The companies that manufacture and distribute Oriental detox foot pads often make hefty claims regarding their products. The foot pads purportedly remove toxins, metals and other undesirable substances through the skin on the soles of the feet. Some even claim the pads can cure or prevent health problems. Before purchasing any product that promises to detoxify, scrutinize the product and its ingredients carefully to make sure you are getting what you are seeking.
Function
Most Oriental detox pads are made of disposable cotton pads attached to an adhesive surface that sticks to the soles of your feet. Companies typically give instructions advising users to attach a clean pad to each foot before going to bed. In the morning, the surface of the pad is usually dark and gooey, which detox foot pad companies claim is evidence of the toxins removed by the pads.
Theories/Speculation
Companies that make and sell foot detox pads claim that people ingest toxins in various ways through food, water and the air. For example, the company that makes Kinoki detox foot pads claims that its product collects heavy metals, toxins, parasites and cellulite through the skin on the soles of the feet, reported John Stossel in a 2008 ABC News report.
Considerations
Many Oriental foot detox pad companies do not specifically list the ingredients in their products. Some products are simply labeled as containing "detoxifying ingredients," while others contain bamboo vinegar and other unknown minerals and herbs. If you have particularly sensitive skin or a medical condition that affects your feet, such as diabetes, check with your doctor before using any detox foot pad to reduce your risk of irritation.
Misconceptions
The human body filters toxins and other undesirable substances through the kidneys and intestines, which voids the body through urine and feces. Products that claim to remove toxins and heavy metals through the skin often do not have hard scientific data to back up their claims since this removal method is not likely, explains Dr. Jim Seward, an environmental health physician at UC Berkeley. Any benefits felt after using detox foot patches is likely due to a placebo effect, explains Dr. George Friedman-Jimenez, the director of the Bellevue/New York University Occupational and Environmental Medicine Clinic.
Expert Insight
The ABC series "20/20" performed an investigative report on Kinoki and Avon detox foot pads in 2008 in which it asked NMS Labs in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania to analyze used foot pads. The laboratory tested for toxins and several heavy metals and did not find evidence of them on the used pads, even though the pads appeared dark. When distilled water was placed on the pads, they still turned dark leading to the belief that moisture from the bottom of the participants' feet, rather than toxins, was responsible for the dark color.
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