Product Review: Does Phiten Necklace Really Work?

This was a question at the Takbo.ph Forums.  It was a questions I asked myself too.

You’d see Phiten products in most malls around the country.  The product claims to relieve fatigue by balancing the body’s signals that runs from brain to the body and thus regulating the body’s “bio-electric currents”.  It’s popular line is a necklace with a water-soluble form of titanium imbued into the necklace itself.  So unlike the Power Balance where you need to replace hologram after sometime, the Phiten needs no replace and can have an indefinite lifetime.

It’s skeptical and the science behind it is not yet proven.  No medical studies affirms the claims by Phiten.  But testimonials from wearers would tell you it really works.  I met runners who can testify to its effectiveness and runners who tried them and says it just a placebo effect.

Buying a Phiten to Try

I bought a Phiten Rakura X30 last August.  I want to try it myself since I do feel fatigue on my shoulders in the following occasions.

1. When running, my shoulders would get stiff and I often feel pain after a really long run. Looks like a bad running form.  Even at 15K I can already feel pain on my shoulders.
2. When going to work, my shoulders get tired from carry my backpack with my laptop, rubber shoes, books, and other stuff inside it.
3. When working in front of the PC, my shoulders get tired and painful.  I would massage it once in a while.  My shoulders would feel the pain when I ran my fingers on it for a quick massage.

The Results of Wearing Phiten

This sounds like a sales talk but the Phiten x30 worked for me.

Within a week I can tell the difference.  My shoulders are not that painful after a long run, or when I get home at work or after typing PC.  Since the pain before was quite strong, the effect on me was noticeable.  The Phiten X30 got good marks from me on those three occasions.

Right now, I keep on wearing it almost 24 hours.  Even while sleeping, I’d wear it and feel no body aches in the morning.

When Phiten Doesn’t Work

While I sounds like a fairy tale solution to my aches, it was not a one-stop shop for all my needs.

I works fine when I run 20K or less.  But when I started running more than 25K, the pain on my shoulder is still there.  There was also one occasion that I was so busy and I have slept less than 4 hours for 2 consecutive days.  My body was so overused and it felt like I had shoulder pain all over my body.  Huh (?).  It goes to show that Phiten won’t eliminate 100% of the pain.  I was even cursing it for not being there where I needed it most.

The effect is not instantaneous.  It won’t stop the pain right there.  But recovery was fast when I wear my Phiten.  After running 25K, 28K and 30K during the long runs, my shoulders will be pain-free the following day.  The pain on the legs is another story though.

Summary

Based from my personal use, Phiten was able to relieve me of my shoulder pain and helps me recover fast after a long run.  It cannot, however, totally eliminate pain.  It’s effect was mostly felt on my shoulders where I would experience pain often.  It cannot say the same effect on my legs after running but recovery has been fast after a long run.
Disclaimer:  Phiten did not provide me with the product for this review.  I bought it myself at a sports store in Alabang Town Center.

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