The Q-Ray and Copper Bracelets

In Chapter One, there is a brief discussion of the Q-Ray bracelet. This bracelet was marketed to relieve pain, restore energy, improve performance, and muscle flexibility. These claims, along with the claims on the bracelet’s website (that the Q-Ray was based on ancient Chinese acupuncture, as well as yin and yang ions) sound promising. Losing balance between yin and yang ions can lead to “anxiety, stress, fear, hatred, and physical exhaustion” (www.qray.com.) The website goes on to explain the body’s electromagnetic fields. Sounds legit, right?
Surely, all of us have worried about lost ions!
I was drawn to the Q-Ray because my mother (who isn’t the brightest crayon in the box) got me a similar sounding copper bracelet for this past Christmas. It came in a little box with a slip of paper that, now thinking about it, sounded suspiciously familiar to the Q-Ray description. The copper bracelet my mom got me was very similar to this one on the Pyramid Collection website: http://www.pyramidcollection.com/itemdy00.asp?ID=1,622&GEN1=Bracelets+%26+Cuffs&T1=P16023&dispRow=269&srccode= . The Pyramid Collection website claims that this copper bracelet can be worn to “alleviate symptoms of arthritis, rheumatism, even tendonitis” (www.pyramidcollection.com.) The bracelet I got also promised to prevent the common cold.
I’m sure you’re begging the question: So does this bracelet work?!
Well! I can tell you, as someone who doesn’t usually get sick that often in the wintery months, I didn’t notice a difference. I don’t have arthritis, rheumatism, or tendonitis, and I wore the bracelet on my right hand (I’m left-handed.) I did notice, however, that the copper (after about 2-3 months) started to turn my wrist green. That’s right people, like those craptastic rings you get in 25 cent vending machines, my entire right wrist was a forest green. I took the bracelet off and surprisingly, I had quite a few colds after. However, I don’t believe the events to be connected. I work with little kids so I’m susceptible to a lot of a germs (I blame them for any and all colds. Not that I don't like them, they're just.. Germy.)

Q-Ray

Q-Ray is an ionized bracelet that was marketed as a cure for arthritis pain. The Q-Ray uses language that sounds scientific but, the language that the makes of the Q-Ray use is not scientific at all. The makers of Q-Ray use pseudoscience language. As the book points out pseudoscience claims do not undergo peer reviews like real science does. The Q-Ray doesn't use testing or peer reviews, no scientific studies were done to back up the claims that the Q-Ray makes. Q-Ray claims it relieves pain, improves performance, restores energy and improves muscle flexibility. The makers of Q-Ray use testimonials from people who are not authorities in the field which can be very misleading for people and lead them to believe something that is not true. The Q-Ray claims to work by using natural holistic pain relief. The bracelet also claims to balance a person's positive and negative ions. This balance of ions will give give people pain relief.

The problem is Q-Ray doesn't do any of the things that it claims it can do. As the book notes there is no such thing as ionic imbalance of the body. The Q-Ray is pseudoscience and not real scientific at all. Scientific at all. Since making false or misleading claims are against the law. Q-Ray no longer puts false claims on its website, but still uses a lot of pseudoscience language on the website. If it's too good to be true it usually is, which is the case with Q-Ray

The Q Ray and Its Mystical Healing

For years we have seen TV commercials for the Q Ray bracelet. It claims that it can help relieve all different types of problems. The Q Ray is said to be made out of an ionized metal that is constructed based on principals that are over two thousand years old. It uses the ions in the metal to to create balance with your alpha and beta waves.

Some of the supporting claims of the Q Ray are that it mostly relieves pain, improves your performance, restores energy and is good for muscle flexibility. It says that much of this right on their website. Some consumer claims about the Q Ray are that it looks good, creates a sense of well being and that it changes their lives. Some other claims that are based on scientific research are that it does nothing at all, except make money mystically disappear.

The bracelet has been proven by scientists to not be ionized at all and many say that it is simply a waste of money. I know of a family member who actually bought a Q Ray and said it did nothing to improve their life. They wore it faithfully everyday for years and it had no healing powers at all for them, maybe they just got a broken one. Or maybe they just fell into a trap that thousands of people have fallen into, that their is some magical device that will make all of your problems go away.

The Q Ray bracelet is not something that anyone should invest their hard earned money in. Science has proven that does not work and it really is not all that fashionable either.