Mysterious Bishan shop poster urges: 'Add magnetism daily', sparks 'incredibly attractive' puns
A mysterious Bishan shop poster inviting customers to "add magnetism daily" has tickled netizens, sparking puns about becoming "incredibly attractive".
One even quoted the late Lee Kuan Yew's iconic line, delivered during a 1980 People's Action Party election rally at Fullerton Square: "Whoever governs Singapore must have that iron in him."
Redditor @Mysterious-Finding-6 posted a photo of the sign on subreddit r/singapore on Jan 7. "We are not here to treat illnesses," the poster states in red, capitalised text.
Another poster at the shop suggests that symptoms such as fatigue and cold hands and feet may be due to "magnetic deficiency". A line in Mandarin at the bottom of the poster also promotes a "magnetic field device" that can "replenish your magnetic energy".
What is magnetic therapy?
According to the US National Centre for Complementary and Integrative Health, magnetic therapy can be used to treat different types of pain such as arthritis or headaches. Such therapy often involves placing magnets near or on the body for pain relief.
Magnetic patches claiming to reduce neck and shoulder pain are widely available online for between $15 and $50 for a pack of 24, with some customers saying that they help with inflammation and discomfort.
In Singapore, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a medically approved treatment that uses magnetic fields to treat psychiatric disorders such as depression.
Netizens unconvinced
However, netizens were tickled by the poster's claims, labelling it a "scam" and "pseudo science".
When one user joked that they "ate a whole box of magnets", another quipped: "Has anyone ever told you that you're incredibly attractive?"
Some commenters said they had seen elderly customers sitting on chairs with their feet propped up on a machine in the shop. Another described the shop's windows as "plastered with posters"" adding that seniors inside were "sitting lecture-style listening to a speaker talk about (presumably) magnetism".
Stomp has reached out to Mysterious-Finding-6 for more information.
