Dr Sarah Brewer
A Warrington company which featured a media doctor recommending a pain-relieving wristband has been ordered to stop making the claims by advertising watchdogs.
Dr Sarah Brewer, a former helath journalist of the year who writes books as well as newspaper and magazine articles, was included on the website for Sales Marketing Solutions Ltd t/a Trion:Z/Colantotte.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received a complaint about the claims being made for the magnetic bracelet and has today ruled that the adverts must not appear again.
“The bottom of every page of the website contained a box with an image of Dr. Sarah Brewer and the text ‘I came across magnetic therapy about 10 years ago when I had a jogging related injury. A friend suggested I try it and I was impressed with its rapid effects.’ Dr Brewer says magnetic therapy is 85% more effective at relieving pain than many drugs: ‘It can be used to treat many different conditions’.” reports the ASA.
The company, which trades from The Barleycastle Trading Estate, provided details of a research study which it believed backed up the claims being made on its website as a response to the ASA, but the watchdog felt the claims were misleading.
“We considered that all of those claims, as well as the claim, on the “Magnetic Therapy page, that “Clinicians who have studied the effects of magnetic therapy have estimated that its effectiveness s [sic] relieving pain is 85 percent [sic]”, would be understood by consumers as factual claims relating to the efficacy of the products sold by Sales Marketing Solutions and were therefore likely to mislead unless they were supported by robust documentary evidence.”
The advert is now banned – you can read the full adjudication here.
