Do those Phiten titanium necklaces actually enhance athletic ability and promote healing?
Asks Alex from NYC
Stuart Fox • October 6, 2008
![Can Phiten necklaces make you win a baseball game? Is voodoo real? <br>[Credit Alan Sung]](https://scienceline.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/1192130226_ff0fa9ce4f_b.jpg)
Can Phiten necklaces make you win a baseball game? Is voodoo real?
[Credit Alan Sung]
With baseball heading toward the World Series and the NFL just getting started, not a day goes by without a televised sporting event. And people watching those games may notice an odd fashion accessory: the Phiten titanium necklace. The necklaces are sported most prominently by Matt Hasselbeck of the Seattle Seahawks, Joba Chamberlain of the New York Yankees and Josh Beckett of the Boston Red Sox, who believe that they enhance their physical and mental abilities. And they probably do, but more for psychological than physiological reasons.
In 1982 Yoshihiro Hirata, an alternative medicine practitioner, founded Phiten, the company that sells his titanium-infused products. The necklaces first gained prominence in Japan, where they are still popular with athletes. According to the company, the necklaces and bracelets work by stabilizing the electric flow that nerves use to communicate actions to the body. “All of the messages in your body travel through electricity, so if you’re tired or just pitched nine innings, the electricity isn’t flowing as smoothly as it can,” said Joe Furuhata, a Phiten spokesman. “Our products smooth out those signals.”
While many sports stars believe the necklaces give them luck, not everyone is convinced. Many doctors and scientists say there is no scientific evidence supporting Phiten’s theory. “There’s no science and physiology,” said Dr. Orrin Sherman, chief of sports medicine at the New York University Hospital for Joint Diseases. “There’s just no way the chemical structure of the body can be influenced by magnets that small. It’s all superstitions with no scientific basis.”
Sherman noted that when people interact with magnets far more powerful than the Phiten necklaces, like the magnets in a CT (computerized tomography) scan machine, for instance, they do not report any of the effects pitchers and quarterbacks say they receive from the necklace.But while the physiology behind the necklaces doesn’t hold up to scientific scrutiny, that doesn’t mean they do not help. Athletes are a superstitious lot. From Craig Biggio, who did not wash his batting helmet for an entire season, to Wade Boggs, who would only eat chicken before games, athletes love all manners of hokum and voodoo. If the players think they are getting an advantage from the necklace and that gives them increased confidence, then they do in fact get a positive boost from the product. “You’ve gotta believe in placebo effect,” said Sherman.
So maybe science shouldn’t stop Hideki Okajima of the Boston Red Sox from wearing three necklaces whenever he takes the mound. Sure, the necklaces don’t actually alter the electric flow in the body, but as any player who has stopped shaving during the playoffs can attest, when you’re winning, you don’t want to change a thing.
254 Comments
Phiten products do actually have scientific evidence to support the claims. The product does not use magnets, instead it ises an ionized titanium product that emits low level ionized radiation.
Studies have shown that the Phiten technology actually reduces the firing potential of pain neurons in the brain.
Studies have been done on animals and plants that have shown real results beyond a placebo effect. I would add that animals can not feel a pyscological effect of wearing a product. Before writing something off on a science blog I would do a little research on the actual product rather than citing false information.
Austin,
Ridiculous ‘healing’ products are launched every day and some gain traction with the less intelligent end of the population. Please do us all the great favor of citing (that means listing the source of) the scientific evidence that you claim exists.
If scientific evidence that proved even the most minute (that means small) benefit for the Phiten Necklace, then the marketing gurus for Phiten would be advertising it everywhere to appeal to the intelligent folks in the world. This would dramatically increase their sales.
By the way, if there is evidence that plants benefit from being around titanium, how is that relevant? Plants also thrive in a carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere that causes brain damage in humans…perhaps you were sitting next to one of these plants during the carbon dioxide experiment??
can u (austin) or anyone tell post up the link containing the scientific evidence if possible?
thanks
Casey and lola,
I don’t intend to put down your intelligence in anyway and I don’t know your educational background, but even if Austin did post the scientific evidence behind Phiten’s technology, I doubt you would really understand it. Lab tests and results normally aren’t meant for the general public to comprehend.
As an average sports fan, when I see professional players endorse/wear products like Phiten, I give it a try with an objective view. Let’s not knock Phiten even before you step on the field with one on.
I was skeptical of these necklaces at first and regardless if its a placebo effect or not, millions on people are wearing Phiten necklaces which has to say something. http://www.GoPhiten.com has cheap phiten.
