ASA Adjudication on Ideal Spine Centre

Ad

A regional press ad for a health practice claimed “Find Out Why G.P.s in Your Community May Not Want You to Know" about the World’s Best Kept Health Secret."

Issue

Gillingham Centre of Complimentary Medicine challenged the claims:

1. There Isnt One Single Medication That Doesnt Mimic What Your Body Already Knows How to Make!;

2. If youre sick, the wellness messages are being trapped or interrupted, probably somewhere along the spine; and

3. This amazing process … categorically reveals if and where wellness messages are being blocked from brain to body.

CAP Code (Edition 11)

Response

The Ideal Spine Centre said they would not use the ad again.

Assessment

Complaint upheld

The ASA welcomed the Ideal Spine Centres decision not to use the ad again.  We reminded them of their responsibility under the Code to hold documentary evidence of their claims before publication.  Because the Ideal Spine Centre did not submit evidence to prove that the human body was able to make and mimic all medications, that wellness messages were trapped and interrupted by sickness, and that the Ideal Spine Centre process revealed where wellness messages were being blocked from brain to body, we concluded the ad was misleading.

The ad breached CAP Code clauses 3.1 (Substantiation), 7.1 (Truthfulness) and 50.1 (Health and beauty products and therapies).

Action

We told the Ideal Spine Centre not to repeat the claims and advised them to seek assistance from the Copy Advice team in future.

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Non-broadcast)