Miracle cures: Online conspiracy theories are creating a new age of unproven medical treatments
Associated Press
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An Amish woman from Ohio floats with a pool noodle among BioHealing generators at the Tesla Wellness Hotel and MedBed Center on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, in Butler, Pa. Tesla Biohealing which has no connection to the car company is part of a growth industry marketing unproven cures and treatments to conspiracy theorists and others who have grown distrustful of science and medicine. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)Seth Robinson, a chiropractor who serves as Tesla BioHealing's medical director, explains energy readouts at the Tesla BioHealing & MedBed Center, in Milford, Del., Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. Teslas claims about life force energy are also based, somewhat, on fact. Biophotons are real a type of light emitted by living tissue that cant be seen by the human eye. But their role in health is not well understood and use as a medical therapy is not proven, according to Bahman Anvari, a professor of bioengineering at the University of California-Riverside. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)Seth Robinson, a chiropractor who serves as Tesla BioHealing's medical director, holds a Tesla BioHealer for Pet, with a label listing the contents, at Tesla BioHealing & MedBed Center, in Milford, Del., Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)An American flag is seen on a still day outside the Tesla BioHealing & MedBed Center, in Milford, Del., Monday, Oct. 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)An Amish woman from Ohio is silhouetted as she swims among Tesla BioHealing generators at Tesla BioHealing's Tesla Wellness Hotel and MedBed Center on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, in Butler, Pa. She visits the center twice a month. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)Seth Robinson, a chiropractor who serves as Tesla BioHealing's medical director, walks to close down empty rooms after a tour at Tesla Wellness Hotel and MedBed Center on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023, in Butler, Pa. Many of Teslas customers have grown frustrated with the answers they get from doctors, Robinson says. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)An Amish woman from Ohio moves among BioHealing generator canisters at Tesla Wellness Hotel and MedBed Center on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, in Butler, Pa. The company claims the canisters exude life force energy, or biophotons. Testimonials from the company's patients speak to the devices power to treat cancer, dementia, chronic pain and even broken bones. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)An Amish woman from Ohio floats with a pool noodle among BioHealing generators at the Tesla Wellness Hotel and MedBed Center on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, in Butler, Pa. She visits the center twice a month. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)Study participant Reynold Guppy, visiting from Florida, sits by a pool after swimming among submerged BioHealing generators at the Tesla Wellness Hotel and MedBed Center on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)A sign that reads "Please do not move the swimming pool generator" is posted on the pool handrail at the Tesla Wellness Hotel and MedBed Center on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, in Butler, Pa. The canisters contain a mix of fine naturally active stones and activated fine metal, grout, sands and proprietary polymers that are manufactured with a special technology. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)An illuminated sign across from Burger King and a Super 8 Hotel shows the entrance for Tesla BioHealing's Tesla Wellness Hotel and MedBed Center on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023, in Butler, Pa. Part motel, part new-age clinic, the facility offers nightly rentals in rooms that come equipped with biohealers small canisters that the company claims exude life force energy, or biophotons. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)Seth Robinson, a chiropractor who serves as Tesla BioHealing's medical director, closes down an empty room after a tour at Tesla Wellness Hotel and MedBed Center on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023, in Butler, Pa. A one-night stay at the Tesla complex runs $450. A small canister retails for $599, with versions marketed for children or pets going for a little less. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)Seth Robinson, a chiropractor who serves as Tesla BioHealing's medical director, lifts bed skirts to show "biohealers" canisters that the company claims exude "life force energy," or biophotons, at the Tesla BioHealing & MedBed Center, in Milford, Del., Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. According to QAnon adherents, medbeds were developed by the military (in some versions, using alien technology) and are already in use by the worlds richest and most powerful families. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)A portrait of Nikola Tesla is seen at Tesla BioHealing's Tesla Wellness Hotel and MedBed Center lobby on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023, in Butler, Pa. Like the automotive company, Tesla BioHealing is named for Nikola Tesla, the 19th century inventor, and early electrical pioneer whose eccentric life has made him a favorite of many conspiracy theorists. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
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An Amish woman from Ohio floats with a pool noodle among BioHealing generators at the Tesla Wellness Hotel and MedBed Center on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, in Butler, Pa. Tesla Biohealing which has no connection to the car company is part of a growth industry marketing unproven cures and treatments to conspiracy theorists and others who have grown distrustful of science and medicine. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
