My brother bought home some products being sold by a person he met who is involved in an MLM scheme (i.e. Amway, Quixtar, etc.). He decided to give me a test for "Perfect" brand water (site: drinkperfectwater.com. First, I had to try to touch my toes while keeping my legs straight, then twist my torso as far as I could. Finally, I put my arms straight down my sides with my hands cupped and pointing backwards. While keeping my torso straight, my brother was able to put weight on one hand and tip me over easily. Then, I drank the water. I showed no improvements for the first two tests (usually this kind of stuff doesn't work on me) and he was puzzled, but for the final test he was no longer able to tip me over. Amazing, right?
I do like the water. Aquafina and Dasani (Coke and Pepsi's brands, respectively) taste like plastic to me. Evian, Absopure, and Ice Mountain have a neutral taste and are the brands I prefer. Perfect brand was neutral like the latter three.
Now, to most of the skeptics on the board here, these tests are obviously unscientific. There is no control, no double-blind study to rule out psychological or idiomotor effects. So, right before my brother was going to meet a friend, I told him to do this.
Fill an empty Perfect bottle with normal spring water, Culligan in our case (we have a water cooler since our tap water tastes too much like chlorine). Then, bring it to the friend and perform the exact same test that he used on me. Don't tell him the water in the bottle is generic spring water. If the friend performs the exact same way I did (increased flexibility/stability) with the generic, 30-cent-a-gallon Culligan water, then we know the claims and the "test" set up by Perfect are complete bunk, and that the so-called results are resultant of a psychological effect, not by anything in the water.
I'm anxiously awaiting the results. I predict that my brother's friend will show the same improvement with the generic water. I told my brother that this test is what scientists call a "control," and that a control is needed to rule out factors that interfere with results. He was really interested in the results and I could tell this is the first time he's ever thought about this. It was genuinely exciting. In the words of Bill Nye: science rules!
Teaching my brother the scientific/skeptical approach
by B_Deserter 7 Replies latest jw experiences
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B_Deserter
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Gopher
Good thing you know the scientific method and could impart it to your brother. It's sad that such knowledge isn't more widespread in America (I can't speak for other countries).
Let us know if the results are the same with Culligan water. I anticipate that the miracle water is "all wet".
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B_Deserter
I just talked to my brother and the results were exactly the same with the Culligan water. Therefore, a psychosomatic effect is definitely at play here. I also did some more research on this tactic used by Amway salesmen. The first time they try to tip you, they pull your arm slightly away from your body, causing the tipping motion. The second time, after you drink the water, they apply force on your hand towards your body, at an angle that resists tipping. My brother didn't tell his friend it was miracle water, he'll let him stew for a couple days. hehe.
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Hortensia
a lot of chiropractors and "nutritionists" use the very same technique to sell supplements. It is extremely prone to bias. Generally produces the expected results. Totally untrustworthy, but does sell a lot of supplements.
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MissingLink
It's amazing to me how many people don't understand these basic concepts.
BTW - I think your test proves that the bottle is magical, not the water.
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Nathan Natas
So... how much of that water would I have to drink to match the flexibility of a Chinese acrobat?
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83501nwahs
Of course to really test it right you need to perform the test a hundred times over. Otherwise you are commiting the fallacy of "small sample." Definitive experiments always involve large numbers of tests.
Some YUK! brands for me are Dasani and the worst in the world is Danon from Canada. Pure piss in my opinion. -
B_Deserter
I don't think the sample needs to be bigger. I demonstrated how the tipping happens due to technique, as I can reproduce it with no water consumption at all. In cases like this, testing it hundreds of times isn't necessary.