Can Kinoki Detox Foot Pads Save Your Sole?
Erin Inquires: Can you tell me how Kinoki Detox Foot Pads work or is it a hoax? It is a product that you place on your feet to remove the toxins from your body.
The Left Brain de-feets Kinoki:
I’m going with HOAX on this one, Erin.
The power of vinegar
According to their website, Kinoki Detox Foot Pads claim to draw harmful toxins through the bottom of your feet by using distilled bamboo vinegar. All you do is place the pads on the soles of your feet. As you sleep, the vinegar sucks the evil toxins from all your organs, through your blood stream, until they pass through the bottom of your foot where they are absorbed by the pad. It works on all kinds of contaminants including heavy metals, metabolic waste, microscopic parasites, mucous and even cellulite. You can tell it really works because as the pad absorbs toxins it changes color from white to gray-black.
What a load of crap!
The idea that toxins can be sucked out of your body through the soles of your feet is completely absurd. Dr. Stephen Barrett, M.D., part of the Quackwatch network, did a great job of debunking detox foot patches. He points out that skin is not a permeable membrane, so substances will not easily flow out of the body through the skin. And even if materials could pass through the skin this way, that’s not how detoxification works. True detox involves the liver and kidneys working together to filter the blood. The skin just doesn’t work that way; all it can do is emit sweat, which contains water and salt (and a little sebum).
The Beauty Brains bottom line
This entire concept is so unscientific that it boggles the mind. Yet, even Amazon.com sells detox pads like this! Let the buyer beware!
Want more Beauty Brains brilliance? Get your copy of the Beauty Brains book here.
Note: Comments on this post have been closed due to the fact that they are slowing down the system. If you would like to discuss the topic further, go to the Kinoki Foot pad discussion on our forum.
LipstickFace Says:
Ooops! You left Dr Barrett’s last name off (the Quackwatch man). (Yeah, I know; my fingers are faster than my brain, too.
Jess Says:
They are itching for a fight or a fine–if you look closely (thanks Tivo, for live-pause!) you’ll see they actually claim that the pads can remove asbestos. (Through your feet, lol.) That would be groundbreaking, to say the least. Sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Shelby Says:
I saw this and totally thought about The Beauty Brains first. It’d be nice if it worked, and after seeing the infomercial, I knew it wouldn’t, but I have a question. They say that the pads suck the toxins out and the black/gray/brown remnants are left on your feet and as you continue to use them less color remains. What is the “remnants” that they claim to be toxins?
Left Brain Says:
Good question, Shelby. I wondered that too. But to be honest, this product is so stupid, I didn’t want to waste anymore time figuring it out. Anyone else have any thoughts?
thebeautybrains Says:
My guess is it’s some kind of Iodine oxidation reaction. That could make the things look black.
-Right
carolyn Says:
At my chiro’s office they have a machine called an Ion Cleans, suppose to pull toxins out of the body through the feet, using negative ions. The water turns from clear to brown, black, orange, with foam. People say they feel great afterwards and do it on a regular basis. Anybody??…. reply?…..
LipstickFace Says:
Carolyn, unfortunately, chiropractors haven’t a much better reputation than palm readers because so many have poisoned the well. Please be sure to see chirobase.org which is also maintained by Dr Barrett, the QuackWatch man. (And the IonCleans thing you describe is as useful as the foot pads described in this post for the same reasons.)
KatsKlau Says:
I have never used this product or bought this product. I do not endorse this product or claim fraud. I just have my personal opinion.
People pay hundreds of dollars to be coated with mud, to sit in mud baths or to have clay rubbed on them, to have body wraps and exfoliating scrubs. People pay this money to spas and the like because they believe in the processes that detox the body and draw out impurities. So thats my rebuttal to everyone stating that the skin, (which is an organ like the liver, and does excrete impurities through something called “pores”), does not excrete impurities or toxins.
Also, metals and toxins reside quite happily within our organs and for most people they cause a lot of misery from aches and pain to chronic diseases caused by microbes and parasites that leech and thrive on these metals. Wouldn’t you want to get these out of your system if you could?
Thirdly, aaah the feet. Reflexologists know about the healing power of foot detoxification. There are areas in the foot called “crunchies” by reflexologists, basically they are palpable build ups of toxins and urea crystals (also see: gout)and when broken up they cause a rapid flush and detox causing the person to rise in body temperature, sweat and excrete toxins that can actually be smelled. There have been studies done, as Dr. Oz stated on Oprah on 1/8/07, that show that when certain points in the foot are pressed thru accupressure points, parts of the brain light up in a catscan. Western medicine can offer no correlation for this. As Dr. Oz says, Western medicine cannot account for alot of things.
So do these patches work? Would it be completely absurd to believe that a patch draws out impurities? Well think of facial “patches” or masks. No one questions them. They draw out dirt, oil and chemicals out of our noses, faces and throats. I would venture to guess that if the commercial claimed that it had the same ingredients as a Clearasil Face mask and draws out impurities in the same way no one would question it. I think most of the skeptics and cynics on this site place whole faith in western medicine and label any homeopathic, or alternative medicine as bologna.
Lets stop speculating and actually test these patches.
Star Says:
BRAVO, KatsKlau!!!!!!! Americans and Western medicine are always seeking the magic pill to solve ailments or problems. No doubt, some are absolutely necessary for life and death situations. However, we know of the horrifying warning labels on almost all drugs, but millions continue to consume them, thus putting more toxins into their systems and it always seems another drug is necessary to quell the side effects of the original drug and a vicious cycle of drugs begins. We should be questioning Western medicine’s easy fixes and begin to look holistically at health. First, don’t fill your body with toxins and disgusting diets which cause so many diseases. Second, detoxify your body, after all it is your temple. I go to a chiropractor, accupuncturist and both my husband and I have studied accupressure. Stop debunking Eastern philosophy healing methods and start thinking about the poisonous drugs and food you are ingesting. Massages are another therapeutic means to detoxify the body. Don’t knock it unless you’ve tried it. I have and I know without a doubt that my accupuncturist has stopped sinus-related headaches, depression and he even stopped my mother’s diabetic neuropathy foot tingling and twitching. Unbelievable that people can condemn detoxification yet don’t mind popping pill after pill without the slightest hesitation!!! I believe both Western and Eastern philosophies of medical treatment need to be given equal respect.
Lucy Says:
To KatsKlau:
Nobody is questioning the fact that in sweat you can found toxins, but is not because skin is “cleaning” the body. Every fluid in the body has toxins and can in theory take them out of the body in some degree, because all they came from the blood or from the water around de body cells (and we are talking about sweat, tears, saliva, semen, breast milk, amniotic liquid, etc. That’s the reason a pregnant women can’t take meds without a doctors advice) So the skin is not cleaning the body the same way that liver and kidney just releasing a fluid that have a really small quantity of body’s wastes. The liver, in contrast, searches in blood for those wastes and toxins and change them so don’t be toxic anymore or are easier to take out by the kidney. The kidney, even if don’t change those substances look for them like a filter and eliminate them in great concentration on the urine. The skin doesn’t do neither of those things, the sweat isn’t a mechanism to liberate toxins is and important way to control body temperature, and also clean and lubricate the skin (BTW skin happens to be our main barrier against most diseases, doing a great job isolating or body to most agent, living or inert; making claims like the one of this patches really implausible)
Right Brain Says:
Lucy: Very good point about how the liver and kidneys work, and how skin DOESN’T work.
Star: You say it’s “Unbelievable that people can condemn detoxification yet don’t mind popping pill after pill without the slightest hesitation.”
Here’s the difference: pills really have an effect on the body (for better or worse.) Detoxification through foot pads (which is what we’re talking about in this post) is unscientific mumbo-jumbo. So I don’t think it’s strange at all that people would believe in science while condemning pseudo-science.
Smart reads for smart women Says:
[...] Use your Beauty Brains Don’t be sucked in by detoxifying foot pads. [...]
Star Says:
Right Brain: Remember the idea that the World was round used to be “mumbo-jumbo”! Also, in my previous post I did mention that Western medications must work together with Eastern healing practice; even my accupuncturist is extremely aware of that and will not treat certain conditions with accupuncture alone. All I was trying to point out was that I have personally experienced resolutions to medical problems as well as my mother who suffered with diabetic neuropathy. Many others (perhaps millions) would report a resolution to ailments using Eastern or alternative methods without resorting to popping another toxic drug when the same result could be accomplished without an unnecessary toxin to overwork our liver and kidneys in the first place! So, yes, pills do have an effect as does accupuncture and lymph node detoxification which I realize does not come out of the skin. Having said all that, I have never tried the foot pad method of “detoxification” because I am skeptical, but I don’t believe it should be dismissed as “mumbo-jumbo” until all the evidence is in.
To Lucy and Right Brain: Yes, the skin is the largest organ “on” our body and it is for protection; however, it can also absorb toxins or drugs, i.e., patches for HRT, smoking, motion sickness, etc. The skin can also turn out to be a deadly enemy to the body, i.e., flesh-eating bacteria, touching certain liquid or even hard material which is then transferred from the skin into the body invading other organs or causing toxicity.
thebeautybrains Says:
Star,
You are correct that many things dismissed as “mumbo-jumbo” turned out to be true. But there is a big difference between things like the shape of the Earth and things like alternative medicine.
Things that are eventually vindicated are tested and proved to work.
Things like acupuncture, healing touch, feng shui, etc. have also been tested and proven not to work.
It’s perfectly fine to dismiss things proven not to work.
The fact that you believe acupuncture has helped heal you doesn’t mean that it’s true. Medical science is well aware of a placebo effect and that’s the most likely explanation for any effects noticed.
You can read a skeptical review of acupuncture over at Quackwatch.
You can also see the results of recent, controlled studies.
For example.
