Cheshire clinic reprimanded by advertising watchdog over medical claims

A Cheshire clinic has been reprimanded by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) over an advert it ran earlier this year.

An ad for Super Inductive System treatment by the Nantwich Clinic, seen in the Nantwich Link magazine in February, featured the claims “Say Goodbye to Pain with the Super Inductive System”, followed by a list of conditions: “Long Term Pain”, “Backache”, “Carpel [sic] Tunnel”, “Ligament and Joint Pain”, “Slipped Disc”, “Fracture healing”, “Nerve Damage” and “Sprains”.

Three images of someone receiving treatment with the Super Inductive System appeared underneath, followed by further text which stated “IMMEDIATE AND LASTING PAIN RELIEF for all stages of disorder, Chronic or Acute”. A phone number and website URL appeared underneath, alongside the Nantwich Clinic logo.

The complainant challenged whether the efficacy claims for the medical conditions listed in the ad were misleading and could be substantiated.

In response, Cheshire Health & Medical Professionals, trading as Nantwich Clinic, said the product offered people living with pain an alternative treatment to pain killers. It provided a link to the supplier’s website for further information about the product and some introductory information about the Super Inductive System. It also provided one published paper and five unpublished papers.

The ASA upheld the complaint, saying it considered that consumers would understand from the claims “Say Goodbye to Pain with the Super Inductive System”, “Long Term Pain”, “Backache”, “Carpel [sic] Tunnel”, “Ligament and Joint Pain”, “Slipped Disc”, “Fracture healing”, “Nerve Damage” and “Sprains”, and “IMMEDIATE AND LASTING PAIN RELIEF for all stages of disorder, Chronic or Acute” to mean that the Super Inductive System could provide immediate and lasting relief from any type of chronic or acute pain.

This would also include specific types of, and sources of, pain such as backaches, a herniated disc, carpal tunnel syndrome, joint and ligament pain, fractures, nerve damage and sprains. The watchdog also considered that consumers would interpret “fracture healing” to mean that the product could help to repair fractures.

In the absence of information to the contrary, the ASA considered consumers would understand that the treatment was intended for use in individuals who did not have other underlying conditions in addition to the disorders listed.

It concluded that the ads breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules (Misleading advertising), (Substantiation) and (Medicines, medical devices, health-related products and beauty products) and ruled that the ad must not appear again in the form complained about.

The ASA told Cheshire Health & Medical Professionals LLP to ensure it did not state or imply that the Super Inductive System could provide immediate and lasting relief from pain in general, or from pain resulting from any of the sources listed in the ad, unless it held adequate evidence to substantiate its claims.