Consumers were first introduced to detox foot pads in the mid-2000s with the advent of the Kinoki brand. Kinoki's late-night TV ads claimed that by sticking the pads to the soles of the feet before turning in for the night you could wake up the next morning detoxified, your body drained of heavy metals, toxins and cellulite through the kidney meridian of the Chinese acupressure system. The proof you lose toxins through foot pads, manufacturers claim, is in the pads themselves: upon removal, the pads are greasy, black and emit a foul odor.
Detox Foot Pad Ingredients
Detox foot pads all contain some form of wood vinegar, usually drawn from bamboo or oak, and most contain the mineral tourmaline, a crystal silicate mineral said to have unique electrical properties that can balance negative ions. Other common ingredients in detox foot pads are herbal remedies such as eucalyptus, mushroom and green tea. The manufacturers of the original Kinoki pads kept its ingredients a secret but disclosed that the pads contained wild indigo root, hawthorne and chamomile.
Manufacturers' Claims
Detox foot pads claim to treat a long list of ailments, including but not limited to insomnia, high blood pressure, depression, lymphatic and circulatory system disorders and cellulite. Puurspa.com touts foot pads as having the power to encourage "self-healing" by speeding blood circulation. ShuLi.com states that their pads decrease bloating and water retention by draining the lymphatic system, and says the active ingredient wood vinegar that is unique to their pads comes from the Mandarin orange tree. Most pads have one unique ingredient they claim makes their pads the best.
The Kinoki Controversy
New Jersey-based company Xacta 3000, manufacturers of the original Kinoki foot pads, was charged with consumer fraud by the Federal Trade Commission in 2009. According to the FTC, Kinoki's advertising claims either did not have enough scientific evidence to support them or were patently false. As of 2010, however, the pads are still available for purchase through major online retailers, though the price has dropped significantly. Because Kinoki uses the same active ingredients as other foot pads, it stands to reason that the claims made by the manufacturers of the others may be false as well.
Scientific Evidence
Doctors and researchers overwhelmingly agree that foot detox is a scam, confirming through research that there is no way toxins, fat, heavy metals or "negative ions" can be removed through the skin. The manufacturers claim that the pads' turning smelly and oily is proof that they work, but "Los Angeles Times" reporter Chris Woolston found that squirting saline solution onto the pads produced the same effect as sticking them on his feet overnight. Director of the Bellevue/New York University Occupational and Environmental Medicine Clinic, Dr. George Friedman-Jimenez, went on record with ABC's "20/20" to say that any positive effects consumers experienced after using foot detox pads were probably due to the placebo effect.
Pricing
If you want to try foot detox pads, you should be aware that there is a wide range of prices among brands. As of late 2010, 14 Kinoki pads cost the least of the brands available through online retailers, selling for $2.25; 10 Power Purify Herbal Detox pads cost $19.95; 10 Forest Sap pads cost $12.95, 10 BodyRelief patches sold for $15.99 and 8 Chikusaku pads for $8.75. Among the most expensive were Takara, with a 10-pack selling for $20.95 and BodyPure, at a cost of $34.95 for 10 patches.
Member Comments