I was recently asked for my opinion about a proposal which was submitted to an administrative body which controlled high-performance sport. This proposal described a ‘patented’ method which purported to be able to optimise physical training, physical therapy, weight loss, injury detection and treatment and other health care applications. In other words, this simple, non-invasive measurement was supposed to do what a team of highly trained support staff members should be doing. Too good to be true? Or entrepreneurs at work using pseudo-science as their marketing tool? It was interesting to read how the proposal had been compiled and it confirmed my belief that some people are very skilful at trying to dupe consumers into purchasing something that is really worthless. In reading the proposal I realised that the first step of the pseudo-scientists is to manufacture a profile. This is done by having several letters after their names implying many years of postgraduate study. Furthermore, the address of the ‘director’ is often listed as that of a consultant at a nondescript institute. This elevated profile is an attempt to gain the readers’ confidence before the next step in the process can be approached. The next step usually involves a bombardment of statistics which are often meaningless and for which there is no means of verification. This ostensibly gives the product credibility. This step is followed by a strategy which is also designed to gain the readers’ confidence and includes a detailed pseudo- scientific description of what the test can possibly do. This is usually written in a confusing style clearly taking to heart the old saying: ‘If you cannot dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with b******t’. Typically the reader is bombarded with several references of published studies. A closer examination of the references will show that they have absolutely nothing to do with the product. However, a cursory read of the article with all the references cited at the end will certainly influence someone into thinking that the product is really supported by a large body of published material. The next step in this skilful marketing exercise is to state some unrealistic claims of what the product can do. While this strategy is well known in the weight-loss industry, it is starting to become more popular in the exercise health and fitness industry where claims of miraculous recovery from training and injury are being made. At present there is no body that can legislate over false advertising, particularly when it comes to claims about exercise. While there are some vigilant groups that monitor adverts about nutritional products and weight-loss products there are no groups that complain when products are marketed under the guise of being a miraculous adjunct to exercise training. Clearly this is a gap in the market that some shrewd business people have observed. As health professionals coming from an evidence-based background the duty falls on all of us to be observant and not fall into the traps which these skilful pseudo-scientists have set. At present, when it comes to improving exercise performance it can be said with confidence that there is no magic formula that is going to work better than a systematic approach to training and adequate recovery coupled to innovative coaching. Anyone who claims to have a secret formula which works better than this approach is clearly trying to make a quick profit at someone else’s expense. This third edition of the South African Journal of Sports Medicine in 2007 has a variety of papers which should hopefully cover the interests of all the members of the South African Sports Medicine Association. This edition of the journal also includes an insert which presents a ‘report card’ related to health and fitness for school children in South Africa. The compilation of this report involved collaboration from scientists around the country. All the major relevant studies of schoolchildren in South Africa were included in the report and the data were translated into practical outcomes. This was a great exercise to bridge the communication gap between scientists, the media, educators and parents and is an exercise which should also be conducted in the services delivered under the broad umbrella of sports medicine. Mike Lambert Editor-in-Chief Innovation or fraud? A topic which is receiving much publicity as I write is the banning of 5 skinny models from participating in the Madrid fashion week. Madrid’s regional govern- ment imposed the rules ‘to protect the models as well as teenagers who may develop anorexia as they try to copy underweight catwalk stars’. 1 They used a body mass index of 18 as their cut- off value. The ‘anti-thin’ move has been criticised in Paris and New York, two of the world’s leading fashion centres. However, in Italy the move was supported by the mayor who intimated that she would like to apply the same rulings when the fashion show moves to Milan. The motive for imposing the ban is noble, as the ‘skinny trend’ is not showing signs of abating. A recent report by the British Medical Association identifies a link between the images of ‘abnormally thin’ models that dominate television and magazines, and the increase in cases of anorexia nervosa and bulimia. 2 The incidence of anorexia is at an all-time high with predictions of 0 - 5% of all females having eating disorders. While eating disorders were previously usually regarded as a female syndrome, the situation is changing with a steady increase in the number of men being diagnosed with eating disorders. A recent estimate predicts that of the 60 000 people with eating disorders in the UK, 10% are male. 2 This trend can most likely be explained by the contemporary lean, hungry look of male stars. To get a snapshot view of changing body beautiful images of different eras one only has to compare the ‘hunks’ of the 1960’s movies (i.e. Sean Connery as James Bond) to modern day hunks to see how the masculine image has changed. Marilyn Monroe, with her curvy body shape in the 1950s would probably be regarded as too fat for a leading role 50 years later. While the organisers of the fashion shows should be complimented for taking a bold stand against their skinny, unhealthy-looking models, they can be criticised for the way in which they have gone about it. Using a body mass index of 18 as a cut-off value is inappropriate and may penalise some models who live normal healthy lives. Instead of this approach the organisers should establish a structure that evaluates the health status of the models including their eating, sleeping and substance abuse habits and make decisions accordingly. The information on how to do this is available; it just needs to be applied. This third issue of the journal for 2006 has 4 interesting papers. The first paper by Professor Mars and colleagues examines the cooling of skin, subcutaneous fat and muscle with an icepack, at rest and after short-duration exhaustive exercise. This study produced some interesting results with important clinical applications. The next paper by Ian Cook examines the accuracy of different types of pedometers. It is well known that people who use pedometers are encouraged to be more physically active, so therefore there is great value in making pedometers available to the general public. However, the enthusiasm to make and distribute pedometers has exceeded the concern about their accuracy. This study addresses this point with a comprehensive research design. The results make a valuable contribution to the literature. The third paper, by Dr McHardy and colleagues from Macquarie Injury Management Group, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia, is a clinician’s perspective of the modern and classic golf swing. This paper is relevant to sports physicians, biokineticists and physiotherapists and provides a clear analysis of the different types of golf swing and their possible link to injury, particularly lower back pain. Finally the paper by Dr Draper and her colleagues describes the state of the fitness industry in South Africa. This comprehensive study gathered data from 442 facilities around the country. The data provide an important benchmark for the state of the industry and will make a significant contribution to the development of perceived weaknesses in the industry. Mike Lambert Editor-in-Chief 1. Milan fashionistas fear Spanish skinny model ban. news.yahoo.com/s/ nm/20060914/od_nm/italy_models_dc (accessed 18 September 2006) 2. The changing shape of the model. news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/769460.stm (ac- cessed 18 September 2006) Skinny fashion – a role for sports medicine? SAJSM voL 18 No. 3 2006 57 editoriAL pg57.indd 57 9/21/06 12:15:22 PM edItorIaL SaJSM voL 19 No. 3 2007 65 PG65.indd 65 10/3/07 3:31:11 PM