There’s no reliable evidence that detox foot pads work.Manufacturers of detox foot pads say that their products draw toxins out of your body while you sleep. Some manufacturers have claimed that detox foot pads also treat high blood pressure, headaches, cellulite, depression, diabetes, insomnia and aid in weight loss.Detox foot pad are stuck on the bottom of your feet and left there overnight, purportedly to draw out toxins, such as heavy metals. When you peel off the detox foot pad in the morning, its darkened or discolored appearance supposedly reflects the toxins that have been removed from your body.However, no scientific studies have been published that show that detox foot pads work or that they’re safe. The Federal Trade Commission has even charged some distributors of detox foot pads with deceptive advertising.The bottom line: As with anything that sounds too good to be true, your best bet is to wait for scientific evidence that proves a claim before investing your time and money.
In the morning, you’ll peel off a detox foot patch only to be greeted with a frighteningly dark sludge on the pad’s surface–purportedly proof positive that “toxins” have been leeched from your system. Devicewatch.org, a site maintained by the National Council Against Health Fraud, considers detox foot patches consumer scams, citing the most popular brand, Kinoki, which was whisked off the shelves after the FTC filed suit against the marketer for making false claims. Stephen M. Barrett, M.D., states, “All such products should be regarded as fakes, and the proposed mechanisms should be regarded as nonsensical.”
Sense About Science, a charitable trust based in the United Kingdom, makes it a mission to inform consumers of fraudulent health claims. Detox products are huge moneymakers–even though the word “detox” has no practical application outside of a clinical setting. In its attempt to create a “detox dossier,” Sense About Science discovered that marketers of detox foot patches were “unable to provide reliable evidence or consistent explanations of what the ‘detox’ process is supposed to be.” Your body is continually purifying itself without the need for foot patches or any other detox products. As Sense About Science explains, your intestines prevent harmful bacteria and other toxins from getting into your body, and those that do find a way in are processed by your liver and kidneys and exit your body through your urine.A close cousin to detox foot patches are detox footbaths (ionic footbaths), which also purport to remove “toxins” from the body through the soles of the feet. However, the word “detox” attached to any consumer product should send up a red flag. Sense About Science points to “detox” supplements, socks, body wraps, herbal extracts and infusions and special diets, all of which promote a specific product, service or ritual. All of these are a waste of your time and money, and according to Sense About Science, “sow confusion about how our bodies, nutrition and chemistry actually work.”
Using these pads has many benefits. For those who experience sleep disturbances, fatigue, headaches, gastrointestinal disturbances, nervousness, muscle tension, anxiety, poor appetite, loss of energy, mood changes and others, you should at least give these patches a try because they may work well for you. Regular use of these pads – applying them to your feet before you sleep and removing them when you wake up – will make you feel energized, revitalized, refreshed, healthy, happy, invigorated and lively. And because these pads absorb toxins from the body, these help two major organs of the body — the kidneys and the liver — in getting rid of your body’s toxins. (The kidneys and the liver are the two organs that receive most of the toxins.)
Other benefits of using foot detox methods, whether it be the foot pads or the ionic foot detox bath, include improved blood circulation, immune system function, relieved headache and migraine, enhanced concentration, reduction of allergies, quicker metabolism, relieved stress and anxiety and many others. And the best thing is that these foot detox patches are not very expensive so it is not going to cost you a great deal of money to try them and see the effects for yourself.
