Mouth guards, headbands, pills…
Stories of football players suffering from permanently scarring concussions have had athletes (and parents of athletes) worried since the brain injuries became news in the early 2000s. Here are just a few of the products — none proven effective in a peer-reviewed study — looking to capitalize off those worries.
Brain-Pad Mouth Guards
Via: FTC
Until a few months ago, Brain Pad Inc. bragged that their mouth guards, which run from $10 to $30, would help prevent concussions and other internal head injuries from lower-jaw impacts. The Federal Trade Commission disagreed, reaching a settlement with Brain Pad requiring them to stop making those claims. "Mouthguards can help to shield a person’s teeth from being injured, and some can reduce impact to the lower jaw,” David Vladeck, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement. “But it’s a big leap to say these devices can also reduce the risk of concussions. The scientific evidence to make that claim just isn’t adequate.”
Experts like Dustin Fink, an athletic trainer who writes a concussion blog, also shake their fingers at Mahercor (below).
