BUTLER, Pa. (AP) — The hotel on the outskirts of town looks a lot like lodging one can find on any American highway. Over the years it has been a Holiday Inn and a Days Inn. The sign outside now bears the brand of a new, growing chain. One that promises a lot more than a good night’s sleep.

At the Tesla Wellness Hotel and MedBed Center, located approximately 45 minutes north of Pittsburgh, visitors are offered extraordinary incentives.

The establishment is a combination of a motel and a modern clinic. They provide nightly accommodations in rooms that feature “BioHealers” – containers that supposedly emit “life force energy,” or biophotons. Reviews from the company’s clients attest to the effectiveness of these devices in treating cancer, dementia, chronic pain, and many other health issues.

The center also offers canisters for household use. The prices range from $599 to $11,000 for the largest size, with more affordable options available for pets and kids.

Please refrain from referring to the individuals who have paid a significant amount of money for Tesla as “patients.” Dr. James Liu, the creator of Tesla, is not fond of this term, which may hint at the fact that his product surpasses the capabilities of conventional medicine.

“We are not a clinic, not a doctor’s office,” said Liu, who earned a medical degree in China and a Ph.D. in human nutrition at Penn State University. “For me, for the company, I always call them customers.”

Tesla Biohealing, which has no connection to the car company, is part of a growth industry marketing unproven cures and treatments to conspiracy theorists and others who have grown distrustful of science and medicine. Experts who study such claims say they’re on the increase, thanks to the internet, social media and skepticism about traditional health care.

According to Timothy Caulfield, a professor at the University of Alberta specializing in health policy and law, there has always been a presence of scam artists promoting supposed medical remedies, but it seems to be increasing. He believes this is due to factors such as the widespread use of the internet and social media, as well as a growing mistrust in traditional medicine and science. The rise of conspiracy theories further contributes to this mistrust.

Combining the technical language of Western science with the spiritual terms of traditional and Eastern medicine, these contemporary salespeople assert that their therapies can counteract aging, improve cognitive sharpness, or combat COVID-19 more effectively than a vaccine. They pledge improved wellness, but in reality, they are promoting the concept of exclusive knowledge, offering a secret available only to the affluent and influential.

Medbeds, which are often touted as the most extravagant and costly, lack credibility. A woman in a TikTok video enthusiastically proclaims the imminent arrival of medbeds, a sentiment that has been echoed in numerous other videos on the platform, garnering millions of views.

According to followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory, the military is said to have created medbeds, possibly with the aid of extraterrestrial technology, and they are currently being utilized by the wealthiest and most influential families in the world. Numerous sources allege that if former President Donald Trump is re-elected, he will reveal these devices and offer them at no cost to all citizens of the United States.

There are entire chat groups on Telegram dedicated to chatting about medbeds, along with the most recent speculations on their arrival time and location.

One woman on a Telegram channel made by medbed conspiracy theorists in New Jersey expressed her desperate plea for help to find a cure for her son’s cancer.

For individuals anticipating the arrival of medbeds, Tesla BioHealers may seem like an enticing option, but it does come with a price.

A single night at the Tesla complex in Butler, staying in a “highly-energized” room, costs $300. The rooms resemble typical motel rooms, but upon inspection, there are biophoton devices located beneath the bed. The company has seven additional medbed centers in other states, and their devices are also utilized at various “partner” establishments owned by other companies.

The canisters contain a combination of natural active stones and activated metal, along with grout, sand, and special polymers that are made using advanced technology, as stated by the company.

The company offers more than just biophoton cannisters; they also sell cases of Tennessee spring water for $150. This water supposedly contains “life force energy” that can boost energy and libido, improve bodily functions, alleviate pain, and result in vivid dreams as a sign of heightened brain activity.

At Walmart, a pack of 24 generic brand water bottles, each containing 16.9 ounces, is priced at under $4.

Rephrased: Tesla’s customers have shared online testimonials about the transformative impact of the company’s products, using enthusiastic language like “It worked miracles!” However, researchers and scientists who have examined the company’s assertions state that there is no scientific proof to back them up.

Tesla acknowledges the facts in its terms of service: “Tesla BioHealing does not provide any medical advice,” the fine print says. “Our products… are not intended to replace your physicians’ care, diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or medical condition.”

According to Liu, when he named his company, he was not aware of the medbed conspiracy theory. He also clarified that he has no intention of taking advantage of naive individuals who believe in the existence of medbeds. He stated that 40,000 people have already utilized his devices and he believes that the cannisters have the potential to treat approximately 80% of all illnesses.

Health has always been a top priority, so it’s not surprising that the United States has a history of unproven medical claims and products that seem too good to be true. Over a century ago, people sold “magic” elixirs from wagons. In later years, there was a brief craze for electric belts and magnet suits that claimed to cure anxiety, paralysis, and sexual problems. In the 1920s, a man named John Brinkley gained fame by performing surgeries where he implanted goat testicles into patients with infertility and impotence. However, he was eventually exposed as a fraud and lost his medical license.