Hey Lola, I found some info that you asked for above go to http://www.easybackpainrelief.com/evidence.cfm
for evidence on Phiten. It shows thermal body scans etc. Hope this helps. Buy from http://www.GoPhiten.com
Oh, please. The healing power of necklaces? My son’s baseball team recently became obsessed with these, and a rep from a Phiten store came to a practice to hawk them. To “prove” they work, she had folks place palms together and then stretch one palm backwards, so we would feel how tight our lower inner arm felt. Then she applied a round patch about the size of a nickel “right where it hurt the most.” We then repeated the stretch test. Whaddayaknow! Not as much pain! A quick two stretches to the other lower arm showed (sans patch) showed the other arm also felt better on the second stretch. That’s what stretching does!Yes, scientific tests are full of mumbo-jumbo that we mere mortals can’t understand, but real ones start out with an abstract, sort of a synopsis, that we CAN understand. I’d love to see an abstract to a genuine study of the Power Of Necklaces.
I agree with the sentiment of this article but I take issue with a person who posts on a science blog but talks about the large magnets that people are exposed to in CT. CT uses radiation to produce images not magnets. I believe you would want to talk about the large magnetic fields that people are exposed to in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to attempt to prove your point.
yea i was skeptical at first when i heard about phiten… but when they came out with Phiten MLB i had to get one. My wife also has bought a tornado necklace and hasn’t had a sore neck since. If your thinking about getting one these guys are pretty reasonable Phiten. As far as a review of the necklaces, your either a believer or you are not. Look at the rediculous ammounts of money that people drop on expensive titanium jewelry
“Studies have shown that the Phiten technology actually reduces the firing potential of pain neurons in the brain.”
First of all Austin, there is no such thing as a pain neuron… there are only 1. sensory neurons 2. motor neurons 3. interneurons
Pain is caused by the rapid firing off of these neurons…
I do not sell, endorse or I do not want to convince anyone to get one… I am talking from my own personal experience… On my left shoulder and when I make a certain movement, I had a sharp pain, I had it for months, and I could not exercise (Gym) with that arm. While travelling overseas, I went to a mall, and entered a store that was selling this necklace; the sales rep told me to give it a try, in less than a week’s time the pain has faded and I feel better overall… I do not know if it is/was a coincidence or not, but I still wear it and believe in it. I do not care what Casey, Charlie or the author of this article say… It works for me and that is what matters…
My 10 yr old son recently asked for a phiton necklace, mostly for the cool factor because he is a baseball player and a huge fan. For the past 4 years he has suffered from severe migraine headaches ranging from 2 to 4 per month. When he gets the headaches he takes immitrex nasal spray and that usually stops it. We purchased a phiton necklace about 2 months ago and he wears it everyday and since then he has not had one headache.. I am a skeptic but in this case at least for now I believe. I would love to see Phiton do a study with people that have routine migraine headaches and see if there is any truth or real healing power to them.. All I know is my 10 yr old son is thankful. I will keep u posted..
Im 15 years old and i play high school baseball, and i am very much into lifting weights. I have recently been wearing a copper braclet to relieve some of the aches and pains from lifting. The phiten necklaces are becoming more and more popular among my baseball team and lifting buddies so i borrowed one from them and my elbows and knees increasingly quit aching. I was sold so i ordered a yankees one.
To George and Austin:
I’m not a member of the general public; I’m a scientist with a graduate degree. If you have studies, put your money where your mouth is and post them. Until then, I remain skeptical of anecdotal evidence and pseudo-science, so I doubt the necklaces will work for me.
w/ my experince of phitens they work really well i do agree that it is all mental but it still akes me perfomr better when i first got the bracelet i went 9 for 9 all day while scoring 9 for 9 times out of 2 games
i think people should stop dissing them cause they do work as long as u believe in them
“Studies have shown that the Phiten technology actually reduces the firing potential of pain neurons in the brain.”
should actually have read …
“Studies have shown that the Phiten technology actually reduces the firing potential of any neurons in the brain.
I’ve had this piercing pain on my left shoulder for years already (at least 5 years). I would get a massage once a week, shiatsu or thai massage to relieve the pain. They cost a fortune! I was introduced to Phiten by my cousin who sold me a bracelet a couple of months ago. I immediately felt some relief. However, two days after, my left shoulder started to ache again. I went to a Phiten shop and bought a necklace. The pain was gone in an hour. I’m still wearing the necklace, and still no pains, so far. It’s been 3 months, and I haven’t gone for a massage again! Phiten has saved me a lot of money! I’ve also been sleeping so well since I got the Phiten products!
