These bracelets and necklaces circling the globe are nothing new but are being repackaged and marketed in such a way that I cannot walk down the street anymore without hearing someone say “power balance” “Phiten” or “balance necklace/bracelet”.

What are these things that athletes and even our cherished Texas Rangers are wearing? Two of the Texas Rangers pitchers by the names of CJ Wilson and Neftali Feliz wear the Phiten necklace. This balance necklace is supposed to have micro titanium sphere zones in the center.

In Uganda where there are still primitive tribes wearing nothing but leather flaps over their genitals you will see most of the tribal men and women wearing rubber bracelets manufactured in China. The medicine men in the tribe sell them to their tribe to assist in warding off evil spirits. This would be a spiritual balance bracelet.

The bracelet receives powers from the shaman medicine man in the tribe but the Phiten bracelet somehow offers athletic ability through titanium sphere zones. In the case of the Phiten bracelet there are no prayers or rituals chanted over the bracelet.

You would think when wearing the Phiten necklace or bracelet you would be dealing with a much more scientific technology but instead the titanium sphere zones are just a way to make you a believer. The Uganda tribes believe in their bracelets because of the rituals and chanting supposedly done on the bracelets which is just another excuse to give to people similar to saying they have a titanium sphere zones that have magical powers.

The sphere zones somehow are supposed to increase CJ Wilson’s atheletic ability but this is nothing more than push button marketing where doing nothing gets you your dreams and more.

The truth is CJ Wilson spent years and years practicing pitching to be as good as he is. The necklace gives him no competitive edge other than as a placebo.

A good counter test subject is Cliff Lee who is also a Texas Rangers pitcher. Cliff Lee does not wear one of these necklaces and performed much better over the year than did CJ Wilson.

Also take a look at the extraordinary Texas Rangers pitcher Neftali Feliz. He wears some type of balance necklace as well. I am not sure if it is a Phiten necklace but it just goes to show how much superstition is in sports excellence.

It does not matter how smart or gifted you are there are people who will believe in these balance bracelets and necklaces regardless of how much evidence is out their to show that they are scams.