Have you heard about LifeWave? It’s a wellness company that makes patches, creams, and sprays. Some people like their products.
They think LifeWave’s stuff can help them feel better without taking medicine.
But other folks aren’t so sure. They wonder if the products work.
They also have some concerns about how LifeWave sells its products.
LifeWave Lawsuit
By the end, you’ll have the key facts so you can make up your mind about LifeWave.
Let’s dive in!
LifeWave: The Basics
LifeWave is a company that was started in 2004 by a guy named David Schmidt.
According to its website, LifeWave wants to help people “live well” using special “wellness solutions.”
The company makes things like:
- Patches you stick on your skin
- Skin creams
- Sprays
But what LifeWave is most known for are its patches. They call them “non-transdermal patches.”
LifeWave has had some famous fans over the years. For example:
- Suzanne Somers, the actress from the TV show Three’s Company, was a big supporter before she passed away in 2023
- She even wrote about LifeWave’s patches in one of her books in 2015
But not everyone loves LifeWave. Critics have questioned:
- If the products work.
- Some of the ways LifeWave markets and sells its stuff.
So there’s some debate and controversy around this company. We’ll get into more details on that soon.
How LifeWave Says Its Patches Work?
LifeWave claims that its patches can naturally give you more energy, kind of like acupuncture. But instead of using needles, the patches supposedly use light.
The idea is that the patches shine certain light waves onto your skin. LifeWave says this light can:
- Boost your stem cells.
- Help repair your body’s tissues.
- Improve certain proteins in your body called peptides.
According to LifeWave’s website:
“Your body gives off heat, including infrared heat. Our patches trap some of this infrared energy when you put them on your skin. Then the patches reflect the energy to target specific points on your skin. This is supposed to help promote overall health in ways that are unique to each LifeWave patch.”
A lot of people like the idea of a simple patch they can wear to try to improve their health and wellness without drugs or medical procedures. The patches are small and round, so they aren’t super noticeable.
But the big question is – do they work? Let’s look at some of the evidence and debate around that.
Do LifeWave’s Products Work?
This is where there’s a lot of disagreement and controversy. Some folks are very skeptical that LifeWave’s patches and other products do much. But the company and its supporters say there’s proof the products work.
The Skeptics’ View
Critics argue there isn’t a strong scientific proof for the health claims LifeWave makes about its patches.
For example:
- In 2015, the National Library of Medicine said research on “biofield therapies” (which would include stuff like LifeWave’s patches) is still “relatively new” and there isn’t a ton of evidence yet.
- Skeptics say there needs to be a lot more clinical studies on “energy medicine” approaches like LifeWave’s to show if they make a difference in people’s health.
Plus, LifeWave’s patches are not approved as medical devices by the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration).
The FDA has even warned that some unproven “stem cell treatments” can be risky.
So skeptics say LifeWave hasn’t proven its big health claims. They think any benefits people report from the patches could just be a placebo effect.
LifeWave’s View
But LifeWave and its supporters point to some studies and anecdotes to argue the patches do work:
- LifeWave highlights a positive study done in India on its X-39 patches
- However, even that study said more research should be done with placebo-controlled trials
- There are reviews online from customers who say the patches helped them
LifeWave claims the X-39 patch can help with things like:
- Overall energy
- Vitality However, it’s important to note the company’s website doesn’t specifically claim the patch helps relieve pain.
So there’s a debate about LifeWave’s health claims. It seems like more rigorous scientific studies are still needed to prove if the products do what the company says.
Concerns About LifeWave’s Business Practices
Separate from the questions about whether the products work, some folks also have concerns about how LifeWave operates as a business. The biggest issue here seems to be LifeWave’s use of multi-level marketing (MLM).
With MLMs, the company’s products are sold by a network of individual distributors rather than in stores. The distributors can make money both from their sales and from recruiting new people to become distributors under them.
Some people are skeptical of MLMs because:
- In some cases, they can be illegal “pyramid schemes” where recruiting becomes more important than actual product sales
- A few big MLM companies, especially in health/wellness, have gotten in trouble for deceptive practices
To be clear, not all MLMs are scams or pyramid schemes. And there are no current US lawsuits alleging LifeWave is a pyramid scheme.
But some folks are warier of the company because it uses this business model that has a controversial reputation. It can raise questions about the incentives of the distributors.
Other LifeWave Controversies and Lawsuits
LifeWave has been involved in some other legal issues and controversies over the years unrelated to the MLM stuff:
- In 2015, LifeWave was sued for allegedly infringing on a patent, but the result of this case is unclear.
- In 2014, LifeWave’s European branch got in trouble for some tax issues.
- LifeWave was also sued by another MLM company called Jeunesse in a dispute, but this was settled in 2015.
However, there don’t appear to be any big LifeWave lawsuits that are currently active, based on my research. The company seems to have stayed out of legal trouble recently.
Frequently Asked Questions
To round out this deep dive on LifeWave, let’s go over some common questions people have:
- What are the main legal issues and controversies with LifeWave?
The biggest issues seem to be:
- Debate over the company’s health claims and whether they are scientifically proven
- Criticism of LifeWave’s use of multi-level marketing to sell its products
- A handful of lawsuits LifeWave has been involved in over the years, though none are currently active
- Is there good evidence that LifeWave’s patches work?
Right now, there doesn’t appear to be definitive scientific proof that the patches work the way LifeWave claims. There are some positive anecdotes and LifeWave points to a few studies. However, skeptics say much more rigorous research is needed. There is still a lot of debate on this.
- What kind of company is LifeWave?
LifeWave is a multi-level marketing (MLM) company that sells health and wellness products, especially patches that go on your skin. MLMs are controversial to some because of past bad behavior by a few big companies in the industry. But not all MLMs are illegal pyramid schemes.
- Who started LifeWave?
LifeWave was founded in 2004 by a man named David Schmidt. Not a lot is known about Schmidt beyond what LifeWave says on its website.
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The Bottom Line:
So where does all this leave us on LifeWave? Here are the key takeaways:
- LifeWave sells wellness products, most famously patches that supposedly use light to improve your health
- There is a lot of debate and controversy around LifeWave
- Some think the company makes health claims about its products that aren’t scientifically proven
- Others are skeptical of LifeWave because it uses multi-level marketing to sell its products
- The company has been involved in some lawsuits over the years, but nothing major appears to be currently active
- Ultimately, a lot more scientific evidence is probably needed to conclusively show whether LifeWave’s products do what it claims
- Some people report positive experiences, but it’s unclear if that’s just a placebo effect
Hopefully, this gives you a thorough and balanced look at LifeWave from all angles! Let me know if you have any other questions.
