On social networks, more and more advertisements praise the effectiveness of magnetic bracelets to quit smoking. Tabacologists alert Internet users to the fact that no scientific study has shown the effectiveness of this method and that it is only false marketing.
You may have already seen advertisements on Facebook or Instagram highlighting the “extraordinary” power of magnetic bracelets to quit smoking. They take the form of video testimonials in which we can see people declaring that they quit smoking in just a few days thanks to a magnetic bracelet, or even videos showing diagrams that use the codes of scientific diagrams to explain the action of magnets on the brain.
“In just 6 days, I managed to quit smoking completely”
Thus, the company Medically Health offers a solution “100% natural” Who “uses high-intensity magnets to stimulate specific areas of the brain and stave off nicotine cravings“. It offers other “miracle” products against migraine or to prevent tearing, without detailing their composition. Medically Health is not the only one to highlight magnetic anti-smoking bracelets.
The French brand Glame advertises a magnetic anti-tobacco bracelet on Facebook in a video that has become popular (hundreds of shares and more than a thousand comments) in which a woman recounts her experience: “I smoked for over 15 years and tried everything to quit without success. But since I discovered the anti-smoking bracelets from Glame, my life has completely changed! In just 6 days, I managed to quit smoking completely.“. To explain the effectiveness of his bracelet, Glame explains that “unlike conventional methods which only postpone the problem, the Glame bracelet contains super-powerful 4,500 Gauss magnets which stimulate specific areas of your brain with a magnetic field, making it believe that it has received its usual dose of nicotine..
No scientific basis, a placebo effect at most
Asked about these advertisements by AFP, several health professionals recall that magnetotherapy is not scientifically recognized as an effective method for quitting smoking.
For Professor Loïc Josseran, public health researcher and president of the Alliance Against Tobacco, this method has “no scientific basis”. He explains : “Anyone who has ever had an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) exam, for example, can see that it hasn’t stopped them from having the urge to smoke!” . Before adding:a magnetic wave has never acted on the nicotine receptors”.
An opinion shared by Marie Van de Schueren, tobacco specialist at the University Hospital of Caen. According to her, “it’s marketing”. As for the positive testimonials, the specialist explains that “like all non-effective methods, this one will perhaps help 5 to 10% of users to quit, those who are not addicted and could have quit on their own”.
Advertising of magnetotherapy products banned in Europe
As a reminder, magnetic therapy is an unconventional discipline that falls under pseudo-medicine. The studies could not show superior efficacy to a placebo. As such, the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM) prohibits advertising around the trade of these products.
If you want to quit smoking, here are the known effective methods to turn to:
- Psychological support by a health professional;
- Nicotine replacement therapy;
- Remote assistance: Tobacco info service (38 39 or www.tabac-info-service.fr ).
