"You believe in nothing."

This is what Sarah told me.   Yep, just like the nihilists (seen below) from my favorite movie "The Big Lebowski," I believe in nothing.  Or so I was told.

If we are talking about music therapy, aroma therapy, color therapy, homeopathy, Chinese herbs, German herbs, accupuncture, accupressure, hypotherapy, hydrotherapy, reflexology, light therapy, bee products, chiropractic, naturopathic, iridology, shiatsu, tai chi, massage therapy, meditation, magnet therapy, or alternate nostril breathing (what?), -Sarah is right, I probably do believe in "nothing."  As a pharmacist, I believe in good, old fashioned, FDA-approved pharmaceuticals based on SAR, or new drugs based on biotechnology; likewise I believe in the surgeon's scalpel.  

Now, all of these CAM sort of things probably do have their place, and likely do have some marginal amount of benefit.  Just ask Suzanne Somers.  (Oh wait, when her back was to the wall, she came around as well.)  Back to some of these things, I'll say that the coffee shop (any of them, by the way), has almost become "aromatherapy" for me, since that is the best smell I can think of for now.  

So, how did we get to this statement?  We were talking about these necklaces seen all over MLB this season, made by Phiten.

These are probably most famously seen on Josh Beckett.

"Experience the Energy."  That's the claim seen above.  Well, what does that mean?   So, I looked into the website.  Phiten makes some interesting claims.   The first is the Energy Transport System.

OK, good to know:  They stabilize the ions in your body.  I wasn't really sure that my ions were unstable, but if I purchase this product, at least I won't have to worry.

Through Aqua-Titanium, Phiten scientists were actually able to dissolve titanium in water.  I do hope my bicycle buddies who love titanium frames never let their bikes fall into the wrong hands of the Phiten scientists less they dissolve them in water!  On the flip, though, imagine the power a full bicycle frame could wield if it could be used to harness your now-focused and stable ions.   Moreover, who knew that titanium in cloth form can control your bio-electric current?

In X30 form, the concentration is 30 times higher, hence the name.  No wonder it is the choice of Major League Baseball.  Maybe Bud Selig and George Steinbrenner should get X30 necklaces - they're both reported to be in declining health.

OK, so the core of the necklace and bracelets isn't rubber, it has micro-titanium spheres.  How could I not be sold?   Yet, I was not yet sold.  So, let's read a few testimonials, shall we?

Here's an interesting one:

“BOUGHT IT BECAUSE OF CONSTANT NECKPAIN AND HEADACHES. PUT IN ON AND WOW NO MORE HEADACHES NO NECK PAIN. ONE DAY I TOOK IT OFF TO TAKE SHOWER AND FORGOT TO PUT IT BACK ON BEFORE I LEFT TO WORK. MAN I COULDN'T WAIT TO GO HOME TO PUT IT ON, MY BACK HURT AND HAD HEADACHES. NOW THAT SHOWED ME THAT IT REALLY WORKS AND ITS NOT IN MY HEAD. BOUGHT ONE FOR MY PARENTS AND THEY FEEL THE SAME. MOST PEOPLE DONT BELIEVE ME, ITS OK THEY ARE MISSING OUT."

Phiten also makes discs, which had some interesting reviews on Amazon:

A few months ago I started getting pretty bad pain in my left knee whenever I'd run 3+ miles. It's kind of like a soreness/stiffness on the outside, that would get worse after I sat for long periods of time.

The weekend before the NYC marathon I ran in a short 5 mile race which I ran at my marathon pace and still had knee pains for the few days after. Ice and Advil helped, but I was worried what I'd feel like after running 26.2 miles. Immediately after the marathon (my first!!) my knee was killing me, and I'd taken a ton of Tylenol throughout and didn't want to risk taking more. I got a sample pack for these stickers at the marathon expo and I figured I'd check them out. Literally after 1 hour having them on, my knee felt completely fine (although I cannot describe the soreness the rest of my body felt!). I have absolutely no idea how these things work, but the fact that I had no pain after using them after running a marathon, but had a lot when I didn't use them after a 5 mile race really convinced me.

I used them on my ankle the next weekend (I've sprained both my ankles and often get similar soreness/stiffness there) and it worked there too. Although I've only used them twice, I've recommended them to all my friends who have pain due to athletics, and now I'm recommending them to everyone on amazon! 

Wow.  So, if you have sports-related pain, just stick a phiten product directly on the spot and let the ions re-stabilize and the energy flow.   OK, so, I was a total skeptic.   Sarah told me as much.  So, I figured I would try the Milwaukee Brewers X30 (for 30 times the concentration) necklace, which I purchased from Amazon, since I had a giftcard anyway.  Here's how it came:

And here are the claims from the back of the package:

Let's be realistic here:  I've got a giftcard, and a product with the Milwaukee Brewers logo on it.  Anyone who knows me might say this isn't a huge stretch to get me to buy it, as goofball as the claims may be.  

So, does it work?  Well, I received my amazon package a few days after chemo.  Today, I am writing 2 days before chemo.  I could write a testimonial saying how much better I feel today.  That would probably be easily explained however, given how a chemo cycle works.   I have worn this for about a month already, off and on, which would involve two doses.   I cannot say that I feel like I have had my ions stabilized or that I've "experienced" the energy.  Maybe the fact that I am such a skeptic has prevented me from enjoying the full benefits of liquid titanium or titanium microspheres.  


I'm convinced these necklaces are handed to rookies on their first day, since I've seen them worn by guys making their MLB debut.  They aren't horrible looking and that's why I haven't thrown this thing out yet.  I like the little Brewer logos, so, it stays.   Maybe in time I'll "experience the energy."  Maybe I already am.   Or again, maybe that's just because I'm getting closer to being done with chemotherapy.  I'd LOVE to know if any JVL readers out there have tried Phiten products.