Power/Balance - surely a scam?

[Beaver]

I've never really posted much on here before, but I read heaps.. in a kind of perverted way..

Anyway I was having a bit of a cruise through some youtube vids last night.. As one tends to do when uni assignments are due..

And I came across some testimonials from guys like Rasta and Bruce Irons endorsing this product called power/balance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiiR8VG4 ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqos2uXB ... re=related

So I thought I'd check out the website and try suss this shit out..
Basically there's some dude in Hawaii who reckons he can harness 'naturally occurring frequencies' that react well with the body and incorporate them into a bunch of different products with holograms on them like necklaces, bracelets, stickers and cards. Now essentially this is supposed to promote balance, flexibility, strength and overall wellness.

They explain the way their product works with what is really some pseudoscientific bullshit. And I can't understand how it could be anything more than a placebo effect. I'm pretty skeptical, I think it’s a gnarly little scam they've got running. But the products aren't particularly expensive and I was really surprised by the number of testimonials there are for this stuff, from some pretty reputable guys, sportspeople from several different sports endorsing the product both on the website and youtube.

I've got a feeling they people in the vids have been scammed in a pretty big way. They do a bunch of bio mechanic tests on people's balance with and without the product. In this vid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMDE2FIK ... re=related a commenter points out that the dude administering the test applies his weight completely differently at 1:26 and 1:40.

For the guys who it ‘works’ for, do you think it's just a case of a Placebo effect? Or do you think there's any truth in it?

Here's a link to the website
http://powerbalance.net/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1DJzUZcDHY (if you check the comments in this vid theres some angry punters complaining about being scammed)

I pulled this from their FAQ's
How was POWER BALANCE developed?

POWER BALANCE was developed as the marriage of two ideas: First, years of extensive research into holographic and lenticular media showed the complexity of the hologram and the fact that it can be programmed to hold certain frequencies. Second, further research was necessary to understand what frequency it was that best promoted energy flow throughout the body. Once discovered, this led to the unconventional programming of bio-resonating frequencies onto holograms. The result was POWER BALANCE. Similar forms of this technology have been used in Eastern medicine for centuries and are quickly being introduced and embraced in the west.

[Lucky Al]

nice first post beaver i feel sixk

[Lucky Al]

sorry nice 139th post i feel six,

[boogaloo]

... I can't understand how it could be anything more than a placebo effect.
...
For the guys who it ‘works’ for, do you think it's just a case of a Placebo effect? Or do you think there's any truth in it?

Don't dis the placebo effect. It's a powerful source of healing.

Any drug can elicit the placebo effect, so for a drug itself to be proven efficaceous it must work significantly better than a placebo.

[dUg]

where can we get these placebos?

[purple pyramids]

where can we get these placebos?

i used to buy my placebos from the pool hall above kings cross station and the astra hotel at bondi. but they're both closed. it's hard to get anyone to sell you placebos once you turn 15 or muscle up a bit.
i hear manly corso used to be a good place as well.

my favourite placebo was a 'micro-dot' hundred-and-thousand inside a square of clear sticky tape.

[Nick Carroll]

I have a Power/Balance in my wallet right now! I'm serious! Hang on, I'll get it out.

(rummage, etc)

OK! I am holding the card.


(a minute passes...)


Hmm, not much has happened. Oh well.

[Grooter]

where can we get these placebos?

Maybe there is some in this truck!!!

[puurri]

Get em from that Domingo fella.

[dUg]

where can we get these placebos?

Maybe there is some in this truck!!!

Hehe... well spotted Hatchman.

[oldman]

Don't dis the placebo effect. It's a powerful source of healing.

Any drug can elicit the placebo effect, so for a drug itself to be proven efficaceous it must work significantly better than a placebo.

No drug works better than a placebo, they're the most efiicacious drug ever invented

[Beaver]

I have a Power/Balance in my wallet right now! I'm serious! Hang on, I'll get it out.

(rummage, etc)

OK! I am holding the card.


(a minute passes...)


Hmm, not much has happened. Oh well.

How did you end up with that in your wallet?