1. Acupuncture does not reduce nausea but people think it does.
2. Acupuncture not more effective than fake acupuncture for reducing migraines.
People believe that acupuncture is doing something when, in fact, it’s just a placebo effect.
In my mind, there is no such thing as alternative medicines or treatments. There are only things that WORK and things that DON’T WORK.
People should be open to all possibilities. But once it’s proved that something DOESN’T WORK, we need to move on and focus on things that do work.
David Says:
http://www.kenrico.com/research.html
Check out the scientific research on these foot pads. People who haven’t tried them spread fear and hatred about the unknown. People who do real research and try them for themselves have a lot of good things to say about foot pad detoxification.
Lipstick Face Says:
Peer-reviewed by whom? Each other? I notice there’s no mention of that on the site, and I can find nowhere on the web that anyone anywhere (other than Kenrico, whose own research is self-serving and therefore suspect) (and silly, since toxins can’t be drawn out of the body through the skin) is doing any reviewing of the product (other than to laugh at it because everyone knows you can’t draw toxins out of the body via the feet). The objects on this page probably claim to be “peer-reviewed,” too: http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2007/11/10-awesome-gadg.html
Lucy Says:
Like Lipstick Face said peer-reviewed by whom. Just see the brain waves one. The differences between the first and second pattern are the ones of someone that is awake and then of someone that is relax. Now that is more likely caused by the fact that during a EEG you are comfortably lying on bed that by this pads. If you want to prove that the pads cause this you should use kinoki ones in some people and some “fake” placebo in the other half. They don’t show that kind of result, so you can assume that they don’t do that. They just do a test to make their product look right. We can more or less do the same with the rest of their “research”.
noahsark Says:
I too am somewhat skeptical of pads that detoxify and would like to see more research on this matter from several independent labs.
However, the skin is more than a covering or protection for our bodies. It is a back up system for many of our organs.
As a nurse I cared for a patient who was in hepatic/renal failure. The skin was trying to rid the body of the poisons by secreting these toxins through the pores, it is called “uremic frost”.
This “uremic frost” was very evident because the patient was black and it looked like a white layer of frost had fallen on every inch of his skin.
We certainly wouldn’t pour chemicals directly on our internal organs yet we continue to slather, paste and paint all sorts of chemicals on our skin which is then absorbed through our blood systems to the rest of our organs.
I don’t know if these pads work or not but I wouldn’t downride the importance of our skin to take in and let out substances.
carolyn Says:
Thank-you Noahsark, the skin is an incredible organ, and these are just opinions you all have. Put a fresh piece of garlic in your shoe and walk on it for awhile, tell me you dont taste it later, or the Vicks on the feet thing. Dont knock what works for others just because of what you believe. Just a friendly reply!
babeinthewoods Says:
My first visit to this page showed, under “Google Ads,” an advertisement for “detoxifying foot pads.” Apparently, the left foot doesn’t know what the right foot is doing.
Star Says:
Dear Right Brain: There is also “placebo” effect with medications. Apparently your entire brain is too toxic from Western medicines to be open to a practice that has been used for thousands of years. In fact, my accupuncturist had his wisdom teeth removed with accupuncture only. His wife, who is also an accupuncturist, administered the needles and the dentist was amazed that he didn’t even need local anesthesia or nitrous oxide. He recently developed a kidney infection and was treated at a hospital with Western medicines, so he is not a Quack and is incredibly aware that Western medicine is very valuable, but accupuncture is also valid for certain uses. I believe at least I’m open minded, especially since I no longer have to take ibuprofen everyday for sinus headaches and I actually observed my mother’s foot stop twitching with his accupunture therapy. You can’t fake cessation of diabetic neuropathy symptoms, especially in light of the fact that my mother was dying from kidney cancer. I took her to my accupunturist in hopes of helping some of her pain and anguish for which I was so grateful. No, he couldn’t cure her kidney cancer, but neither could Western medicine; however, Western medicine offered absolutely no help with her painful tingling and twitching from the diabetic neuropathy. Your “Right Brain” needs to keep your “Left Brain” a little more open! I know the article is not about accupuncture and I’m not sure I believe in the detoxifying foot pads yet, but I can certainly understand the concept so eloquently expressed by the nurse “Noahsark” above. Time will tell if these pads are “mumbo-jumbo”, but I do believe in the notion of “drawing” toxins and poisons out of the skin, i.e., leeches — remember, “They’re Baaack”!
Lipstick Face Says:
Star, leeches don’t “[draw] toxins and poisons out of the skin,” but rather blood. They do it by piercing the skin and anesthetizing the skin around the hole so you’re not aware they’re there, and then having a big ol’ party. They don’t magically draw it through the skin the way a patch sposedly draws toxins through the skin.
Back onto the topic, though, the NY Times recently wrote an amusing article about a book about the placebo effect, which is well-documented. (The article specifically mention accupuncture, BTW.) The article requires a free account to read.
mtmom Says:
So what you are saying is that none of you have actually tried the product and are just giving your opinion of what you think is going on. Lets hear from someone who has actually tried the product
Left Brain Says:
mtmom,
Some things are so ridiculous and implausible that using them will provide no worthwhile evidence at all.
For example, if I told you you could remove toxins from your body just by tapping your skin with a magic wand would you need to try it out to see if it really works? Things have to have a reasonable explanation as to why they should work. The explanations given for this product merely demonstrate a lack of understanding about human physiology.
Feel free to try the products if you want. Are you also going to take blood samples before and after to determine if toxins were actually removed from your body? Are you going to test the waste water to see if there are toxins there?
In my opinion, there is no need to try a magic pad that would need to break long held & demonstrated notions of human physiology to actually work.
Star,
Why is it that when someone disagrees with you, you feel the need to personally attack them? My brain is too “toxic”? What is that supposed to mean? Am I somehow inferior to your “non-toxic” brain?
I’m open to the possibility that things work. If these detox foot patches had a reasonable explanation that they could work, I’d reserve judgment. But to me, these are no different then tapping yourself with a magic wand.
And if acupuncture wasn’t proven on numerous occasions to be no more worthwhile than a placebo effect, I would accept it as a useful treatment too.
But I’m swayed by scientific evidence. And the evidence is that neither of these treatments are worthwhile. If you could point me to some scientific evidence that proves otherwise, I’m all ears.
Right Brain Says:
Mtmom: This is a bit redundant after reading what Left had to say, but here are my comments anyway:
You’re right, we haven’t tried this product and we’re NOT interested in trying it. What we ARE interested in is test data. Kinoki claims that their product removes specific toxins from your body, like parasites and heavy metals. Those contaminants are easy to detect with various biological and chemicals tests. So, if these Detox foot pads really work, it should be easy enough to demonstrate that these toxins are present in the pads after they’ve done their job. Of course, it would also be nice to see before and after blood tests as well.
Those two simple tests are all it will take to convince us that this product really works. That’s how science works - based on actual data, not just someone’s opinion after using a product.
But regardless of our difference of opinion on this topic, we do value you, and everyone else who commented, as members of the Beauty Brains community. Thanks.
thebeautybrains Says:
Babeinthewoods: You commented about the Google ad for Kinoki on our site.
Just in case you don’t know, here’s how that works. Google ads automatically searches websites for key words, then places ads on those sites that match the content.
So if we blog about mascara, Google puts mascara ads on our site. If we blog about crazy-ass kooky Kinoki foot pads, then Google puts THOSE ads on our site.
Website authors don’t control the content of those ads, Google does. I hope that helps.
Star Says:
Lipstick Face: Leeches are not just in swamps!!! Sanitized ones are used by Western Medical Doctors to prevent infections and/or heal infections and clots which have formed on reattached limbs because they suck out the blood with the infection and obviously any blood clots.
Right Brain: I never said your brain was toxic. I said “your Right Brain needs to keep your Left Brain a little more open”. So, you’re Right Brain is a Wrong Brain. I’m not attacking anyone, not even you Right Brain — please stop putting your foot in your mouth. Hmmmm, speaking of detoxifying the body with foot pads, I guess you really wouldn’t do that! Please instruct your Right Brain that sometimes I’m trying to bring some levity to the subject and, at the same time, some experiences with alternative medical techniques. Sheesh, stop being so offended so easily!
Lipstick Face Says:
Star, I never mentioned the word “swamps.” Are you testing the foot pads on your eyes?
Star Says:
Lipstick Face: I realize you never mentioned the word “swamps”, but your characterization of them was that they are disgusting when in fact they have been scientifically proven and doctors do use them to help heal wounds.
You seem to live by the adage, when you have nothing else to say, insert an insult. The comment “Are you testing the foot pads on your eyes?” is to say the least moronic and childish — just how old are you? Sounds like you’re full of toxic vitriolic spume — perhaps you should try the foot pads, leeches (or anything, please) to detoxify yourself.
Lipstick Face Says:
Star, what are you smoking? All I did was to describe how leeches work. You erroneously described leeches as “drawing toxins” out via the skin, comparing them to the magical foot pads. That’s not how they work. And they’re certainly NOT disgusting. Thanks to leeches. lotsa people successfully are able to get their limbs reattached! But you jump in out of nowhere with your weird comment about swamps. (Apropos of nearly nothing, where I grew up, we had leeches in our fresh-water ponds.)
Star Says:
Lipstick Face, I don’t smoke cigarettes, weed or stay in burning buildings to die of smoke inhalation. I am a vegetarian and try as hard as I can to put as few toxins into my body as is reasonably possible. I believe my body is my temple and treated correctly it will hopefully be healthier. Once again — your inane tatic — insert insult! That being said, hooray, we do agree on leeches and I have never indicated that I believe in the detoxifying foot pads — only that it must be proven. I don’t believe they can work, but I also keep an open mind simply because many Eastern philosophical ideas are now being looked at and used again — some with success and some without — just as in Western medical practices.
