Company Sued Over Arthritis Bracelets

A company that claims its ionized metal bracelets can relieve arthritis pain has been hit with a class action lawsuit two months after a Mayo Clinic study found that the product has no medical or biological effect.

Donald Casey, a 78-year-old from Chicago, bought his metal bracelet for about $120 about 10 years ago after seeing it demonstrated at a golf equipment trade show in Chicago.

Casey told the Chicago Tribune that he wore the bracelet for years, cutting back on his arthritis medication because of it. He stopped wearing the bracelet after reading about the study.

QT defended its bracelet after the study came out, noting that thousands of people have expressed their satisfaction with the product to the company.

Casey's attorney, Thomas Zimmerman Jr. of Chicago, told the newspaper that these people’s testimonials could be explained by the placebo effect cited in the Mayo Clinic study.

Other sources: Chicago Tribune