Phiten necklaces are quickly becoming a hot item as a number of Major League Baseball (MLB) players have been sporting them at games. These titanium necklaces are meant to promote wellness by regulating your body’s bioelectric current, but do they really work? And are they safe?
What are Phiten necklaces?
Phiten necklaces are titanium accessories made by PHI-TEN Co., a Japanese technology company focused on products to promote good health. PHI-TEN claims these necklaces ease neck and shoulder pain, increase blood circulation, and relax your muscles. The key is allegedly the titanium in the necklaces, to which they attribute the power to realign the bioelectric current in your body. The purported health benefits aren’t limited to the neck and shoulders; you can wear these strands around your wrist or ankle to enhance athletic ability and reduce fatigue. Phiten necklaces have recently been made popular by the sponsorship of the MLB. Many well-known and admired baseball players have been sporting Phiten necklaces at games, from Joba Chamberlain of the New York Yankees to Josh Beckett of the Boston Red Sox. Their popularity is not limited to baseball though: pro golfer Sergio García and marathonist Paula Radcliffe sport the necklaces, as does softball Olympic gold medalist Jennie Finch.
How do Phiten necklaces work?
Phiten necklaces are made of titanium because this is a metal that conducts electricity well. The idea is that stiff muscles and fatigue may be caused by disruptions in the flow of your body’s bioelectric current. Bioelectric current just refers to the small amount of electricity running through your body (for example, nerves transmitting sensations or neurons firing synapses to process thoughts). As the claim goes, placing these pieces of titanium on the body will stabilize your current, thus helping your body run better.
Are Phiten Necklaces Effective?
The Food and Drug Administration has not recognized the therapeutic value of Phiten necklaces, but companies marketing such products don’t need approval to make their claims, much like makers of herbal supplements don’t need FDA approval to claim their product has health benefits. It’s highly unlikely Phiten necklaces offer anything more than a placebo effect, all of its claims fly in the face of logic. Firstly, while it’s true that our body has currents flowing through it, we are constantly exposed to much stronger currents throughout our daily routines. Titanium is more common than PHI-TEN leads you to believe. While one of the pricier metal, its high strength in light weight make it a popular material in such mundane things as high-end scooters and bicycles, yet PHI-TEN does not extol their therapeutic virtues. Even small things like refrigerator magnets (magnetism produces electrical current) have stronger currents than you would get from these necklaces, and no one reports feeling reenergized by them. If current were the holy grail of therapeutics, CT scans would reinvigorate patients because of the incredibly strong magnets used in them. Sticking your finger in an electrical socket aligns the current in your body, but I think we’d all agree in this case it’s a bad thing! Truth is, our body knows how to best manage its own currents, and any external current strong enough to affect it will hurt rather than help.
Are Phiten Necklaces Safe?
On the bright side, Phiten necklaces are 100% safe. Titanium is a non-allergic metal, and as mentioned before, the flaw of the necklaces is that they have no effect, which is better than a harmful effect. So if it gives you a confidence boost to wear the same Phiten necklace as your favorite MLB player, or you want to give your niece a special Jennie Finch Phiten necklace, there’s no harm in doing it. You may not see your game improve, but they’re not a bad accessory to have if you’re a sports fan and you like the look.
