Manufacturers of foot detox pads claim they rid the body of toxins such as heavy metals and even cellulite. The pads are stuck to the soles of the feet like bandages before going to be bed and removed in the morning, at which point they tend to be dark in color, greasy and foul-smelling. The manufacturers claim this is proof that toxins can be pulled from the body through the soles of the feet.
Detox Foot Pad Ingredients
Detox foot pads frequently contain wood vinegar, the mineral tourmaline and chitosan, derived from shellfish. PurifyYourBody.com lists the ingredients of its foot pads as oak and bamboo vinegars, tourmaline, houttyunia cordata, eucalyptus, chitosan, agicarus mushroom and saurus chinesis. According to Puurspa.com, Avon's detox foot pads contain wood green tea, acetic acid, sorbitol, dextrin and camellia sinesis leaf extract along with wood vinegar and tourmaline. The now-defunct Kinoki, one of the first and most popular manufacturers of detox foot pads, kept its full ingredient list a secret but touted the fact that the pads contained green tea, chamomile, hawthorne and wild indigo root.
Available Brands
As of 2010, detox foot pads are available from a wide variety of manufacturers. Brands available online include Takara, BodyRelief, BodyPure, Chikusaku and Avon. Kinoki pads are still available through online retailers Amazon.com and Buy.com, though the manufacturer, New Jersey-based Xacta 3000, has been charged with deceptive advertising by the Federal Trade Commission.
Advertisers' Claims
The list of maladies manufacturers claim detox foot pads can treat include high blood pressure, insomnia, circulatory and lymphatic system disorders, depression and cellulite. Kinoki claimed their pads could stimulate weight loss by ridding the body of toxins. Puurspa.com states that Avon detox foot pads encourages "self-healing" by improving circulation and drawing toxins through the Kidney Meridian on the sole of the foot. Claims for how detox foot patches work are largely based on the Chinese acupuncture system.
Scientific Evidence
Scientists and physicians have largely denounced foot detox patches as a scam, stating there is no physiological mechanism by which toxins, cellulite, parasites or heavy metals can be drawn out through the skin of the feet. As for the foot pad manufacturers' claims that the pads turning brown and taking on a foul smell proves they work, "Los Angeles Times" reporter Chris Woolston states in a September 22, 2008, article that applying saline solution to the pads produced the same discoloration and smell as applying them to his feet. Dr. Steve Gilbert, director of the Institute of Neurotoxicology and Neurological Disorders at the University of Washington in Seattle, dismisses the idea that toxins can be drawn out through the feet as "silly." Dr. George Friedman-Jimenez, the director of the Bellevue/New York University Occupational and Environmental Medicine Clinic in New York City, stated in an interview with ABC's "20/20" that any perceived benefits from detox patches were probably a result of the placebo effect.
Pricing
For those who want to try detox foot pads, there is a range of prices among brands. As of 2010, 14 Kinoki pads were the least expensive, available for purchase online for $2.25; 10 BodyRelief patches sold for $15.99; 10 BodyPure pads for $34.95; 8 Chikusaku pads for $8.75 and 10 Takara patches for $20.95.
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