ASA Adjudication on Withinspiration

Ad

An internet sponsored link stated “Chronic Fatigue Recovery. End the cycle of ME/CFS: Get Well! with The Lightning Process”.

Issue

The complainant challenged whether the claim "Chronic Fatigue Recovery. End the cycle of ME/CFS" could be substantiated.

CAP Code

Response

Withinspiration said they had personal experiences of improvement in medical conditions, such as myalgic encephalomyelitis (M.E), as a result of using the lightning process. They argued that the lightning process, created by Phil Parker, had received a number of celebrity endorsements and positive press articles, which they believed were a testament to the effectiveness of the treatment. Although Withinspiration said they held no scientific evidence to support the claims, they said that trials were due to commence in 2010.

Assessment

Upheld

The ASA understood that the lightning process was a three-day course that sought to teach individuals a range of techniques, such as life coaching and neuro-linguistic programming skills, to improve physical and mental well being, particularly amongst those with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) or ME.

We were concerned that Withinspiration did not hold robust evidence to support their claims that the lightning process was an effective treatment for CFS or ME. We therefore reminded them of their obligations under the CAP Code to hold appropriate evidence to substantiate claims prior to publication. Because we had not seen any evidence to demonstrate the efficacy of the lightning process for treating the advertised conditions, we concluded that the claims had not been proven and were therefore misleading.

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

Action

The ad must not appear again in its current form. We told Withinspiration to ensure they held substantiation before making similar efficacy claims for the lightning process

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Non-broadcast)