During the 1970s and 1980s, magazines were filled with advertisements for diet pills and supplements that could be ordered through mail. However, these ads made false promises that were not supported by evidence.

Nowadays, these same assertions are being promoted on the internet, targeting a specific group of people who believe in conspiracy theories and are skeptical of science and conventional medicine. The website of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who also offers survival equipment and emergency food supplies, includes the phrase “Shop Now!”

These online communities were thriving long before the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw an explosion of false claims about vaccines, communicable diseases and even basic medical science.

As people’s distrust of conventional medicine, the media, and the government has increased, more individuals are open to relying on unproven remedies and unverified assertions.

In certain situations, having strong belief can lead to fatal consequences. In the previous year, a pastor in Florida and several of his relatives were found guilty of distributing a supposed cure for COVID-19 that was actually harmful industrial bleach. There have also been cases of individuals dying from consuming unproven remedies for COVID-19, such as chloroquine phosphate and hydroxychloroquine, which were endorsed by former president Trump. Additionally, false notions about COVID-19 and vaccinations have sparked resistance towards the potentially life-saving vaccine.

The online database maintained by the Food and Drug Administration lists treatments that are unproven or potentially harmful, such as unapproved COVID-19 therapies with harmful chemicals, so-called “cures” for autism involving raw camel milk and the consumption of hazardous heavy metals, and medications that claim to cure all types of cancer.

According to Stephen Barrett, a psychiatrist and authority on unproven medical claims who founded Quackwatch in the 1970s, individuals become susceptible when they have a lack of confidence in the government and significant institutions. However, there are also additional factors at play, such as desperation for assistance and uncertainty about what information to trust.

Fraud in the healthcare industry is a lucrative enterprise, resulting in the payment of over $5 billion in civil fines and penalties to the federal government last year. The majority of investigations and legal actions were aimed at deceiving public health programs like Medicaid and Medicare, as well as funds designated for COVID-19 relief. As a result, smaller-scale scammers and individuals promoting unverified treatments may not receive as much scrutiny.

Liu and other Tesla employees are quick to defend their work, arguing they are only giving people alternatives to a medical system many no longer trust.

Tesla BioHealing, similar to Elon Musk’s automotive company, is named after Nikola Tesla, a 19th-century inventor and electrical pioneer who, like Musk, has gained popularity among conspiracy theorists.

According to Seth Robinson, a chiropractor who runs Tesla Biohealing’s clinic in Delaware, numerous customers have become dissatisfied with the responses they receive from doctors. When asked to characterize a typical patient at Tesla, Robinson responds without hesitation.

“The word to describe the situation is desperation,” he stated. “Many individuals who come here often possess negative thoughts and feelings towards medicine. We do not hold an anti-medicine stance. We acknowledge the benefits of medicine, but also recognize its limitations.”

The assertions made by Tesla have caught the attention of government regulators. In August, the FDA sent a letter to the company requesting answers to inquiries regarding its products and their alleged health advantages. Liu stated that his company is taking the letter seriously and is currently preparing a response.

The FDA has expressed doubts about Tesla’s claims regarding its devices. The agency has chosen not to provide a statement on the issue. Depending on how Tesla responds, the agency may impose penalties or enforce other consequences, such as requiring the company to withdraw its products from the market.

The Associated Press reached out to multiple individuals who had bought the items, or whose family members had, and they expressed feeling deceived afterwards. None were willing to go on record, as they were afraid of being publicly humiliated. A few irate consumers have shared their grievances about the products on social media.

One woman shared her negative experience with a BioHealer in a TikTok video, warning others not to waste their money like she did. In the video, she opened the container to show a solid mass that looked like concrete, declaring that she had been sold a can of cement.

According to Canadian law professor Caulfield, the company’s statements often mimic scientific language, using terms such as “quantum” or “biophotons” to appear more legitimate.

Caulfield stated that they use terminology from the fields of technology and medicine, giving them a high-tech image. They even incorporate the name of Nikola Tesla, likely in an effort to boost their credibility.

According to Bahman Anvari, a bioengineering professor at the University of California, Riverside, Tesla’s assertions about life force energy have some basis in fact. Biophotons, a form of light emitted by living tissue that is invisible to the human eye, are indeed real. However, their impact on health is not fully comprehended and their effectiveness as a medical treatment has not been proven.

Tesla is currently conducting a clinical trial to prove the efficacy of their canisters. At this time, the company refers to a lone medical study authored by Liu and three other Tesla staff members as proof to support their assertions. This study revealed that Tesla’s canisters provided relief for a woman experiencing intense menstrual pain.

According to Anvari, Tesla’s only published article was not evaluated by other experts in the field, only focused on one patient who was also undergoing conventional treatments, had no comparison group, and has not been duplicated.

According to Caulfield, the idea is scientifically impossible, but in a desperate search for answers, one can understand why it may be appealing.