Objective
To assess objectively the perceived benefits of wearing an “ionized” wrist bracelet
to treat muscle or joint pain.
Subjects and Methods
This study was performed at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla, in 2000 and 2001.
In a randomized, double-blind design, 305 participants wore an ionized bracelet and
305 wore a placebo bracelet for 4 weeks. For each location where pain was present
at baseline, participants rated the intensity of pain. Follow-up ratings were made
after 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days of wearing the bracelet. Two primary end points
were defined for evaluating efficacy. The first was the change at 4-week follow-up
(day 28) in the pain score at the location with the highest baseline value (maximum
pain score). The second was the change at 4-week follow-up in the sum of the pain
scores for all locations.
Results
Analysis of the data showed significant improvement in pain scores in both groups,
but no differences were observed between the group wearing the placebo bracelet and
the group wearing the ionized bracelet.
Conclusion
The finding that subjective improvement in pain scores was equivalent with ionized
and placebo bracelet use questions the benefit of using an ionized bracelet. New treatments
in alternative medical therapy must be shown to be effective through vigorous, unbiased,
objective testing before physicians acknowledge potential benefits or recommend these
treatments to patients.
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REFERENCES
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Article Info
Footnotes
Dr Montero is in private practice in Chesapeake, Va. Dr Adams is in private practice in Athens, Ga. Dr Novas is in the Medical Corps, United States Air Force, San Antonio, Tex. Dr McKay is in private practice in Dade City, Fla. Dr Mueller is in private practice in Crystal River, Fla
Identification
Copyright
© 2002 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
