It’s bad enough to have to listen to the far-fetched claims that Whole Body Vibration (WBV) is an effective exercise modality. Now we have a WBV huckster pimping “vibraceuticals,” which apparently are imaginary substances that improve vibration enhanced exercise training.
There’s a company out there named Body Vibe International that not only sells these vibrating contraptions, but also sells something called, “vibraceuticals,” supplements that are alleged to improve the vibrating exercise experience. There’s scant evidence that shows WBV training to be better than real exercise, and any company that claims sound scientific footing for promoting vibrating supplements is really on shaky ground.
This nonsense has been going on for years. But that hasn’t stopped the folks at Body Vibe International from trying to make the case that these supplements are effective. What’s at work here is right out of the “Supplement Marketing and Sales Playbook,” where a company takes a little bit of science and uses it way out of context in order to “prove” their claims.
Body Vibe follows the script to a “T” in their pitch for their VibraTrim family of products; they invoke biological, physiological and metabolic imperatives and tell us that a “doctor” has discovered a way to aid the healing process from exercise at the cellular level.
Blah, blah, blah…
The problem is that there are no details with regard to the ingredients of these supplements. Do you think it’s safe or wise to invest in a supplement when you have no idea what it contains? Have you read about the NFL players who were using an over-the-counter weight loss supplement that contained a highly potent prescription diuretic and got suspended as a result?
The one product where we get a glimpse of the ingredient list – the imaginatively named VibraTrim 3, Superfuel – we’re told this elixir contains Glutathione, a powerful anti-oxidant. Now Glutathione is a potent substance. The problem is that there are no studies that show Glutathione supplementation works.
Another problem – especially for the Body Vibe/VibraTrim 3 position – is that even the experts who feel Glutathione supplementation holds some promise, state that this anti-oxidant is not well absorbed by the body when taken orally. Even when delivered by nasal spray or intravenously, Glutathione supplementation has not been shown to be effective.
But hey, a little thing like the truth has never prevented people from making millions in the field of health and fitness, right?
The matter of these absurd vibraceuticals speaks to root of the problem of WBV training and how it is sold to the public. Since there is so little “there,” there the folks who pimp WBV have to resort to all kinds of tricks to get people to buy it.
They intimidate and purposely confuse people by using all kinds of scientific jargon and reference myriad clinical studies in the hopes that consumers will be convinced and won’t look any further, because once you look at the details of the “pro-WBV” studies their case gets exponentially less compelling.
Stay away from vibraceuticals and vibrating platforms and you’ll save yourself a lot of time and money.
Oh come on Sal, supplements are everywhere. Does your gym sell supplements? Some Vibration companies sell supplements, most don’t!
Making an example of one Vibration company that pushes supplements that may or may not help increase the efficacy of Users experience of that particular brand does not reflect on the industry as a whole. We are doing very well here – the present and future is extremely exciting. One day you’ll just have to acquiesce or retire.
Actually we don’t sell supplements, nor do we recommend that our clients buy any supplement that doesn’t have a bona fide research pedigree. We also do not support shady professional practices that other fitness professionals engage in, we point them out. That’s why the WBV industry is such an easy target.