# Do Q-ray braclets & emf shields work **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 31, 2009, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-q-ray-braclets-emf-shields-work/483892 "2009-01-31T19:04:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jakesteele](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ed8c4c/32.png) [@jakesteele](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jakesteele)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-q-ray-braclets-emf-shields-work/483892/1 "2009-01-31T19:04:56Z")
I remember when Q-ray bracelets were in vouge and now personal emf shields and cell phone emf shields are being sold. Do they work? Anybody try these? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-q-ray-braclets-emf-shields-work/483892/2 "2009-01-31T19:06:10Z")
Define “work.” ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-q-ray-braclets-emf-shields-work/483892/3 "2009-01-31T19:12:17Z")
Do they work? You mean do anything useful? No. They are frauds. The modern variation on snake oil. [http://skepdic.com/qray.html](http://skepdic.com/qray.html) ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-q-ray-braclets-emf-shields-work/483892/4 "2009-01-31T23:01:41Z")
They work just as well as Enzyte, Head On, and those household electricity cleaners do. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-q-ray-braclets-emf-shields-work/483892/5 "2009-02-01T00:35:13Z")
“Q-Ray bracelets”. What the frack…?? ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-q-ray-braclets-emf-shields-work/483892/6 "2009-02-01T01:44:07Z")
I have a bum shoulder and when I saw this thread I thought it would be fun to buy a Q-Ray and see if it helped. They cost like 139 or more and I decided it wasn’t as much fun as I thought. You’ll have to do your own testing. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-q-ray-braclets-emf-shields-work/483892/7 "2009-02-01T02:42:13Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > I have a bum shoulder and when I saw this thread I thought it would be fun to buy a Q-Ray and see if it helped. And if your bum shoulder got better afterwards, how would you have known it was because of the Q-Ray? And what happened to your shoulder without the Q-Ray? Is it still bum, has it improved on its own, or did you seek other treatment? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-q-ray-braclets-emf-shields-work/483892/8 "2009-02-01T02:46:30Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > And what happened to your shoulder without the Q-Ray? Is it still bum, has it improved on its own, or did you seek other treatment? In the ~7 hours since this thread was posted, I wouldn’t expect much of a change. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-q-ray-braclets-emf-shields-work/483892/9 "2009-02-01T03:07:33Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#): > > In the ~7 hours since this thread was posted, I wouldn’t expect much of a change. 😉 If I had a bum shoulder for 7 hours, I might want to do something about it. Depends on how bum it is, I guess. Is “bum” life-threatening? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-q-ray-braclets-emf-shields-work/483892/10 "2009-02-01T03:14:54Z")
In the context of joints, “bum” generally connotes chronically debilitated, usually without acute pain. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-q-ray-braclets-emf-shields-work/483892/11 "2009-02-01T03:19:02Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Define “work.” Well, they work pretty well as a money-maker for the people who sell them.