Oddly enough, on the subject of leeches, I am an actress and I was in a spoof melodramatic play entitled “Attack of the Killer Mutant Leeches” — just thought that’s kind of ironic.
I'maBeliever Says:
I use the footpads. I prefer the Sole brand. They make my feet and legs feel lighter the next morning. I’m also noticing that I don’t mind walking as much as I used to. I’m going to keep using the footpads because my legs don’t feel heavy anymore like they did before I started using these pads.
Skeptical but.... Says:
No one has adequately explained why the color changes…IF the pads were suppose to be put on in a certain order then, obviously, each pad could have a different chemical composition which would cause a color change reinforcing the idea of cleansing. However, any pad can be used in any order AND it doesn’t have to be on your feet. I think people are too hasty to jump to conclusions based upon their own perspectives… western medicine has a LOT to learn and quackery is EVERYWHERE.
Left Brain Says:
Without having a sample of the pads and access to an analytical lab, it’s difficult to say exactly what chemical reaction they are using. But there are lots of things it could be. What I wonder of all the true believers out there, what are the specific “toxins” that are being pulled out of your body? If indeed that is happening you could simply run the waste water through a GC or mass spec and see if the chemical is in there.
Incidentally, so called Western and Eastern medicine is just marketing BS. There is only things that work and things that don’t. If things like acupuncture or homeopathy actually worked, western medicine would recommend using them. They’ve been proven not to work so we reject them.
carolyn Says:
Why do insist on knocking acupuncture and eastern practices???? they do work for some people, just not you!
Left Brain Says:
There’s no proof that acupuncture works beyond a placebo effect. If you had some research that shows otherwise, I’d be happy to review it. But in science, you have to prove something works. When all of the data suggests otherwise, I feel confident in saying something doesn’t work.
If it makes you feel better, feel free to partake in acupuncture. But that doesn’t mean it actually works.
Lucy Says:
Ok, I will have to disagree with the brains in this one, even if I usually agree with them. I think we are erroneously mixing things. These pads, (that don’t have any logical reason to work and only get a bunch of poor designed studies to prove otherwise) and acupuncture are different things. Acupuncture as been study importantly for pain relief, even against fake one (Am J Med 2008 Jan;121(1):79.e1-7 Acupuncture versus sham acupuncture for chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain). And even have shown some use in treatment of chemotherapy induced nausea.
Now, the exact mechanism, long term effectiveness and why some effects seam to be point specific and others not is still under study. But definitely is something that the medical society is taking time to analyze, find out its usefulness and definitely have not dismissed. The western medicine actually recommends some well proved oriental activities. For example, Tai Chi have prove to reduce the risk of fall in elderly people, and also as a really low risk of injury if well done so is recommend in this population. An the evidence around yoga is enough to recommend it like a adjuvant in people that is in medical treatment for depression (but is not recommend for solo treatment, I clarify); of course that better studies have to be designed to prove it conclusively. (J Affect Disord 2005 Dec;89(1-3):13-24 Yoga for depression: the research evidence.)
Now, having that clear; is not like the “western scientists” (If even something like that exist) automatic thinks the entire alternative doesn’t work. Noting less true, lots of drugs where originally an herbal tee. Is just that we need some degree of proof to accept that something is real, and if not provided we search for it. Pubmed, Medline, Cochraine are full of papers that verse about alternative therapies and how effective they are in controlled trials. And the better, when they are tested the dangers of these therapies also appears. Some positions of yoga showed to be dangerous in some extend so are not recommend. We can hardly know that without the studies. (N Engl J Med 344:898, March 22, 2001). So the Western and Eastern medicines are not in war, they are in some point been melted into each other. We are just doing the test.
The real argument seems to be that sometimes we tend to believe things without real proof. The Brains are trying to form some scientific thinking in the reader and that implies some degree of distrust. Is about not accept things without some degree of data to support it. I mean they are cosmetic and health related products, I don’t see the necessity to believe in them with blind faith.
In my opinion, these pads work? Certainly they can’t take toxins out of body because that’s not possible (if been, do you thing that fabulous technology will be in food pads instead of bed sheets for dialysis patients?) Can make people feel better or relaxed? Could be, if they make the feet comfortable and less sore lots of people would feel better (At less I know I will) It’s a bad product? Not necessary, both the claim of the toxin is definitely bogus.
PS: Sorry in advance, I really tried to make this post as clear as possible. But my English needs LOTS of work. Thanks for your effort.
thebeautybrains Says:
Lucy,
I think we disagree much less than you suggest. In fact, I agree with everything you said above except for your conclusion about acupuncture.
The study you referenced demonstrated that “real” acupuncture did not work any better than “sham” acupuncture. However, both real & sham acupuncture worked better than no treatment. Since the fake acupuncture works just as well as the real thing, then the most obvious conclusion is that acupuncture works via a placebo effect.
Star Says:
Lucy, thank you so much for your ELOQUENT remarks regarding accupuncture and the foot pads. Believe me, you don’t have a problem with English in terms of getting your point across clearly and concisely! As stated in my earlier comments, accupunture has amazed “Western” medicine-educated doctors; i.e., my accupunturist having his wisdom teeth extracted via accupunture alone. I also know that some major surgeries (although I can’t quote the Journal articles) performed via accupuncture alone which have amazed them and caused them to become interested in accupuncture mechanisms. Additionally, seeing my depressed, disbelieving and dying mother getting relief from her diabetic neuropathy with accupuncture was a joy for me. It brought me to tears to see her get some modicum of relief from her discomfort. I was in the room, I observed it, I saw the energy “float” (much like a mirage effect on the road on a very hot day) between the accupunture needles and the accupunturist’s hands which can be accomplished by many years of study in Asia with masters of accupuncture and with the added mastery of Tai Chi derived energy. Western medicine was unable to stop this torturous feeling. It’s not mysterious — we all contain vast amounts of energy and energy is full of heat; it’s about the ability to channel it and correct placement of the needles to adjust the energy meridians within the body. Accupuncture does not work for all ailments as any ethical accupuncturists will adamantly proclaim. The ethical ones will insist on seeing a Western-based medical doctor also or only in many cases. The red light should go off for anyone if an accupuncturist claims they can “cure” all diseases with accupuncture alone.
Beauty Brains: I was a “disbeliever” when my husband (who is a master in Tai Chi) convinced me to go to my accupuncturist to see if it would work on my chronic sinus cluster headaches because I was really afraid of taking ibuprofen everyday. I was a non-believer, but after feeling the pain disappear, my sinuses clearing and a large amount of drainage (which can only be physiological) go down my throat, I walked out a believer. He also put me in a state of such relaxation that it almost put me under (like general anesthesia). He asked me if I wanted to go into a deeper state of anesthesia, but being a little scared and surprised by what was happening, I was happy with my level of relaxation declined. The next day, because of the endorphins he was able to release, I was filled with such a euphoric state of well being it was truly incredible. Beauty Brains, I don’t know if you’ve ever tried accupuncture, but the next time you get a headache, backache or whatever, I urge you to just TRY going to an true, studied accupuncturist (even as a disbeliever) and if you ailment is not because of a “Brain” tumor or some other condition requiring Western help, I’d be willing to believe you will be delighted with the results without having to pop a pill for instant gratification. In fact, I challenge anyone (especially disbelievers) to go to an accupunturist who is not a “quack-u-puncturist” just for the experience and to prove or not prove your results.
As for the foot pads, I have clearly stated I’m a disbeliever until it can be proven — like most of the responders to this article.
thebeautybrains Says:
Star,
The recommendation that people should try acupuncture and prove to themselves whether it works is not one I would make. While it’s true some people will experience relief due to the placebo effect, this will not prove whether acupuncture actually works or not. People are terrible judges at determining what works or not and are prone to making connections where there is none. We see it all the time on this blog. Someone has a condition, they try a product, the condition goes away, ergo the product must have worked.
Unfortunately, there are only 3 things that can happen when you have a condition you want changed.
1. It gets better.
2. It gets worse.
3. It doesn’t change.
This is true whether you use a product, pop a pill, get acupuncture or do nothing at all. To prove that your treatment was responsible for the final effect and not something else (for example nature taking its course) you have to pass a double blind clinical study. Acupuncture has not been able to pass this litmus test and according to the best studies thus far, is nothing more than a placebo effect.
But if it makes people feel better, they should get it done.
Star Says:
Beauty Brains: I know without a doubt it stopped the diabetic neuropathy in my mother’s legs. I know my accupuncturist had his wisdom teeth removed via accupuncture ONLY and I know major surgeries have been performed via accupuncture alone. This is not placebo effect. No, unfortunately, accupuncture did not cure my Mother’s kidney cancer and she died within four months of diagnosis. Her Western medical doctors were amazed that her diabetic neuropathy had quelled so much and could not possibly be a placebo effect, especially given her state of mind and her monstrous attack from cancer on her body because I asked them if it was a placebo effect. I disagree that accupuncture has not been able to pass the “litmus” test. It has worked for thousands of people for certain ailments and some insurances are even paying for it, just as they do chiropractors (which you also believe is quackery), but I know has cured my back problems along with wearing foot orthotics to keep my flat arches supported so I don’t pronate my knees, thereby causing misalignment all the way up to my spine. Insurance companies wouldn’t spend a penny on anything that didn’t have legitimate use and was only experimental and/or didn’t have proven results. I used to work at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and managed millions of dollars worth of research grants for doctors for double-blinded studies, but these also have failure rates and placebo effects. Sometimes experimental procedures are used with great success and even cures. Have you ever seen the movie “Lorenzo’s Oil”? The mother, played by Susan Sarandon, refused to accept her son’s fate and she and her husband set out to find a cure on their own when Western Medicine had written their son off. She and her husband found the answer and even though this was not a double-blind study done in a research environment, it led to the treatment of their son’s horrendous disease. Sometimes the simplest answer can lead to an expansion of ideas which can improve health care either using Western or Eastern or both together to heal. Again, I urge you to take your own “litmus test” and go to an accupuncturist for the experience so you can be a better judge of it’s effectiveness and perhaps even learn to spell it correctly.
thebeautybrains Says:
Yes, I saw Lorenzo’s Oil. It was a good movie.
