This will be a short post about a product that doesn’t deserve even this much attention.
Recently my Facebook feed has been bombarded with spectacular success stories about Luminas. It is a patch that allegedly gives almost instant pain relief, lasts 24 hours, has no side effects and no odor, and is backed by a no-questions-asked money-back guarantee. They claim it has been tested and proven (with thermography, no less!). The stories and testimonials are impressive. Too impressive. They beggar belief. And the explanations of how the patches work defy both science and common sense.
Their claims
Our proprietary technology allows us to capture these unique electric field signatures from 100s of natural remedies used to relieve pain and inflammation. These unique signatures are then modulated onto a resonant carrier wave allowing us to transfer these unique signatures onto the patch. Once applied to the skin, the patches are activated and energy from the 200+ remedies are released to support the body’s own innate, natural healing process. This activation results in fast acting, long lasting pain and inflammation relief without any drugs, chemicals, or known side effects.
Their explanation
Energy is all around us. Every object has an energetic signature. Modern science and quantum physics have enabled Luminas to harness the energetic signatures of 200 natural ingredients known to reduce the most common causes of pain and inflammation; ingredients that include turmeric, magnesium, bioperine, ginger, vitamin D, and hundreds more. Your body inherently knows how to absorb and use the energy from the patch. It chooses the electrons it needs.
Their evidence
Their evidence consists only of testimonials and thermography, both highly unreliable. Respectful Insolence found their claims and “evidence” laughable and identified Luminas as quantum quackery. I needn’t repeat his points here. He’s far from the only one to criticize their “science”.
Fakespot reviewed Luminas and found “high deception involved.” They rated 29.5% of the customer reviews “unreliable”.
No side effects?
One customer review on the Amazon website said the patch “leaves a rash that swells up.” Other users reported that they became nauseous, that the edges of the patches caught on things and peeled off, that they didn’t stay on during sleep or with exercise, that they don’t stay on if you’re sweating, that they don’t do well on areas with hair, and that it hurt to peel the patches off. More than half of the customer reviews were enthusiastic testimonials, but there were plenty of reviews saying the patches did nothing at all and were a waste of money. Even the 3-star reviews indicated that they didn’t work or only seemed to help a little.
Conclusion: “Energy medicine” fantasy
Luminas raises all the red flags for quackery. Satisfied Luminas users apparently don’t care about evidence. One said he didn’t know how the patches work and didn’t care. Hope springs eternal and placebos deceive. No one who knows anything about science or cares about evidence could possibly take the Luminas claims seriously. It’s all just too silly. It almost reads like a parody of pseudoscience. “200 unique electric field signatures?” “Energy is released from the patch?” “Your body chooses the electrons it needs?” Yeah, sure, pull the other one!