Hologram bracelet

A Power Balance branded hologram bracelet

A hologram bracelet or energy bracelet^[1] is a small rubber wristband supposedly fitted with a hologram. Manufacturers have said that the holograms supposedly "optimise the natural flow of energy around the body," and, "improve an athlete's strength, balance and flexibility".^[2] Only anecdotal evidence supports these claims and tests performed by the Australian Skeptics,^[3] the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff,^[4] and the RMIT's School of Health Sciences^[5] have been unable to identify any effect on performance.

Products

Hologram bracelets include a small hologram which manufacturers say is "programmed" through an undisclosed process.^[1][6][7] Power Balance, who have manufactured the bracelets since 2007, say that the programming "mimics Eastern philosophies".^[7] The holograms are most usually installed in bracelets and wristbands but are also sold as pendants or necklaces, anklets, shoe inserts, pet tags, or separately for users to apply to the back of a watch, for example.

Manufacturers including Power Balance and EFX Performance make no claims on their websites for their products, but carry testimonials from users who say that they improve athletic performance.^[7][8][9] Until 2010, Power Balance said that their bracelets helped improve an athlete's strength, balance and flexibility^[2][10] because the holograms are embedded with an "electrical frequency" that restores the body's "electrical balance" on contact with its natural energy field.^[11] In December 2010, following a successful legal action by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, Power Balance admitted that there was no credible scientific evidence for these claims.^[10][12]

Response

Mark Hodgkinson, writing in The Daily Telegraph in 2010, called hologram bracelets a fad^[2] with many professional athletes seen wearing them and several actively endorsing them. Footballers David Beckham^[2] and Cristiano Ronaldo^[3] have worn them, and tennis players Sam Querrey and Mardy Fish both wore them during the final of the 2010 Queen's Club Championships.^[2][3] Endorsements for the Power Balance bracelet have come from Shaquille O'Neal, Rubens Barrichello,^[2] and the London Wasps rugby team,^[3] while ice hockey team the Cardiff Devils announced a partnership with Power Balance in early 2010.^[4] NASCAR reported in 2011 that many drivers wore EFX Performance bracelets with the Hendrick Motorsports and Stewart-Haas Racing teams entering into licensing deals.^[13]

Several groups have investigated the effects of hologram bracelets on athletic performance. A 2011 study by RMIT University's School of Health Sciences found that there was an overall decrease in the balance and stability of wearers, although it was not statistically significant and the overall conclusion was that the bracelets had no effect on performance.^[5] The Australian Skeptics group found that the bracelets has no more than a placebo effect.^[3]

Research by the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, commissioned by the BBC, also found that wearing the bracelets had no effect on performance in standard sports industry tests, adding that neither the physiology or the biology of wearers was changed.^[4] However, Dr Gareth Irwin who carried out the tests said that there may be changes in performance because of the placebo effect, a view which has been echoed by sports psychologists.^[14] Sports psychologist Victor Thompson says the bracelets play on superstition, simply giving people the expectation that they can improve their sporting performance.^[3] Cricket coach Jeremy Snape said he prefers that athletes have belief in themselves rather than in an external product, while Roberto Forzoni described the bracelets as "gimmicks" which allow athletes to avoid addressing real issues in their performance, with the high-profile endorsements giving the sense of belonging to an elite group of athletes.^[2]

See also

• Amulet
• Energy (esotericism)
• Ionized bracelet
• List of topics characterized as pseudoscience
• Scientific skepticism
• Magnet therapy
• Mood ring
• Quackery
• Talisman

References

1. Harriet Hall (26 October 2010). "Energy Bracelets: Embedding Frequencies in Holograms for Fun and Profit". Science-Based Medicine.org. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
2. "Power Balance bracelets: source of energy or just a gimmick?". The Daily Telegraph. 15 October 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
3. Patrick Kingsley (1 August 2010). "Sport's latest sensation: a rubbery bracelet". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
4. Power Balance band is placebo, say expert, BBC News, 22 November 2010
5. Brice SR, Jarosz BS, Ames RA, Baglin J, Da Costa C (2011). "The effect of close proximity holographic wristbands on human balance and limits of stability: A randomised, placebo-controlled trial". J Bodyw Mov Ther. 15 (3): 298–303. doi:10.1016/j.jbmt.2011.01.020. PMID 21665105.
6. "EFX Performance: FAQs". Retrieved 26 July 2011.
7. "Power Balance: FAQs". Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
8. "EFX Performance: Testimonials". Retrieved 26 July 2011.
9. "Statement on Media Coverage". Power Balance. 5 January 2011. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
10. "Power Balance come clean and offer refunds after admitting wristbands do not enhance performance". The Daily Telegraph. 4 January 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
11. Lewis Samuels (17 February 2010). "Balance of Power: Can holographic stickers make you rip like Andy Irons?". Stabmag.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
12. "Power wristbands banned and refunds ordered by ACCC". Herald Sun. 23 December 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
13. "EFX Performance partners with Hendrick, SHR". NASCAR.com. 13 May 2011. Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
14. Bruce Crumley (4 October 2010). "Wrist Watch". Time. Archived from the original on September 27, 2010. Retrieved 29 July 2011.