I could give you explanations for your proof about acupuncture working but I doubt you’d find it convincing. You’ve already decided you believe in it and won’t accept the possibility that it is a sham. We’ll just have to agree to disagree. As a scientist, I firmly believe that everything I think I know I could be mistaken about.
That is why I wouldn’t say something like “I know for certain it is not the placebo effect.” I doubt all things. Some things have more proof for them than others but that proof could be wrong too. If there was proof (not anecdotal stories) that it worked then I would be less skeptical. But personal experience only provides more anecdotal evidence. That’s not proof.
Perhaps your spell checker is broken.
According to Dictionary.com acupuncture does not have a double ‘c’.
Thanks again for your comments. They are appreciated even if we disagree.
Star Says:
Beauty Brains: “Lorenzo’s Oil” was not just a movie — it was and is a true story (dramatized, yes), but nonetheless, true.
You are correct about “acupuncture” having only one “c” — my bad.
Here’s a “non-anecdotal” description from “Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary” about acupuncture: “Technique for treating certain painful conditions and for producing regional anesthesia by passing long thin needles through the skin to specific point. The free ends of the needles are twirled or in some cases used to conduct a weak electric current. Anesthesia sufficient to permit abdominal, thoracic, and head and neck surgery has been produced by the use of acupuncture alone. The patient is fully conscious during the surgery. Acupuncture as a method of medical investigation (but not for anesthesia) has been known in Far East for centuries but received little attention in Western cultures until the early 1970s”. As I’m sure you are aware, “Taber’s” is considered a “Bible” to medical student and doctors and has been continually published and updated since 1940. Therefore, my experiences are not anecdotal — there is proof that it works. I believe you should try an acupuncturist to unblock your skeptical right and left brain meridians. I believe you would be less skeptical if you would try it. You can be skeptical about UFO’s, but to be skeptical about something you can try and judge for yourself is just plain stubborn — or maybe you’re afraid of needles. Look, I’ve tried it and I know what the outcomes have been, it’s quoted in “Taber’s” and I know that more and more research is being done because it has helped so many people stop smoking, stop depression, stop pain, stop diabetic neuropathy tingling and twitching — I could go on. These may seem anecdotal to you, but Western Medicine is realizing the values this centuries old Eastern method may hold. It has been the stubborn attitude (much like yours) of Western medicine (and probably pharmaceutical companies) to investigate it, but it has been because of the “anecdotal” stories from patients and proof of patients’ symptoms subsiding or ending which doctors have reported and thus, has led to the new investigations, which has caused insurance companies to pay for it (just like chiropractic treatments) which were also once thought to be a sham. Surely, you must have some curiosity to see what happens; then you can either remain a skeptic or perhaps become a little more open and knowledgeable if you experience the same delightful results which so many people have enjoyed. I would love for you to just give it a try — I’ll even pay for it (if your insurance doesn’t)! GO FOR IT!!!
Mike Says:
I think some of the above posts prove exactly why these types of products sell. :/
Lipstick Face Says:
Star, acupuncture did absolutely nothing to stop my migraines, nor to make me stop smoking. (This was before I read the studies that it’s useless for both.) There’s *my* litmus test! My anecdotal evidence proves that acupuncture is worthless.
(My insurance paid for neither, which galled me at the time, but in retrospect, I’m glad everyone else’s premiums didn’t go up because my insurance company was paying for something proven not to work.)
Mike, so long as fools and their money are easily parted, evil scammers will continue to think up new ways to part fools from their money. After people catch on that the foot pads are useless (or more likely, after the FTC fines them out of business), there’ll be something stupider even more appalling (and more expensive!) to take their place.
Sterling Morris Says:
I have been curious about these pads and think they might be all the bunk . . . until I talked to an old man who told me that when he was a kid in Scotland, they used to administer sulfer and molasses when you were ailing. He said that if you took it before bed and wore socks, that in the morning all this white powder was in your socks and you shook them out. It was a type of body effluent that was exctreted through the feet as a result of this concoction. He said that nobody thought a thing of it . . . that it was the body’s way of ridding poisons. If this is true and I have no reason to doubt a 93 year old Scottsman . . then the soles of the feet can indeed be an elimination point.
Lipstick Face Says:
Sterling, I’m trying to look that one up but I’m coming up dry, but I’m thinking the man’s remembering wrong, because molasses contains a lot of sulfur, so it seems redundant to add the two. Moreover, sulfur in large quantities isn’t safe to human beans (not to mention the smell’ll scare away your bed mate!). I think your 93-year-old bud isn’t remembering the recipe correctly, and he’s passing along an old wives’ tale besides.
thebeautybrains Says:
For a great explanation about foot pads and other detoxification nonsense, listen to or read this recent episode of Skeptoid. I’m not sure his description of why the pads change color is absolutely correct but it is a good theory.
thebeautybrains Says:
Star, thanks for the offer but I’ll pass. I realize how simply people are tricked and fooled. Anyway, I have no aches and pains that I would need relieved through acupuncture.
Appealing to a textbook authority is not convincing to me. It’s actually a classic logical fallacy. Show me multiple, recent peer reviewed articles and I’ll be convinced. Explain why in the studies I previously sited that “real” acupuncture is no better than “sham” acupuncture. In science, you have to explain ALL the problems with your data. You can’t just ignore them and focus on the things that prove your case.
Star Says:
Lucy: I’m sorry you have migraines and that acupuncture didn’t work for you. I have stated in numerous posts that acupuncture does not help all ailments and a true, studied certified acupuncturists will let you know when you should seek help with your medical doctor for certain types of pain relievers and will not treat you — that’s when you know he’s true and ethical. However, your migraines could possibly be from your smoking — cyanide, just one of the many toxins and carcinogens in cigarettes cannot be good for migraines or any other part of your body. Let’s put it this way — if you knew a room you were about to enter was filled with cyanide, would you enter?
Beauty Brains: WOW, you Brains are really locked up reagrding acupunture. I am a huge skeptic also, but after the urgings of my husband, I tried it and was amazed that it relieved my daily sinus headaches (no, Lucy, I don’t smoke). Yes, it’s true that people are easily tricked and fooled, but to continue to bash a centuries-old proven (in some cases) therapy without even experiencing it for yourself while calling yourself an authority, well, that is what’s foolish.
Regarding “Taber’s” description of acupuncture, tell your Western-based medical doctor what you think about “Taber’s” and he’ll laugh you out of his office. “Taber’s” would not go to the trouble to state the definition nor state cases regarding major surgeries done with acupuncture alone. I guess all doctors should burn “Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary” since they are “classic logical fallacy” according to you even though doctors use it as an incredible source for a wealth of knowledge about medical ailments, procedures, disease processes, etc. It keeps being republished since 1940; I think doctors would have stopped buying it if it was just a fairy tale. It is one of the required textbooks for medical students for reference. I guess that means medical schools are all shams, too. A book publisher would stop publishing a book if it wasn’t being bought and used and I know that every doctor I’ve been to uses it — even my acupuncturist!
I’ll get you the data — I have access to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School library, not to mention that I know many of the researchers and professors, so I can have access to any and all data on acupuncture (both pros and cons). I have never said I ignore any failures of acupuncture, just as I don’t ignore failures of Western medicine. We can’t ignore the deaths caused by Western medical therapy and focus on just the people who were helped either. Please understand, I respect both practices, but they both have their limitations.
Patricia Says:
I have tried the patches and they WORK!! I suffer with arthritis and sinus conditions, both of which are improving. For all of you who immediately shot down the possibility that these pads could work, did any of you try them? If not, how could you have perceived yourself qualified to speak about it?
Star Says:
Well stated, Patricia — the same applies to acupunture. Some people are just too skeptical and stubborn. It is okay to be skeptical, but they shouldn’t dismiss it until you know from your own experience. Regarding the foot pads, they do come with a money-back guarantee if they don’t work, so there is nothing to lose.
Megan Says:
I am not necessarily a believer in these pads but I do have a question. If the skin is not a permeable membrane, how do things like the nicotine patch and birthcontrol patch work? My doctor explained to me when I tried the bc patch that you skin does absorb what you put on it into your bloodstream….hence the patches. I have no idea if it works the other way letting things be taken out too.
Star Says:
Megan,
You are so right — the skin is the largest organ of the human body. Their are also patches containing scapolamine which are put behind the ear to prevent motion sickness. I think there is more to be discovered about what the skin can and cannot do.
Lipstick Face Says:
Megan, your skin IS a “permeable membrane,” and that’s how *real* patches to deliver medicine work. (You can also soak up lotsa *bad* things through your skin by accident, too, unfortunately.) It doesn’t work the other way around, though; your liver and kidneys are what clean toxins from the body, not your skin. Putting a patch on your foot doesn’t work like a magnet yelling, “Hey, bad things! Come down here, slide out through the pores, and stick to me!” The bad things are up in your liver, preparing to be excreted, and they can’t hear the message all the way down on your foot.
Patricia, I don’t hafta try the patches because I paid attention in biology class and know how the body works. neednt send my money off, crossing my fingers that some goofy-ass clown somewhere will send me some magical foot pads that will “detoxify” me because my kidneys and liver suddenly forgot how!
thebeautybrains Says:
To add to what Lipstick Face says, some things can penetrate the skin while other things can not. This is why scientists haven’t been able to come up with a patch that delivers Insulin. It would be much more desirable than people having to stick themselves with a needle every day.
Star,
I’ll ignore your ad hominem and straw man attacks as they don’t add much to the discussion. Your lack of proof for your position has led you to put words in my mouth that I would never say.
