It is nice to be able to report some good news occasionally, and this week I was pleased to hear from Chris Higgins that Chemist Warehouse, to whom he has written repeatedly about their tacit endorsement of the ‘Hotband’ sports performance enhancement bracelet, has now removed this product from their online store and shelves.
It is not clear whether the product was removed due to Chris’s letters, or the recent ACCC undertaking against Hotband competitor ‘Power Balance’, or the TGA finding against the same company, or the bad press generally since Choice magazine gave Power Balance a ‘Shonky’ award, or because the product was recalled by the manufacturers due to all of these reasons, but either way I’m prepared to chalk it up as a win for skeptical activism and critical thinking, and to congratulate Chris for his efforts.
2010 saw several such ‘wins’ for skepticism, notably with the Power Balance shenanigans, and even more importantly with the stellar decline of the status of Meryl Dorey’s ‘Australian Vaccination Network‘ as the ‘go-to’ media source for so-called ‘balanced reporting’. Dr Rachel Dunlop wrapped up 2010 skeptical wins which is well worth checking out.
For now, head over to Chris’ blog and tell him how much you admire his activism!
Now bring on 2011!
Related Articles
- Chemist Warehouse are happy to sell you products that might not work (blog | codenix)
- Nothing New Under The Sun: Powerbalance, QLink, Shuzi and Franz Anton Mesmer (mycolleaguesareidiots.com)
- Power Balance – A Double Rip-off (gullibilitykills.wordpress.com)
- ‘No evidence’ for Power Balance (bbc.co.uk)
- Pseudoscience: Power Balance bracelet an admitted fraud (secularnewsdaily.com)
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