Lola dont be a prick by publicly or in other terms, cyber bully Austin. He was only stating what he believed. No need to make fun by acting like he is two years old with your little parentheses jokes
I’ve never heard of these titanium bracelets but I do recall a man named Edgar Cayce who lived in the first half of the twentieth century who mentioned something about keeping a small piece of carbon based Iron in your pocket or somewhere near your body to stay healthy.It had something to do with the fact that we are carbon based lifeforms.It also has something to do with the frequency vibrations of carbon based Iron’s magnetic properties.
SOME MUSHROOMS CAN CONVERT TOXINS INTO NON TOXIC MATERIAL
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22mushrooms+that+convert+toxic+material%22&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq=&aqi=
well i just went to a mall today with my father and step mother, and i was positive the whole thing was a hoax they did the tests and i almost laughed at them but then when they put the patches on my back where one of my vertebrea is slightly out of place ( serious pain most of the day) in about 10 min i already felt more relaxed, im still not positive that this thing works and it may just be a placebo effect but if i can go this whole next week without much back pain like i usually do then this really does work, i also got the necklace and i felt my shoulders and neck relax too, i usually am stiff there because im a breakdancer and i do a lot of headspins and i usually dont warm up well but yeah…we will see what happens this week after i dance and see if any of this really works, so far so good on the back and neck…i also have a bracelet, i dont usually believe in any of these things, but if its makin my back feel relaxed when its usually in spazam then….well thats amazing! ill repost next week with updates !
Here’s my testimony, for anyone who cares to read it :) I’ve not heard or read anything about this product before when I stood outside the shop. I was having this recurring back ache and a headache.They did the usual demo and sale pitch,frankly I was skeptical.How could a piece of string cure my headache? However I was curious as I played softball in college,and seeing those endorsements from the MLB player, I decide to try one.Put it on immediately and my headache was gone by the time I stepped out. Now I’m thinking it could be due to retail therapy :)
These things are a joke. They don’t work. There is no proof of any enhanced abilities. I seen all of the Korean team members during the WBC wearing these. I laughed.
For those who shares their experiences just to somehow give a little proof of this “wonder” necklace, you all are such great persons. Why? Because you give comments based on your personal experiences.
Not so sure for those who keep on commenting without even trying it at least.
I’m not a scientist nor a genius guy but somehow, i know when to react with basis.
Right now, I’m just about to try this product… I’ll share to you next time my own “experiences”.
I bought an 18″ Phiten Titanium necklace one week ago to date. I have had nerve associated pain in my left shoulder for years. The product did not curb any of the pain, did not give me energy, did not make me happier, did not help a stiff neck, did not make me cycle faster, did not make me tired less quickly and did not give me an extra mental edge. I wish it had have worked but I’ll be returning it for a refund. I still think there could be something out there that could help in any one of these areas. If a necklace of radioactive material can kill you, there should be the opposite of that somewhere. Hopefully someone will find it. As far as Phiten necklaces are concerned, it’s just a necklace. The wraps could do something but I have never tried them. In their case I would give them a try as well. It’s a different principle, but silver in a wrap inhibits bacterial growth. So who knows that Phiten’s wraps could do for you, you’d have to try them.
Lola could hardly bully Austin when they don’t know how to use capitals or puncuation. A ? after a request and not a question, plus the u instead of you.
Nice post Austin, Lola, your an idiot, this is a discussion for people to share their “experiences” with this product. If you are looking for factual scientific data in this environment you have shown what an idiot you are.
I have used a phiten necklace since a major shoulder seperation and rotator cuff repair.
I am well ahead of my Dr.’s prediciotn for recovery and he is researching the necklace based on my recovery.
No scientific data, just my experience shared with others to take for what it’s worth.
I had a prediciotn once too. It was that I would make a total ass of myself on the internet. See it never came true.
OMG, I have used this and instantly I feel much better, my back pain has stopped and my migraines also! When used in conjunction with my healing crystals I feel energetic and ready for anything :).
From my personal experiences it is really really good. And you cant deny personal experiences because humans are not able to be wrong and infallible. Curse you science and your stupid studies – what have you done for the world? We, the people are right and you are conspiring against us!
But even the science supports us, there have been studies with an outstanding test sample of 10 people and are indeed true.