Your authority is a book. The authority I choose to believe is the American Medical Association who states that
“There is little evidence to confirm the safety or efficacy of most alternative therapies. Much of the information currently known about these therapies makes it clear that many have not been shown to be efficacious. Well-designed, stringently controlled research should be done to evaluate the efficacy of alternative therapies.”
I also read the latest research as linked above that says sham acupuncture works just as well as “real” acupuncture. What is your explanation for that? Mine is that it’s just a placebo effect.
Authorities don’t mean much to me. The truth doesn’t belong to any individual or group. But you can’t hide from the results of scientific research.
You say you are skeptical and yet you put your faith 100% in your experiences. I doubt my own senses and know how easily I’m fooled. That’s why I put more faith in rigorous scientific research than I do in any individual’s experience. How you can be 100% positive that acupuncture works is beyond me when a number of studies have shown that it doesn’t work.
I look forward to any research (beyond anecdotal stories) that you can provide. Right now, I can’t find anything that proves acupuncture is anything more than a placebo. But I’m open to the possibility that I’m wrong. Are you?
Star Says:
Beauty Brains, That’s your problem if you believe I’m using ad hominem and straw man attacks.
My authority is not just a book, Taber’s is a well-respected reference and dictionary for medical students and doctors. Webster’s Dictionary is also used daily and is not bashed as just a book. I do respect the American Medical Association’s views; however, most grants they provide are for Western-based research. Therefore, of course “there is little evidence to confirm the safety or efficacy…”. When the AMA conducts and provides grants for alternative medicine such as acupunture, perhaps we can get the definitive answer everyone wants.
My explanation about “sham” acupuncture working as well as “real” acupuncture is that acupuncture may just be acupuncture and needs no “sham” or “real” before it.
I am skeptical, but I don’t believe I have ever said put my faith 100% into my experiences. All I meant was in my case, it helped and in my mother’s case it worked and her doctors simply had no explanation how it could have worked other than acupuncture, which by the way, they did admit they’d love to see more research. I would have been 100% positive if my Mother would not have died, but as I’ve stated before I’m just happy she was relieved of some of her pain.
I agree that most all humans can be easily fooled, but I also know that Western-based medicine has it’s failures also. I really believe we haven’t even begun to tap into what can be done by humans in terms of any kind of medical or mental challenge.
I’m most definitely open to the possibility that I’m wrong about acupuncture, but I will gather all the information I can. I don’t know if it will all fit in your blog, but I’ll continue to post what I find.
We are both looking for the same thing and that “thing” is answers and proof.
Lipstick Face Says:
Hey, Brains: Thanks *mucho* for the very bueno link to http://www.theskepticsguide.org/logicalfallacies.asp I enjoyed it a lot, going “Yes! I’ve seen that!” and I’m sure I’ll be able to refer to it bunches in the future! I’ve been online since 1983 (not a typo), and have seen thousands upon thousands of instances of every single one of the twenty logical fallacies (and several of them right here in this blog post!). Now you know how to *really* drive traffic to your site: pick on a quacky piece of drivel, and watch your bandwidth get chewed up!
DahMainMan Says:
The fact you wont try something and yet stand firm in yer mind that it is indeed not true or fale is retarded, you are infact retarded and a moron, yes i came to insult you, because of ppl like you the world was thought flat, no way we can brake the speed of sound, no way could we got the moon!
how dumb can you be to say something is bull, when in fact you dont have any of yer facts correct, for one. THE SKIN CAN TAKE IN AND LET OUT ANYHITNG THE BODY WANTS!
case in point, drink yer piss for a while.
after a bit you will smell like it and u wil have to wash more often to rid yer skin of odd build up(toxins).
or if you will, how about a patch to help you stop smokin?? YER SKIN CAN TAKE IT IN!!! but not let other things out??(again yer logic is flawed) my point is you dont know crap about the skin so you just assume(not the ass part) this foot pad thing wont work, thus why you are a retard. do the world a favor and crawl back in the rock u came from and kick the stick, for the good of man kind. because its clear for you BRAIN ppl. you are all closed minded retards. nuff said.
and yes i did insult you. because you insult logic and REASON. you have none.
Its yer way or no way.
godless, full of hate. its clear to me now, mom should have given u more hugs or sumthing.
get a life and go out in the world and TRY the things you bash on. or u can be full of crap and just impact yer thought on everyone.(as fact)
I for one will buy them…TEST THEM and then see IF I FEEL BETTER, feck what you say..feck what she or he says, what i say goes for ME. good enough? try it or shut yer cake hole.
the next jack off that states that this product is bull, and yet has not had them on for a week or what have you, just do us a favor and go jump into traffic. the world will not need yer stupid retard infested closed minded DNA.
l8r on.
p.s. there will be errors of spellin and grammer, have fun.
Mid Brain Says:
DahMainMan:
Thanks for your well written comments. I’ll get right on that piss test you suggested.
PS Just for the record, the Left Brain is the only one here who’s godless.
babeinthewoods Says:
WOW
“Man” - it’s goin take more den a few fut pads to cleer out dem tocksins u got.
I recommend yoga and meditation.
Dane Lusley Says:
Provide some peer scientific research and, this should be simple, spectographic analysis of a used foot pad, then perhaps I would be prepared to consider the magic foot pad as something less absurd than magic beans.
curious Says:
i was wondering. if these do work, how would you stop them from pulling out the minerals and such that you need?
star: i think you are missing the brains point about fake acupuncture. tests were given and people believed that they were given acupuncture when in fact they were tricked, given a placebo basically(i guess just poked or something), and the results were basically the same as the patients given actual acupuncture.
i don’t know enough about the body to know if it “absolutly” can excrete toxins through tthe skin, but i know that after a night of heavy tequila drinking i will smell it on my skin the whole day, even after showers.
Gary Says:
My friend suffered from clusters of hives for almost a year. Every Dr and specialist gave her strong medicine, but they always came back as soon as she stopped taking it. Some medicines even made her spot blood in her urine so she stopped taking it. Hives returned just as strong. She finally decided to see a real Chinese herbalist in Chinatown. He checked her pulse, tounge and other stuff. Mixed up a batch of herbs and had her take them for 3 weeks, then come back and he change the mixture each time. After 2 months, they vanished. She stopped taking the herbs and it’s been a year, no hives. Her body naturally re-balanced itself. Western medicine deals with the effects of your illness, Chinese medicine deals with getting your bado back in balance to heal itself. While it may not work for everything, I think a balance of both types of medicine should be considered.
Lipstick Face Says:
curious, your post made Pepsi squirt up my nose! *Excellent* point! If the Kinoki foot pads DID work, they’d hafta be smart enough *not* to remove things we NEED, like electrolytes, minerals, vitamins, amino acids, and, of course, dihydrogen monoxide! That’d be a pretty tall order: a foot pad which knows enough to remove bad things, but leave behind the good things!
thebeautybrains Says:
Gary, your story reminds me of the different ways you can cure a cold. If you take [insert your favorite treatment here] your cold will go away in 7 days. But if you do nothing it will be gone in about a week.
You can’t be sure whether it was the Chinese herbalist that made the hives go away or whether they would’ve just gone away on their own.
Curious, what does “getting your body back in balance” mean? What is this magical “balance” that you are referring to?
curious Says:
beauty:what? i think you have me mistaken with another poster. i didn’t mention anything about a body back in balance
curious Says:
beauty: never mind, my bad. i wasn’t paying attention
thebeautybrains Says:
Curious, that wasn’t directed to you. That was a question as in, “I’m curious…”
Ah, the inefficiencies of blogging communications.
sickboy Says:
OK…so speculation and personal scientific biases aside, has anyone actually conducted a test, or know of a test conducted in which the level of toxins in a persons body were checked before and after the use of “foot detoxification”? Or, does anyone have any “physical” personal experience where foot detox has helped (i.e. something more than just a “I feel great after using foot detox” kind of comment)? If not, then both sides of the foot detox argument should be quite.
bluenote Says:
i really came here to see whether anyone had used these things or not. I have an open mind to alternative medicine but there is so much quackery out there. on one hand, some people here debunk accupuncture which has absolutely worked for me concerning pain relief. after reading this whole page it seems no one has direct experience with this product. i can only say my skepticism comes in part from the varied prices of the treatment itself. one company offers the product for around fifteen dollars while another offers the same for 179 dollars. price has nothing to do with whether something works but hey, almost a two hundred dollar difference?
this forum has traveled from leeches to lipstick but after this whole page, no one can say they tried the bloody things or if they work. where did this thread begin? why?
Lipstick Face Says:
sickboy, no one is going to be doing any research on “detoxifying foot pads” any more than they’ll be doing research on crystal balls. It’s not founded on science.
sickboy Says:
lipstick face: doing a toxicology test on the elements found in the footpads before and after use to prove or disprove their abilities is not scientific? Perhaps we should just go back to bleeding patients out of thier wounds to heal them? Remember, everything in the world of science is an evolving theory.
thebeautybrains Says:
I don’t understand this notion that if you haven’t tried something then you can’t rightfully judge whether it can work or not.
That’s nonsense. If something has to break general principals of biology, you can feel confident rejecting it without trying.
If I told you I have a magic wand where I tap your wrist and it removes all poisons from your body, do you really have to try it before you would reject whether it works or not?
Sucking toxins out your feet is not based on science. So, there’s no need to even try it. It’s no different than a magic wand.
detox foot pad researcher Says:
I had no intention of commenting but, in a refreshing change to my usual online reading, I am actually enjoying the banter.
Like the majority of you, I have not tried the detox foot pads. Not so much because I don’t think they will work but more because I am not feeling particularly toxic these days.
Regardless, I wanted say something about the following comment made by thebeautybrains who said…
“You say you are skeptical and yet you put your faith 100% in your experiences. I doubt my own senses and know how easily I’m fooled. That’s why I put more faith in rigorous scientific research than I do in any individual’s experience.”
