Take the astonishing assortment of magnetic bracelets, for example. Sellers claim that they provide “pain relief for arthritis, carpal tunnel, joints, and sore muscles, reduce inflammation in hand, wrist, arm, elbow, and other joints, promote the metabolic processing of toxins, and restore natural energy to reduce fatigue, stress, insomnia & migraines.” Scientists, on the other hand, have found no convincing evidence to support these claims.

Writing in the British Medical Journal, Leonard Finegold, a professor in the department of physics at Drexel University, and Bruce Flamm, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, said, “Patients should be advised that magnet therapy has no proved benefits. If they insist on using a magnetic device they could be advised to buy the cheapest—this will at least alleviate the pain in their wallet.”

For consumers who are suckers for wallet pain, however, they can purchase a $40 hat, a $30 pair of socks, or a $120 T-shirt which all supposedly block electromagnetic radiation from wireless devices like WiFi routers, computers, tablets, and smartphones.