An incident at the Hawke's Bay Better Home and Living Show has made the news because it made the courtroom. There were sellers of two different brands of health bracelet at the show, Shuzi and Zenteq.

The sellers ended up exchanging blows (opens new window) after the owner of the Zenteq stand had been bad-mouthing the Shuzi bands. This is very much a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

Both bracelets make therapeutic claims, that is health claims, about what they can do. The Shuzi website is currently not too bad, as myself and others have submitted complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority about their website in the past, and it's been cleaned up somewhat. However, the Zenteq website is atrocious! Claims are made that the magnetic band can treat arthritis, insomnia and many other conditions. The website also has links to many scary conspiracy articles, talking about how big pharma are hiding the cure for cancer, deodorant is killing you and vaccines are a scam.

Both bracelets are total nonsense. Shuzi uses a "chip" (opens new window) that is:

"programmed with Nano Vibration Technology generating subtle energy frequency, to promote wellness for your everyday lifestyle, offering you comfort and durability while you work and play"

Zenteq appear to be resellers of Bioflow magnetic bracelets (opens new window) and they say they "only use the best rare earth magnets".

It's unwise to purchase any products like these that make unproven health claims, especially if they stop you seeking proper medical attention. In fact, the health claims for Zenteq are so awful that I plan to submit an ASA complaint today about the website. My only problem is that the site keeps crashing!