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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe makers of Harmonized Water (a.k.a. drinkable sunscreen) do a “clinical trial.” Hilarity ensues.
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2014/08/06/the-makers-of-harmonized-water-a-k-a-drinkable-sunscreen-do-a-clinical-trial-hilarity-ensues/It's a Wednesday Dose of Woo, from Orac.
About a week ago, my good bud Steve Novella noted a tasty bit of silly pseudoscience finding its way around the usual places, such as Facebook, Twitter, and the like. It was one of those times where I smacked myself on the forehead (metaphorically speaking, of course) and asked, How on earth did I miss this bit of pseudoscience? It is, after all, more than Your Friday Dose of Woo-worthy, even though I havent done a YFDoW segment for over a year. (Remember, I found that my creation had become too constraining; so I retired it. I might bring it back someday, but today is not the day, obviously, because its Wednesday, not Friday.) In any case, Steve had fun with something called Harmonized Water by Osmosis Skin Care.
The website claimed these sorts of miraculous properties for its drinkable sunscreen:
- A new technology that imprints frequencies as standing waves onto water molecules.
- The ability to stack thousands of frequencies onto one molecule, for better healing effect
- Revolutionary formula that allows Osmosis Skin Care to reverse engineer the frequencies of substances found in nature and/or the human body.
- Recently identified frequencies that have beneficial effects on the body.
As Steve noted, if all these claims were true, and Harmonized Water could do all the things claimed for it, in particular to vibrate above the skin to neutralize UVA and UVB, creating protection comparable to an SPF 30, the creators of this magical water would be in serious consideration for a Nobel Prize. When you look at the ingredients listed, theyre listed as Distilled Water and Multiple Vibrational Frequency Blends, whatever that means, and the company claims that similar to how noise reduction headphones work, these waters cancel out UV rays by delivering targeted wave patterns to the skin in the form of water. So whats more likely, that this company has made a Nobel Prize-worthy discovery and is marketing it as a drinkable sunscreen or that Harmonized Water is complete and total pseudoscience? I mean, come on!
I think you know the answer to that one.
More hilarity at link.
Sid
eShirl
(18,495 posts)MineralMan
(146,320 posts)It's Homeopathetic Water!
Agschmid
(28,749 posts)And just because I normally post on mobile and never see your sig line... I choose TRANNY. Enough said.
SidDithers
(44,228 posts)but that Teabagger moran sign was just too delicious to pass up.
Sid
hobbit709
(41,694 posts)Want to bet on whether or not they would resemble a boiled lobster.
NightWatcher
(39,343 posts)The shape of the glass was supposed to reprogram the structure of the water to remove the bad vibrations from traveling through pipes.
I am not going to buy a glass water bottle for $35 that is supposed to modify the structure of the water.
"When water comes into contact with glass programmed in this manner, information is transferred onto it through the quantum electrodynamic oscillations of coherent domains in the glass"
With the Flaska bottle, we bring the vibrational structure of water closer to the structure of spring water, i.e. water in its natural environment - this is called water structuring. Using TPS (technology of programming silicon), a vibrational programme consisting of various kinds of information from nature is imprinted into the glass.
http://www.flaska.eu/water-structuring-with-flaska
And remember...
Do not wash your Flaska bottle in a dishwasher or leave it in the direct vicinity of devices which emit strong electromagnetic radiation (e.g. a working microwave oven, a mobile or wireless phone during active talking).
The vibrational structuring of water begins immediately after water is poured into the Flaska bottle wait at least five minutes to ensure full effect.
Before drinking, shake the Flaska bottle a couple of times. Water loves motion, and the effect of vibrational structuring will increase, as the coherent domains will expand and strengthen
SidDithers
(44,228 posts)Sad thing is, there really are people who'll buy that stuff.
Sid
Buns_of_Fire
(17,186 posts)Rex
(65,616 posts)SidDithers
(44,228 posts)Riding those cats in those waves looks like fun, tho.
A friend has an old Hobie Cat 18, that we go out on once in a while, and that thing just flies across the water.
Sid
Rex
(65,616 posts)But only if I can drink my sunscreen!
SidDithers
(44,228 posts)but there's not many things more fun than going really fast under wind-power.
I'll stick with regular sunscreen though.
Sid
Rex
(65,616 posts)Holyshit that must be the king of all moran signs!
DetlefK
(16,423 posts)SidDithers
(44,228 posts)#10 - Use the word quantum in a sentence, despite not knowing what it means. For a more impressive effect, use it with the name of your favorite superstition - "quantum dowsing" sure sounds mighty serious
Sid
muriel_volestrangler
(101,336 posts)Read this DU thread, weep, and be thankful the admins decided nonsense about the evil USA setting off quakes around the world was woo beyond the bounds of even 'Creative Speculation': http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x960877
derby378
(30,252 posts)SidDithers
(44,228 posts)Sid
riqster
(13,986 posts)Nude sunbathing after drinking that stuff.
SidDithers
(44,228 posts)Sid
Avalux
(35,015 posts)They gave their product to some people, exposed them to UV light and took some photos and are now claiming they did an RCT. Here's how it should have been done:
1. Screen and select subjects based upon criteria that will ensure uniformity, i.e. half male and half female with the same skin type (use the fitzpatrick scale).
2. 1:1 ratio randomization of subjects to receive either product or a placebo.
3. Baseline skin assessment by clinician.
3. Baseline photos.
4. Dose subjects with products, expose each to UV light (identical voltage and time) at the same anatomical location.
5. After exposure photos.
6. After exposure skin assessment by clinician.
7. Compare results of skin assessments between the two groups.
The photos are merely a visual and shouldn't be presented as 'results'. The skin assessment would be done with a standardized scale so that the results can be analyzed.
The manufacturers of this product know it's woo and know a real study would never prove it works, so they made crap up. Unfortunately, some people won't know the difference.
Archae
(46,340 posts)"Surprise, surprise, surprise!"
I wonder how many skin cancers and bad sunburns will happen due to this bullshit.
SidDithers
(44,228 posts)Sid