'Anti-snore' ring not so therapeutic

Sydney, March 26 (ANI): A company manufacturing an "anti-snore" therapeutic ring proclaiming it was "proven" treatment for a silent sleep has been asked to withdraw its claims, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has said.

The "anti-snore" ring is worn on the little finger and according to the manufacturer pressure balls on the inside of the device produce a "calming effect" that stops snoring and promotes better sleep.

But the ACCC said the firm had agreed to remove claims from its website that the ring had a "proven history of successful drug-free treatment of snoring" and was "tested and recommended by a physician".

Ron Grunstein, a professor of sleep medicine at the Woolcock Institute at the University of Sydney, suggested pharmacies shouldn't sell unproven treatments for snoring and insomnia.

He said patients often wasted huge sums of money on such snoring treatments before seeking medical help.

"No matter how much advice [we give] about these treatments having very little effect, people still get ripped off," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Grunstein, as saying.

Ken Harvey, of La Trobe University, added: "Devices that make absolutely crazy claims are doing very well in Australia." (ANI)