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7144589.html?query=phild&stemming=on
http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44686&page=15
Tablas Recoup wearables, which are coated with 17-micron palladium, are assembled in amelio-sterile conditions. The fractal ceramic inners are super-heated and super-cooled 38 times in a Barzionic retro-furnace.
During this extremely complex hyop-hyper-thermal process, the wearables are rapidly swung through pressurized chambers containing 277 bio-enzymes in gaseous form. These repeatedly-applied molecular-level coats give the wearables their proven super-healing properties.
At the core are the sealed biomasses – these include gingerbread extract, topolactyl carbon, flourinated hydrazine, quasi-pilorial succinylcholine and common vitriol sheathed in an argon envelope.
I suggest you get one of these for the amazing health benefits that accrue within minutes of wearing it.
I don’t know if you noticed it… but, at the 2009 India Open, both Taufik and Pi Hongyan were wearing Tablas Recoup necklaces. (Those who lost were wearing Phiten!) It’s no surprise that TH and PH won the titles without too much trouble
Let me start by agreeing with you Scott, uber punctuation is needed for bullying – especially when the bullying is just politely asking for some evidence.
But Tablas Recoup does work better than the lame titanium in Phiten. Phiten’s “Phild Processing”, bah! This processing is inferior to hyop-hyper-thermal processing of Tablas Recoup. The Tablas Recoup sounds so much more complicated and therefore I think it’s better. Tablas Recoup > Phiten
have been posted by the same child
Phiten works! I bought a necklace after researching for ages and reading loads of test results and testimonials. Since buying a Phiten necklace the following positive effects have happened to me: I got a huge increase at work, I met the woman of my dreams, turns out that she has a Phiten necklace too, I got a 6 pack and muscles in places that I never had before, I can now jump 3 metres high and run 37 kmh. I then woke up and made a sandwich and banana shake.
Well, the bottom line is, these things cost less than $10 bucks online. I’ve seen some on ebay for about $7. If you are curious, try it. If it doesn’t work..so what?? You blew less than $10. Why is everybody being so knitpicky? Oh, and DJ Taka, you may have laughed when the Korean WBC baseball team was wearing them but I don’t think any other team was when they made it to the finals and nearly one the final game in the bottom of the 9th inning. Not bad for a country where professional baseball only started in 1982.
This totaly works! I had a baseball game right before i bought and i was throwing 40 mph ( there was a radr gun). Then next game when i was wearing it in was throwing 173 mph with a wicked curve and hitting bombs that would make barry bonds look like a little 10 year old white boy hit them!
i am 14 years old and i bought a phiten necklace out of the curiosity if it worked or not i play baseball year around and i heard josh beckett and joba chamberlin use them and like them i thought i ought to give them a try i bought it and put it on my right elbow always is sore from pitching once i put it on it seemed to draw the pain out with in three days their was absoulutley no more pain if you havent tried it and you have pain or soreness i would recomend it and if you havent tried i think you should keep your oppinion to yourself (if negative) why make fun of it if you havent tryed it
I hurt my arm in wrestling season and could not throw a baseball without it hurting. I tried all sorts of stretching and everything else before trying Phiten. My arm hurts just not nearly as bad and not nearly as long. Phiten does not claim to “cure” your pains but they do say they can help and they do… For me. For the people out there trying to convince they work, stop trying. Who cares if they believe if it works for you then let the people who hurt keep hurting.
It works for me and that’s all that counts.
And who cares if it’s all in their heads. If it works for them, whether its in your head or blood flows more smoothly, Phiten is doing what they said.
Believe it will work and it will. Don’t believe it will work and it wont its simple. But there’s no need for this huge thing.
For the people who are trying to convince others it does not work, who cares if people believe they’re not wasting your money so why do you care if they go out and buy them. It is their money.
i bought one of these because i had a sore arm and nothing seemed to work and so i wore it for a couple of weeks and it did not help with any pain but i did find that i could no longer remember how to use any puncuation at all and my caps key on my keyboard broke so i’m going to keep it cause it save me time when i type now
For almost four hours, today, my neck, shoulders, and back were aching from shifting books. I went to the local Phiten shop and had several pieces of the titanium tape and discs applied to my neck and upper back. Within ten minutes, the pain eased and I felt much better. I bought a necklace also and have been wearing it for the past few hours. My range of motion is good and the tension in my shoulders has lessened significantly. I don’t know the science behind the product. I just know it works. My husband and several friends use Phiten products and are quite happy with the result. Now, so am I.
