Following a formal complaint by the ME Association, the Advertising Standards Authority announced this morning that it had informally resolved the complaint against the way the Lightning Process (LP) was promoted on the website of an LP practitioner.
The ASA said ‘Paula's Practice' had agreed to amend or withdraw advertising without the need for a formal investigation.
List of today's informally resolved ASA adjudications
And the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) has also included this description of The Lightning Process in its advertising codes:
Therapies: The Lightning process
Note: This advice is given by the CAP Executive about non-broadcast advertising. It does not constitute legal advice. It does not bind CAP, CAP advisory panels or the Advertising Standards Authority.
This section should be read in conjunction with the entry on ‘Therapies, General’.
CAP understands that the Lightning Process (LP) is a three-day training programme that incorporates low intensity physical movements and elements of hypnosis and meditation in order to make people think differently about their health.
To date, neither the ASA nor CAP has seen robust evidence for the health benefits of LP. Advertisers should take care not to make implied claims about the health benefits of the three-day course and must not refer to conditions for which medical supervision should be sought. (Phil Parker Group Ltd, 22 August 2012 and Withinspiration, 6 June 2010.)
Guidance on Health Therapies and Evidence QA (7-page guide) (Sept 2011)
Last modified : 11 February 2013