Friday, June 17, 2005

LIFEWAVE Energy Patch, what are the credentials?

I received a comment from Susan on the topic about wearing the Lifewave Patches:

Susan said: I have indeed worn them. Frankly, your opinion is just that ... opinion. Mine comes from personal experience and the patches have made a huge difference in my life. I am not a pushover, or one of those "poor seniors" you so willingly underestimate. I am an open-minded person that is willing to look into things and form my own opinion, rather than just dis them with no real experience. You probably have problems with all kinds of "out of the box" healing methods. A healing is a healing ... and I experienced new found energy and healings in ways you wouldn't even understand, and with that a new lease on life. I am glad there are Lifewave patches. In fact, while I never do mlm's I did this one because of my personal experience. So if there are any open-minded people out there ... come to my website, which I am proud to say is www.lifewave.com/suzanrae

Are you trying to say that your belief that they work somehow constitutes proof that they do? Here's how things work: When someone asserts that something that violates the known laws of physics works, the burden of proof is on them, not the people who say, "I don't believe it."

The people who are selling these things have to prove that they do work.

An internet search of Google turns up hundreds of hits on "Lifewave Energy Patches". I did not have time to check every one, but almost all the first hundred were from people who sell the product. They all praised the product with different combinations of promotional material (apparently supplied by Lifewave) citing the same studies and the same testimonials. Very suspicious.

I came to Susan's website to explore her information about "Studies and Scientific information" and here are some:

An Introduction to the LifeWave™ Technology by inventor David Schmidt

David Schmidt is the inventor of the Lifewave Patch technology and President of the company. I didn't succeed in providing his curriculum vitae (Is there anyone out there able to provide his curriculum vitae?), it remains a mystery. But worldwidescam have uncovered an interesting version of Mr. Schmidt's early years in an article called: Lifewave History - This is the story of how the LifeWave technology came to be.

When David Schmidt and his pals at Lifewave decided to chicken out of the $1,000,000 challenge offered by the James Randi Educational Foundation, Mr. Randi took a closer look at the Lifewave patches and posted some comments of his own on the JREF web site:
A New and Exciting Applicant.

A short synopsis of LifeWave™ patches by Dr. Steven Haltiwanger, MD CCN

Next I found a link to this putative study website, a study done by a Dr. Steven Haltiwanger, MD CCN (the CCN is for "certified clinical nutritionist").

This is what Mr. Randi discovered about Dr. Steven Haltivanger:

Curious about the qualifications of Dr. Steven Haltiwanger, MD, CCN (the latter a nutritionist degree), listed by LifeWave, I found that he'd studied under Dr. Hans Nieper, a German doctor/oncologist who described certain varieties of cancer as the result of "tachyon field turbulence of the geopathic zone," and ran on endlessly about "energy fields" and "harnessing useful energy from space," which he referred to as the "tachyon field." Dr. Haltiwanger prescribed extracts of mistletoe and Dionaea muscipula as remedies to treat cancer; that last substance is the Venus Fly Trap plant....

Looking for the accompanying photo of Dr. Nieper, I went to the site, where I found him in such esoteric company as Harold Puthoff and Andrija Puharich (both sponsors of Uri Geller) and Eugene Mallove, Tom Bearden, Evan Soule and Jean-Louis Naudin — these last four deeply involved in "free-energy" machines. I'm sure you can find many other quack-artists in that population.

I also found the doctor is "Adjunct Professor of the Capital University of Integrated Medicine". An institution that is, according to
Quackwatch.org, a "nonaccredited school headquartered in Washington, D.C., .... Its offerings include "Doctor of Integrated Medicine" and "Master of Integrated Health Science" ... It appears to have closed in 2003. "

And Dr. Steven Haltiwanger seems to Google up on any web pages that have something to do with Lifewave products.

A Real World Study by Joseph A. Goodson, MS, ATC

Even more suspicious is the "study" done by Joseph A. Goodson, Head Athletic Trainer, Moorehouse College, Atlanta, GA. Moorehouse College, according to their website, does not have a Physiology Department. Further searching reveals Mr. Goodson is not head of the Athletic Training Department since there appears to be no such thing. Goodson is listed as Head Trainer of the football team and only because there is an Assistant Trainer. The basketball team has its own "Trainer". So we are left with a "study", done by someone with no academic credentials using only 44 subjects and of course the "study" does not appear in any peer reviewed journals.

Common people might say even if they don't work, and they are just a placebo, what's the harm? But if they are placebos, as I think they are, and then they are sold under false pretences. There may be people who have legitimate medical problems who are foregoing REAL medical care in lieu of using these things.

And guess what...It's an MLM! We can all get rich by selling this and (most importantly) getting others to sell it for us! We will we be super athletes and rich too!

To everyone with an "open mind" about these patches I say...*Save your money*

More Lifewave Drivel at Randi's website.

See who links to your web site.