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EARLIER this year we reported on attempts to sell “buffered water” and “dehydrated water” to the gullible (Feedback, 10 May). Now reader Max Howland of Seacliff Park, South Australia, tells us of a booth in his local shopping mall dispensing “magnetic water”. Consisting simply of a water dispenser sitting on a large magnet, the promotion assures customers that the water promotes the healing of wounds and burns, has a therapeutic effect on digestive, nervous and urinary systems, and may be beneficial for fevers, sore throats, and menstrual and menopausal discomfort. It is also, apparently, good for kidney ailments, gout,…

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