prove it means something by having more than one person interpret it exactly the same, then maybe it could be taken seriously.
I find this particular blog extremely interesting because I was one of the nuts who bought a Q-Ray and learned quickly that it was a hoax. I was also involved in one of these cult churches and after my experience with the bracelet, I realized that I was one of these easily-led people who was duped into speaking gibberish, feeling more spiritual than others, only to realize that I had almost lost everything before the blinders were dropped from my eyes by the Lord. I no longer attend a pentecostal church and the Q-Ray went out in the garbage can. God must have really spoken to you to get this comparison out on the internet. I can only hope others see the light before it is too late for them.
Really? We cannot understand how some people can be drawn into these situations. We are sure that there are many other con jobs out there but for us, the worst was the speaking in tongues garbage that our pastor tried to inflict on us. We never felt comfortable once this came into the church (and by the way, he wore a Q-Ray bracelet and swore by it for pain relief). Isn't that a crock considering he was teaching that if you didn't have enough faith, God wouldn't cure you. Talk about speaking out of both sides of your mouth. Anyway, we just wanted to let you know that we have been following your blog for some time and enjoy your perspectives on what is going on in our Canadian churches.
This is disgusting! Tongues cannot be compared to a commercial product that has no healing powers. Tongues gives us the closeness to God that other churches lack. I am no longer going to read your blog.
We are appalled at how easily people can be duped into believing untruths. It is almost beyond comprehension that the gibberish is believed to be a heavenly language that brings people closer to God. How do they know when nobody can tell them what they are saying? Even if they have an interpreter, only one person can make up anything as they go along. What about Jimmy Swaggart who only has one word? How does that become a whole prophesy on the TV through one gutteral sound? This really needs to stop! You should sign all these poor souls up with buying Q-Rays -- then they would have got something for their trouble -- even though it doesn't work either!
Such a great post.........
It's great to read such an insightful position such as yours when it comes to deceivable people being taken in by both of these things. What's unfortunate is that they soon learn that the Q-Ray doesn't work in a much shorter timeframe then they do with the church. All we can do is pray for these poor lost souls.
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