I tend to be a skeptic when it comes to the alternative medicine angle. That said, I purchased a Phiten necklace a few months ago mostly for the fashion aspect. Prior to wearing this necklace, I would get a couple of stress headaches per week. Since purchasing the necklace, I have only had one headache.
I am still skeptical and believe that what I am experiencing could be in part due to a placebo effect, but I just purchased another Phiten (I get them very inexpensively) and braided it enough to fit my ankle to see if it helps with frequent pain in my left foot from a break a few years back. Time will tell how this turns out, but if my foot stops hurting, I will probably be the biggest Phiten shill out there.
My experience exactly mirrors that of another contributor here. I had a frozen right shoulder for nearly 6 months and resigned myself to living with it. (alternative being steroids, anti inflamatories etc). Whilst at a mall in Singapore (I am UK resident) I saw the Phiten stand and the guy manning the stand kindly slapped some tape in my shoulder and told me to come back later when it felt better. By the time I finished my shop I could feel a difference, I went back and bought some of the tape and a necklace. He told me to keep the tape on for 3 days which I did. Now at the end of the 3 days of tape/necklace I would say my shoulder is 90%. Good enough for me!
what do titanium necklaces do? do they get yourr energy up? please answer my question TODAY!!!!
I remember this movie where an elephant needed to hold onto a feather so he could fly. Turns out he didn’t need the feather after all. He just needed to believe he could do it. My 9 year-old son wants a necklace–I’m just looking for a cheaper version. This “feather” will be in his junk drawer in two months and I’d rather not have him spend $30 on it.
I just ordered one of these so I will report back once I receive it (in about a week) and use it for a little while (2 weeks? more?). I have fairly chronic muscle back pain from an old herniated disc: After about 4 years of pretty serious back pain, the muscles tightened on the left-side of my back, in an attempt to alleviate the pain. Since then, I’ve been lifting heavily to build these muscles up. But, the muscles to still contract on the left side and therefore I’ve got muscle pain (basically because I make an effort to stand straight and this causes stretching, I also purposely stretch to the right throughout the day). I also now weight lift fairly regularly, so I have aches and pains most days as a result (just minor muscle aches for the most part) So, with that, I just wanted to let you all know I’ll report back in 3 weeks to a month and let you know if this is helping. I’ve got no stake in this other than the $33 bucks I spent on the necklace. Hope my report will help!
I am a windsurfer. suffered from shoulder pain for several months. bought the thing as i was desperate. it seems to work. dont know if is beacuse if the placebo effect or what. but anyone knows if it has any negatives effects? has anyone done any studies on future effects of wearing this thing? so far.. i will sue it very little.
All this proves is that many pro baseball players lack basic critical thinking skills.
They are highly paid morons, so it’s not like buying a few fake magic necklaces will hurt them.
PS: Austin, to answer your question: Titanium necklaces do NOTHING at all. I’ve got a Masters in Cell Biology and Anatomy, and I can tell you, this necklace is a total fraud. The baseball players are experiencing something called the “Placebo Effect”. This basically means that because they imagine that the necklace helps them, it helps them. They could do the same thing if they were convinced they had a magic rock, or wristwatch, or whatever…and it would be much cheaper than the necklace.
There is a glaring mistake in the article – a CT Scanner does not use magnets it uses X-Rays. A Magnetic Resonance Imager uses a large magnet. this is a hoax.
Josh, don’t be too quick to harp on Austin. I am pretty sure what he was talking about was pain receptors, which do exist. These pain receptors can be blocked by some medications and therapy which cause an analgesic effect. I am still searching for evidence myself. However, I do have a medical background and currently work with a division I college baseball team. The guys that use them tell me that they work and their game has improved. For me, that is pretty good evidence, scientific or not.
My question is, how does the titanium work? The patent cited above discussed above describes the process of dissolving titanium in water by using a supply of hydrogen and oxygen in a high pressure containment tank. What is the chemical composition of the dissolved Ti? Is it an ion? Or will it bond with the oxygen to make TiO2? I ask because a recent UCLA study found TiO2 to cause cancer.
http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/nanoparticles-used-in-common-househould-112679.aspx
Duh, katinthehat. The cancer cells kill the pain-firing neurons in your brain. That’s how a titanium bracelet works. Try to keep up with us, o.k.?
katinthehat, your post light-weight scared me for a second, until i read this line:
“Schiestl said the nanoparticles cannot go through the skin”
so even in worst case scenario, i dont believe thats something to worry about. thanks 4 the 411 anyway tho…..