penicillin. In addition to promoting weight loss, it supposedly boosts energy, strengthens the immune system, eases back pain, and cures allergies. All for slightly less than $500!
After selling and using the machine for more than two years, Linda Basta of Buffalo, New York, is a true believer. She uses it to relax her body, ease aches and pains, and — as a saleswoman — to make money. Many of her customers hope to lose weight, and many are satisfied with the results, she says. “I never tell people they are going to lose weight, but a lot of them do,” she says.
Basta believes the machine burns off pounds by putting the body in a “better state of balance.” The machine also detoxifies the cells and helps cure learning problems, she says.
Up close, the Chi Machine looks less than miraculous. It is essentially a small box with two leg supports. You lie on your back, place your lower legs in the supports, and let the machine rock your body back and forth. (Judging from the advertisements, the machine is especially popular among attractive young women in unitards.)
Some marketers proclaim the Chi Machine is “FDA approved,” meaning that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given its approval. However, this alleged stamp of