Current and upcoming activities and news from the Victorian Branch of the Australian Skeptics. Please see our latest April Bulletin [PDF].
News Group
Vic Skeptics has an email news group. We send about one bulletin per month, listing and describing our upcoming events and activities, as well as supplying contact information for similar organisations. To join this group, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vic_skeptics_news/
Ken
Have just been to presentaton of [Company name removed by Admin] “wellness” products. Magnetic therapy and water filters. This is pryamid selling at its slickest. Mentor did the arm resistance demonstration to show power of magnets on body. Have seen this done at trianing games. What is the underlying process operating here? Internet descibes this as scam at all levels. Do you have any Australian information? My friend is joining up. Mentor had no background in Science or anatomy and could not answer my most basic quetions. Her background was gymnastics Shiatsu massage and oriental medicine.
It sounds like you’re already quite skeptical and probably don’t need much help. I know a little of the “arm resistance” test, normally used in applied kinesiology. I haven’t heard of the arm test being used to flog magnets and filters before.
There is a Skepticzonepodcast channel on you-tube where you’ll find Richard Saunders has a good description of how the arm resistance test can be used to trick people. It may also be that the tester is deceiving themselves, or perhaps not.
Your comment might also be a little off-topic here, perhaps try contacting the skeptics via the “contact page”.