Why would anyone NOT put 100% faith in their own experiences? Isn’t that what the phrase, “seeing is believing” is all about?
If you experienced relief (in any measure) from a medical malady for which “rigorous scientific research” states there is to be no such relief, would you not have faith in what you experienced over what science suggests? How does one simply bow down to the “rigorous scientific research” and surrender their experience?
If relief is the end goal, what difference does it make where that relief comes from - be it medicine, foot pads, acupuncture or the aforementioned tequila binge? So what if your senses are fooled? You have reached the end goal. Isn’t that the point?
If I am healed of something because a scientist gave me water rather than medicine - AKA placebo - would that not suggest that I am capable of healing myself and that the medicine is quackery? Why is it common thought that the ailment must not have existed and that I am the quack if water was the cure?
Could it not be that a person’s thoughts assist whatever remedy they are given in reaching the final outcome? (Placebo or not.)
I know this comment is twice removed from the ideas in the original topic but I just wanted to add my random thoughts which were drawn out - yes, through my skin - onto this newly bookmarked website.
Thanks for the interesting reading.
seeking in indiana Says:
I found this page while searching for the foot patches on the internet. I stayed and read hoping to find some scientific data either for or against the pad — food for thought before I purchase them. What I found instead was a lot of opinions and personal attacts that did nothing but make this banter not only catty, but lose every aspect of dependability. Perhaps instead of stating only opinions based on a specific mindset, you should acually conduct poles of users — or better yet, try the product yourself, before condemning it.
I’ve tried body wraps before. They didn’t work for me, but there are others I know who swear by them. When you are wrapped, they put bags over your hands and feet to catch any “condensation” that may drip from either. The condensation from mine was usually just a bit cloudy. One day as I was wrapped, the lady performing the tasked mentioned a friend of hers who came in for wraps frequently. On her job the woman comes into contact daily with a bright yellow chemical. Each time she is wrapped, even though she is freshly showered, the bags on her hands and feet fill with bright yellow water.
Another friend of mine had a few drops of strong chemical drop onto his finger while on the job. He washed it off quickly and didnt think much of it even though the warnings on the label stated never to allow it to touch your skin. 3 months later he was diagnosed with testicular cancer == he feels there is a link.
I do feel the skin absorbs and that it excretes. Whose to say a combination of herbs cant trigger the body to let loose of a few toxins. You can’t say that it can’t do this. You have not tried the patches, nor have you purchased them to have someone analyse their contents. Nor have you had someone try them and have the used pads analysed for changes.
In short, the experts here are like the blind leading the blind. I don’t know. They don’t know. The difference is, I’m going to try the patches. I can get some for about $20. It won’t be wasted money if they work. It will be a cheap lesson learned if they don’t.
The only thing I’ll have wasted on the whole experience is the time I spent reading the cat fighting on this website. That accomplished nothing.
Lipstick Face Says:
Oh, for crying out loud: for all the people moaning here about not having “analyzed” foot pads, then buy the danged things, use ‘em, then take ‘em to a lab and have ‘em analyzed. See how many “toxins” they’ve sucked out of your contaminated bodies, then you can quit crying that no one’s testing ‘em. You’ll have your own proof.
thebeautybrains Says:
All the questions raised in the previous comments have been addressed. Clearly someone who’s website links to one called “buy-detox-footpads.com” is just a sales person making up a story to trick the gullible.
I agree with lipstick face. If you’ve read through all the comments here and you still think these things have a chance to actually do something, go buy them and convince yourself. Just don’t tell the rest of us they are actually doing anything for you beyond a placebo effect.
Actually, if feeling better is your goal, why don’t you donate the money you would’ve wasted on these foot pads to the poor? That’ll make you feel better and have just as much impact on your health as a magic foot pad.
Maura Says:
Well, before anyone believes Stephen Barrett of Quackwatch, do some research on him. He was a flunky psychiatrist hired by the drug companies to be the media shill to discredit all alternative health remedies that had proven results. He even admits that. Google him. You will even see that he is facing several lawsuits for libel and defamation. Please use some credible argument if you plan to bash the patch. The skin is not permeable???? Er, birthcontrol patches, pain patches, antibiotic gels and salves, smokers patch, WHAT a dork!
Here is my experience with them: I had banged my elbow and it swelled up like a golf ball. There was little pain, but it was very ugly and mushy to the touch. It looked hideous. I iced it for a week, tried icy hot gels, kept it immobile … and nothing worked. I looked up on the internet to find out what it might be and decided it could be tennis elbow or “bursitus”. It linked to several procedures that involved a doctor sucking out the fluid with a syringe, that would be painful and the swelling could return. There was a Australian doctor who developed a patch with THE SAME INGREDIENTS,Dr. Danniel, he explained how it worked and plenty of testamonials and pics. For $20+S/H a package, I ordered it. A week later when it arrived, my elbow was STILL bulged out. This is about a month now. The first morning after I removed the patch, (it was white when applied) was YUCKO BROWN and wet like gravy!!! NO LIE. The swelling was down about 1/3. After three more patches it was back to NORMAL. The last patch only had a tiny spot or two of brown but 95% of it was still white and dry - proving it was removing stuff the body considers waste. AMEN. Don’t try it if you don’t believe it, but WHY ON EARTH would you condemn something you know NOTHING about?! I have purchased BOXES of these and use on my feet. I have given patches to others who love the way they help diminish pain and help sleep. You will be amazed at the first time the brown goop comes out! The fact that it does nothing on some areas of the body, but are active where toxins accumulate, says enough to me. Your opinion that Barrett does a “Great job” clearly shows your ignorance. Read up and educate yourself, otherwise you will be a slave to propaganda.
thebeautybrains Says:
Maura,
That kind of ad hominem attack is worthless and doesn’t advance the debate. It merely demonstrates a lack of evidence for your position. Science isn’t politics where you can dismiss people merely because of who they are.
I’ll tell you what, the next time you have a real illness like cancer, diabetes or a broken arm, put a pad on it. I’m sure it’ll make you feel better. For people who haven’t been separated from their critical brains, go get yourself looked at by a real doctor.
Lipstick Face Says:
Will it help anyone at all (who apparently doesn’t even bother to read most of the posts in this thread) that even chiropractors know this is a scam? Check out that short thread. One (smart) fellow tried the pads and woke up to find goop on his pads several mornings in a row. Curious, he took a clean pad and put a few spoonsful of water on the pad and watched it … and it turned black and goopy before his eyes. No contact with his foot was needed!
As for testing yourself for toxins, they’ll explain to you that “Urine, blood, and stool are all more accepted methods. You could even have your hair, bones, or skin examined for toxins” than used foot pads.
@Maura: Of COURSE there are a lot of lawsuits against Dr Barrett! The scammers are angry with him for calling them on the carpet! They also get really angry with the FTC for fining them hundreds of thousands (and millions) and for putting them in jail! Why *wouldn’t* they be angry? They get a good scam going, vacuuming the money out of the wallets of the stupid and gullible, and he points out their foolishness.
I gather everyone missed this week’s episode of “The Real Hustlers.” There was an appalling but enlightening segment in which the Hustlers went to the Farmers Market here in NYC with a cream they’d made from a standard lotion they’d put in a blender with parsley. That’s it. Then they poured it into bottles and jars, put high price tags on it, and then made wild-ass claims about it (”If you cut yourself during shaving, it stops the bleeding. It heals bruises.” etc.) telling them the ingredient was the rare “Petroselinum crispum” (that’s Latin for parsley). Another hustler played a shill who came along and bought a bagful of conditioner (”You were out of the it last week; do you have a new shipment in? My girlfriend really needs it”) and the fools were snapping it up like crazy, $150 and more.
Are you following along here? YOU CAN JUST MAKE CRAP UP. So long as you sound convincing and you play on peoples’ fears (or, hell, make up a new fear!) then OFFER THEM A SOLUTION, you have a license to print money, at least until you’re caught. (Heck; even then, it may not be the end; there’re some well-known scammers who do prison time, get out, and go right back to it, and a couple more who do scam after scam after scam after scam!) If you don’t engage your brain, you’ll continue to be a victim, lining their pockets. That’s why they continue to exist, because there’s a new sucker born every … you know what I’m gonna say.
Acupuncturist Says:
Anyone in this day and age who still thinks acupuncture should be listed as a ‘quackery’ needs a thorough re-examination of how they are receiving their information. I would guess that trusting sites like quackwatch and JREF plays a major role.
There are rigorous, controlled studies coming out every month confirming that acupuncture indeed does work and often much better than conventional medicine, as in the recent German study on back pain. Why would medical insurance widely cover it if there was no proof it worked? This notion that there’s no proof is absolutely and positively false.
Please realize that much of the information we receive through the mainstream media is highly distorted. Everyone is encouraged to do their own research and not rely on others who may have an agenda.
As for the foot pads - I have no idea if they work or not. I would like to see a scientific study to confirm the claimed results. But one thing is for sure, there are many, many things that we include in our daily lives that are toxic and harmful such as fluoride, mercury-based preservatives, aspartame and OTC and prescribed pharmaceuticals so I think bamboo vinegar should hardly be the focus of an attack.
Why don’t you talk about the millions of women who think Splenda and aspartame are HEALTHY choices, when in reality they are willingly poisoning themselves?
I see this all the time in my practice.
And for those who blindly accept all that western medicine offers us, you would be served well by studying the history of Western medicine. It has long been intertwined with corporate interests, monopolistic strangleholds and socialized control over available medical care. It has hardly been an altruistic force in people’s lives.
Don Waaland Says:
This puzzles me. If the skin is impermeable why do we have nicotine and birth control patches? I saw a TV show once where the killer put snake venoum on the victims car steering wheel. It seems to me thease doctors are self proclaimed gods that soeake out of both sides of their mouths.
