The scientific method is the mortal enemy of quackery. It is a democratic process whereby all claims can be rigorously tested and in so doing either establish their veracity or refute them as bunk. Within the consumer domain, there are endless product claims that are wholly unsubstantiated by any scientific testing, and yet consumers are willing to spend billions of dollars on empty promises. One of the most telling examples of this phenomenon is the Q-Ray bracelet. Its purported benefits are endless (e.g., reduce debilitating pain), and are purported to be due to the ability of the Q-Ray bracelet to balance one's yin and yang.

Robert L. Bratton and his colleagues, which included several physicians and a biostatistician, several of whom worked at the world-famous Mayo Clinic, decided to put one of the Q-Ray bracelet's claims namely its ability to reduce pain through the scientific lens. Six hundred and ten participants took part in the experiment (randomized and double-blind), half of which wore a Q-Ray bracelet and the other half a placebo bracelet. Pain measures were elicited from participants at the start of the experiment and again after having worn the bracelet for 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days. What do you think happened? Both groups showed a decrease in the subjective pain that they were experiencing however the difference between the two groups was insignificant. In other words, the effect of the Q-Ray bracelet was equivalent to the standard placebo effect.