Featured in the Science Museum of Minnesota's collection of Questionable Medical Devices is a fluoroscope and a shoe-fitting X-ray device used in the 1940s and 1950s by shoe stores, purportedly to help customers make sure that the new wing backs fit correctly. No less questionable--but unarguably far less dangerous--are foot detox devices and the claim that they can cure whatever ails you by removing "toxins" from your body through the soles of your feet. These devices, which have no scientific studies to support their efficacy, make getting the facts about foot detox difficult.
Theories/Speculation
"Detox" in the conventional medical use of the word describes the withdrawal process people go through when ceasing habitual use of drugs and alcohol. However, "detox," when used to sell fraudulent health products and devices, has a more nebulous application. Stephen Barrett, M.D., co-founder of the National Council Against Health Fraud, states that claims made by "detox" products may differ, depending on what the marketer wants to sell you. Barrett states that a typical claim may include that specified or unspecified "toxins" build in the body cumulatively and insidiously, ultimately having a devastating effect on your health. Foot detox is based on the premise that dangerous toxins can be sweated out or otherwise removed through the soles of the feet. As Barrett points out, the detoxification process takes place in your liver and kidneys--not through the soles of your feet.
Detox Foot Pads
Dermatologist Martin E. Gibson of the Mayo Clinic describes the allure of detox foot pads, one of the questionable products that allegedly removes toxins. These adhesive pads, which are applied to the bottoms of the feet at night, are brown or black when removed by the user in the morning. Along with a foul, smoky odor, the dark appearance of the used pads are purportedly proof that this method of foot detox removes dangerous "toxins." A company called Kinoki assiduously marketed its detox foot pads in 2008 with claims so outrageous--for example, that the pads treated diabetes, hypertension and depression--that the Federal Trade Commission charged the foot pad marketers with deceptive advertising in January of 2009. Gibson points out that a product similar to detox food pads is the detox foot bath.
Detox Foot Baths
Detox foot baths, also called ionic detoxification footbaths, are also aggressively marketed on the Internet, says integrative physician Dr. Andrew Weil. The claim of these devices is that they remove toxins and balance cellular energy. Weil explains that the device is electrically powered and purportedly produces positive and negative ions, which allegedly stimulate the cells in the body. "As a result, promoters claim that toxins are excreted from the body via pores in your feet," Weil says. "During the foot bath, the water changes color, going from clear to reddish brown to black--this is billed as "proof" that toxins are being removed." Some of the ionic foot baths can cost up to $1,200, he says.
Considerations
In 2004, the media tackled the dubious claims made by foot detox baths. "The Guardian Unlimited," an online U.K. newspaper, dispatched Dr. Mark Atkins to a spa to be treated with the Aqua Detox, a major marketer of ionic footbaths. Atkins collected some of the rust-colored water from the bowl before and after his treatment and had it analyzed at a lab, the end result being that no toxins were present in either sample. In April 2008, ABC's "20/20" and National Public Radio both aired investigative reports on detox foot pads that yielded similar results. A sample of used foot pads taken from a "20/20" study group and a foot pad used by NPR reporter Sarah Varney were sent to laboratories for analysis. Analysis of the "20/20" foot pads revealed the presence of no heavy metals or dangerous solvents. Varney's laboratory results indicated that there was very little difference between a detox food pad that had been used and one that hadn't.
Expert Insight
Gibson warns of the dangers of succumbing to the word "detox," which has become a popular marketing tool among those who make or sell fraudulent health care products and devices. "When pushed, most manufacturers of these products can't identify which specific toxins are supposedly being removed," he states. Being that the facts about foot detox are less than factual, Gibson and Weil both concur that the marketers of such products peddle their wares to clean out your bank account and not to clean mythical "toxins" from your body.
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