Lipstick Face Says:
Don Waaland, no one said the skin is impermeable. We’ve typed at length about nicotine patches and other transdermal delivery systems. Scroll up and READ. Then read the bottles on the poisons under your sink that say “Avoid contact with skin. If contact occurs, call the poison control center immediately.”
Come on, people: READ! Pay attention! Comprehend!
curious Says:
okay, this is crap. i just watched the commercial again and when they are showing the blackened pad, telling you about the diferent things this product can clean out of your system, they claim that these pads remove CELLULITE. as if FAT were a toxin and could be drawn through the skin. what a load
My two cents Says:
Interesting discussion. Here is my opinion:
First of all I am not saying these pads work or not. However, on the opinion of a few of the posters on this thread (Right Brian, Lipstick) that modern scientific research can “prove” something beyond a doubt is a little disconcerting.
I firmly believe testing is a good and necessary scientific method. It defiantly helps to build usable knowledge on a subject. I am all for more knowledge. The more testing the better and the better tests the better.
However, Medical studies (or any scientific study) done with the best scientific method at that time can be fallible. Some things are easily verified now because we have better ways to test and better equipment to test with (chemical make up a cell, law of gravity, magnetic field of the planets, the width of an atom, ect). Some things are not as easily verified because we do not have the ability to fully test (physically sampling a 1000 light year distant star’s atmosphere to determine the actual types of gases present). . Just a few examples of scientific proofs that have been overturned in the last 1000 years:
The earth is flat.
A heavier than air object can not fly.
The sun revolves around the earth.
Radioactive material can cure aliments (See the history of Radium)
You might say these are “straw man” arguments. I admit I did not take the time to look up the term. However, I honestly believe that to blindly accept the modern scientific method (which is nothing more than “currently our best guess”)is fallacy. Sure there are many things that have been shown to be repeatable time and time again that we can better put our trust in and use as a tool to better understand how the universe works and how to solve problems (health, energy, food supply, etc), but to blindly believe that something is true, and always will be true because it has been tested to the best of our abilities at this time in human history is just dumb.
The other interesting discussion in this thread that I would like to comment on is the discussion of acupuncture.
Take some of the most basic drugs of western medicine. Aspirin, Ibuprofen, fluoride, etc. They ALL have side effects. Sure some of the more benign drug’s side effects are far outweighed by their benefits and have been proven effective over decades or centuries of use, however, they still have side effects. Now, it doesn’t take long to wander into the territory of drugs that are used by western medicine that make you wonder if the side effects of this drug really warrant the benefit I am getting from taking it? Just listen to the side effects listed quickly at the end of the advertisements of the latest sex enhancement, birth control, or allergy drug on TV.
Brain and Lipstick, one thing you have avoided addressing in your discussion with Star is the fact (“fact” being used based upon the actual successful human experiments) that people can forgo the need of potentially dangerous anesthetic during surgery with the use of acupuncture (which is in your words is not scientifically proven to work). Now, I will not deny that if you gave me a Novocain shot in my gums that I would not be able to feel any pain during oral surgery. Also, I think we can both agree that Novocain has been tested enough and has enough real world use that we can say that it will block the nerves from sending pain signals to the brain. However, I can also assume that you will agree that there are negative side effects of Novocain.
Now it is perfectly understandable to me that someone would choose acupuncture over Novocain if it can achieve the same result. Ok, please allow me to spice up my comment on this thread by talking with a bit of sarcasm and vim and vigor (I will try to keep it a few levels below Dahmainman… lol.
Hmmmmm…. Lets see…. I can either take a “hard” drug that will make me num for hours, make it hard to use my tongue to form words and talk cleary for hours, make it difficult to keep the saliva from drooling out of the side of my mouth for hours, potentially increase my pulse and blood pressure, make me feel “loopy” or “out of it” … or I can use acupuncture. Oh… wait… I can not use acupuncture….it is just a placebo effect….it can not really scientifically block pain …Oh crap. Wait… it works. Hmmm… this is cool. I am lying here getting oral surgery and with no Novocain. Wait… this is only a placebo effect. I say I need to bottle up this placebo and sell it because I can use it to get oral surgery done and I do not have to use Novocain. Cool. I really do not care what the scientific research says… something is blocking the signals my pain nerves in my mouth normally send to my brain. I do not care what the studies on acupuncture have concluded. I just got my oral surgery done with no Novocain.
Ok back to rational discussion. Look, if something of “Eastern Holistic Medicine” (pressure point use, acupuncture, yoga, exercise, or meditation) can keep me from needing to take “Western” medicine (drugs), I am all for it. I think you (yes even you Brain and Lipstick) would be foolish to fully rely on just “scientifically tested and proven” drugs for all your health needs. You have to admit that there is plenty of evidence that America is over prescribed and over medicated. Some of it is the drug companies propaganda and desire to make a buck and please stock holders, some of it is our own laziness (see diet pills), some of it is even “our best scientific research up till now says this will work and it is the ONLY thing that will work”. So, I think we owe it to ourselves as a human race to always explore the best healthful, least toxic, minimally invasive, solutions to our health needs as much as possible before just relying on the latest “scientifically tested drug”.
With that all said, I love science. In fact I make my living working for Genetic pharmaceutical companies (Chiron (now Bayer), Genentech, Inhale (owned by Pfizer), the list could go on), Modern medicine is amazing and scientific research is amazing. The newer Magnetic resonance machines are just SOOO cool (sorry losing rationality again). However, modern science would be well served by not discounting the fact that there might be a better way that is (being redundant here sorry) more healthful, less toxic, more minimally invasive, solutions to our health needs, and holistic and to understand that eastern medicine can be another tool in the doctors black bag.
Thanks for reading. Sorry it is so long.
PS. To the owners of this web site: It would be really helpful if you time and date stamped each comment entry on your blog so it would be easier to tell when the discussion started, how long it lasted and whether or not it is a cold thread.
Lipstick Face Says:
Hi, My two cents:
As you know if you read health news, we’re ALWAYS finding out all kindsa new stuff about things that’s been tested like crazy, like the shock news we got this week about lowering diabetics’ blood sugar increases their risk of heart disease! Sometimes, it seems as if you can’t test TOO much!
Still holds, though, that you can’t just go around making asinine claims about loony-tuney crap like “toxin-absorbing foot pads” and then clowns come out of the closet and say “If you don’t believe they work, then test them!” That’s just dumb.
FWIW, I’d *happily* try acupuncture for dental work IF IT WERE OFFERED, but it’s not on offer. Ever. That’s kinda telling, I think. I’d *love* to be able to leave the dentist’s office and apply my lipstick (something you can’t do when your lips are numb!), to be able to smile, to be able to speak without drooling and lisping, etc, but it’s not an option.
Moreover, I react REALLY badly to epinephrine, an ingredient in most local anesthetics, so there’s a giant red skull and crossbones on my chart so they’ll be sure to give me Carbocaine instead, a weaker and much shorter-acting local. Acupuncture would be a whole helluva lot easier if it were available. Seems to me that if it worked like gangbusters, they’d have acupuncturists on staff, but no one does, not even at dental schools like Columbia and NYU.
(And I *totally* agree with you on date- and timestamping posts!)
My two cents Says:
Lipstick,
Good point about acupuncture’s availability. Star do you have any advice about a good way to find an honest acupuncturist?
Like you lipstick I do not do well with most pain relief drugs and choose to medicate my sprained ankles (I play a lot of soccer and used to play a lot of basketball) with ice and rest and time rather than quickly downing the Tylenol with codeine pill that was just handed to me by my doctor after x-raying and wrapping my ankle. I try to look to “holistic” health solutions not because I think all modern western science is bunk …(no need to write another book here, you know where I am coming from) but because for me, I can not tolerate certain drugs and am highly sensitive to certain chemicals so I like to find try the holistic solutions first and then if those are not successful I am willing to try the drug solution. .
To be honest I have never used acupuncture. Also to be honest I want to try it, especially if it will work for me and prevent me from taking narcotics for pain relief. I live in the Bay Area of California so I would think I could find one around here if anywhere. Also, I have to be honest, I have never met anyone that has used acupuncture for oral surgery, but I have heard of it before reading Star’s comments. I have to imagine it is out there and is a viable (at least for some) method. I am going to look into it. I am sure you have heard of Kaiser Permanente. Say what you will about HMO’s but they are starting to embrace holistic health options in treatment. In fact, (I need to verify), but I think they even offer acupuncture. I need to call them. I wonder if they have foot pads? (Just kiding!)
Lipstick Face Says:
Just to beat a dead horse, I’m treated at the VA, which has the benefit both of tons of government research and that of all the big-name universities, and I got to wondering about the VA’s policy on acupuncture. (Needless to say, the VA doesn’t squander resources, especially these days when, after many, many years of budget cuts, there’s a brand new flood of new vets.) I checked the VA site, and found a PDF document about acupuncture policy. Here is the document in its entirety:
CHAMPVA POLICY MANUAL
CHAPTER: 2
SECTION: 1.1
TITLE: ACUPUNCTURE AS ANESTHESIA
AUTHORITY: 38 CFR 17.270(a) and 17.272(a)(34)
RELATED AUTHORITY: 32 CFR 199.4(g)(40)
I. EFFECTIVE DATE
December 5, 1984
II. POLICY
Acupuncture is not a covered benefit for anesthesia or in any circumstance.
*END OF POLICY*
Marianne Says:
I have read all of these opinions.
I bought it. I have also tried it.
It really does draw something out of the
system, because the pads were very
discolored when I removed them the very
first time.
People should not discredit something
that they haven’t even tried. Someone
up above was badmouthing Chiropractic
when I will bet they have never seen one.
Personally, my chiropractor is considered
my Doctor. I see him once a week. I
have been seeing him once a week for
5 years. I made the first appointment
when I couldn’t walk without limping
with pain that was very bad. After
the first 30 days of treatment, I had
no more pain, and that was very real.
Not someones pipe dream.
Don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it.
I will finish using these patches that
I purchased, and then I will give anyone
interested my opinion about it. Many
natural remedies have been lost because
the AMA refused to check them out. I
think that it is worth the effort to
try it.
Joleesa Says:
I just have to say that I have been on seven different medications for migraine in the last six years, and some of them had side effects that were worse than the migraines could ever be (calcium channel blockers, anyone?) and if I could find an acupuncturist here, or an authentic herbalist, I’d jump on it with both feet. Luckily, they pass after 12 to 72 hours whether I take a pill or not!(Yes, that was sarcasm.) Massage helps, but the only medication which works (sometimes)is a drug called Maxalt which raises my blood pressure to a scary degree. I have finally decided to just let them come and wait them out. The medications were not good for me.
That said, I believe in research. Stringent research. I just don’t believe that it answers all the questions. Anyone remember Phen-Fen? Or Zelnorm? Both jerked off the market because they were dangerous. And I’m sure that you are aware that there are various drugs and treatments available in other countries that have been shown (in those same rigorous scientific tests) to be effective, but are not currently available in the United States because those tests weren’t conducted here.
I may also add that the medication I am currently using (dreadfully expensive and FDA approved) for my migraines was only 8% more effective than placebo in the double-blind trials. I really don’t care. If it works, use it.
thebeautybrains Says:
Your points about the effectiveness of other drugs is irrelevant when it comes to answering the question whether foot pads have any beneficial effect beyond the placebo effect. Toxins are just not removed from the body through your feet. That’s what the liver and kidneys are for.
erin Says:
For those of you who do not believe that toxins could come out through the skin, I am living proof! Someone had mentioned about Ion cleanse being at their chiro’s office. My chiro also has that and I did it. There is absolutely no possible way to fake the outcome of that session. All it is is a plain old foot bath with plain old water, but with an electrode that sends these negative ions through your body (conducted through the water). Within minutes, toxins are practically pouring out of your feet and it turns all kinds of colors, depending on the toxins in your body. And it is not even just colors, by the end of the session there is even very small “chunks” of cellular debris! It is really amazing to watch. It is no gimmick or act of magic. It is the real deal. And like somebody else said, “don’t knock it till you’ve tried it”.
And I for one believe these foot pads work. I have not tried them yet, but as I understand they work in very much the same way the ion cleanse does.
Someone here said that they were proven not to work. What I’m wondering is, when was it proven not to work? All I’ve seen is a whole lot of theories as to why it would not work. Has anybody actually tried these foot pads and is positive that they don’t work? Or better yet, how about somebody try them and send it to a lab for testing, then there will be a definitive answer. And some of you were scoffing at the fact that the bamboo vinegar could pull toxins out of the body. But if anybody had bothered to investigate, you would learn that it is just one of the ingredients…the most important ingredient is tourmaline. Now I am no scientist, so I can’t explain this perfectly, but basically the tourmaline has to do with negative ions and that is what mostly helps to pull the toxins out. I am just really shocked at closed-minded some of you are when you haven’t even got all of the facts right.
On the other hand, I might be skeptical too if I hadn’t experienced what I had. But I don’t think I would be posting on the internet about how it doesn’t work when I haven’t even tried it either. For all those who are trying to figure out fact from fiction…(and I mean no disrespect) please don’t go to message boards to find your answers. Do some real research about the products and hopefully you’ll find your answer.
erin Says:
I’m sorry, I just have more to say after looking at the skeptiod link someone offered. There were some interesting points made there, however, it mentioned that the detox foot baths have chemicals in it to make it change colors, and it absolutely DOES NOT. I saw myself, that there was only water in it. And yes, the electrode does corrode, but that only makes a slight orange-brown color. This is exactly how my water looked… first it was orange(possibly half of that was corrosion of the electrode), then it turned dark brown, and then by the end… it was greenish brown (mostly green) with a disgusting yellow-green froth/foam floating on the top. And at the bottom of the water, little black specks had settled. You tell me what kind of magic chemical can do all of those things! And it is on this basis that I believe in the foot pads! Before, I would have never thought that anything like that could come out of your feet, especially solid pieces of “stuff”. No, it doesn’t seem right and doesn’t seem possible, but there it is.
thebeautybrains Says:
Erin,
Thanks for you comments. Of course, your endorsement of the product based on your own experience is not helpful for reasons spelled out numerous times in previous comments.
Are you some sort of super-human who couldn’t possibly be fooled by anyone?
The fact that you are basing your conclusion about whether toxins came out of you or not on the color of the water is just ridiculous. Real scientists would take the liquid, run it through an instrument like a mass spectrometer or IR and determine what chemicals are actually there.
Of course, since you are a super-human who couldn’t possibly be fooled by a chiropractor then further analysis is certainly not need.
Incidentally, it is impossible to prove ANYTHING doesn’t work. Therefore anyone can make up anything and then challenge someone to prove them wrong. That’s why logic and science demand that you prove that your thing works, not the other way around.
For we skeptics who would like to see some prove, do you have anything other than your own experience?
Still waiting true believers…
erin Says:
thebeautybrains: Obviously you didn’t read my post too closely. I tried to emphasize the fact that the water not only changed colors, but there were solids in the water. You tell me what chemical could be put in the water to produce that?? You keep going on and on about how you need proof of actual toxins in the water…I agree, there should be actual scientific proof of that. But you can’t begrudge me the fact that something had to come out of me, be it toxins or otherwise. I watched the water go in the foot bath and nothing else. There was no magical chemical reaction to fool me. I literally saw whatever it was exit through my feet. But to you that somehow means I’m gullible? Just like you would like to see proof that it is possible, I would like to see proof that it is IMPOSSIBLE. It seems to me that all you can say is that it couldn’t possibly work because it is so far fetched. I haven’t seen any definitive proof to prove your point either. All I’ve seen is links to other narrow-minded people’s sites who also don’t have any proof except for their own opinions.
You naysayers act like this topic isn’t even worth your time to investigate, but I think it is actually to cover up the fact that just like us believers, you don’t have a leg to stand on. All of us, whether we believe or not—none of us seem to have proof.
And frankly, the thing about the chiropractors….what’s the deal on that? Are you still in the dark ages? Do you really feel that they have nothing to offer our health? I would expect this kind of thinking maybe 10 or 20 years ago but now…there has been much forward thinking on the subject. Think about how 10 years ago most insurance companies(if not all) would not pay for chiropractor visits, because they thought, just like you, that they were quacks. Today, many allow chiropractor visits, obviously because they now know there are benefits. I myself have received relief from terrible neck pain and headaches by going to one.
So right now you think you are so smart because none of us have lab test results. But in 10 years or less, these kinds of detoxification that you consider bogus may be mainstream. And you are going to feel sooo stupid. I just feel bad for any people who came here with a neutral view on things and got swayed by your poisonous talk.
By the way…there is something else I would like proof of…your credentials. How do we all know you are who you say you are–a scientist? You could be some high school dropout looking for attention for all we know. There’s no PROOF. I, however, am just the average American consumer with thoughts and experiences and opinions of my own. I am not pretending to be something I’m not. ARE YOU?
erin Says:
By the way, I just looked at “who are the beauty brains” and it gives the impression that, this is a place to come to find…and I quote “unbiased” views. That could not be further from the truth. And it also gives the impression that, you guys care what we buy in regards to our health and our pocketbook. This is how the coversations on this page seem to go: a guest states their opinion(s), then thebeautybrains reply as if to say, “Okay thanks for your comment, now let’s tell you how dumb you are.” There is no sense of concern for the consumer. In my first post, I tried to be relatively polite. But it doesn’t really matter now since you people seem to prefer slinging insults in order to feel superior.
curious Says:
erin: if you want to talk down about people throwing insults, you should not offer your own. as for these pads, how do you think they would know that fat on the pad was cellulite? if in fact these do work, how can they possibly know where the fat came from? i also have been looking for the clinic that performed the trials, yet there is nothing of it on the net. no name is given and no proof is supplied to us, the consumer. they simply say thta it was tested, through the hair no less, and show a simple bar graph. who did the test? people who try these things, without proof are crazy. you can be placing harmful chemicals into your body and not even know it. as for finding things floating in the water fo your chemical bath, yes there are chemicals that could easily attach to your skin flakes that come off of your foot and form clumps. it is the process that is used to clean our drinking water. the chemical is clear and attaches to particles, making them sticky so that anything else that may be in the water will attach to it. don’t you think that solid particles, coming out through your foot would be painful?
Lipstick Face Says:
Good thing this “Ion Cleanse” is pulling “small chunks” out from the blood vessels through the soles of the feet, since solid matter lodges in the heart and brain causing heart attacks and strokes! Good thing you good those “chunks” out of there! Those of us not “cleansing” are lucky we’re not all dead, decaying bodies, what with all our circulating “chunks”!
I gather no one went to the link I provided (sad face): If you take a Kinoki foot pad and put it on the counter, then pour a tablespoon of water on in, in a couple of hours, IT’LL DEVELOP BLACK GOOP ON IT, just like it would if you’d worn it on your foot overnight! There’s no magic in them thar footpads, people! It’s a scam!
curious Says:
here is another site that explains the foot bath colors
http://www.talkabouthealthnetwork.com/group/alt.health.oxygen-therapy/messages/4280.html
Meow Says:
It’s really sad that this kind of ridiculous bullshit goes to debate. Those of you who think there is any benefit to these idiotic foot pads: rest easy knowing that morons like you make it much easier for the rest of us to become and stay rich.
Mary Says:
Who’s the moron - maybe it is you?
I use them and I think they work and
I feel great, they make me feel more creative give me energy to make more money (m