43 Comments Add your own

• 1. Dr* T  |  October 16th, 2007 at 9:08 pm

  Hmmm….. should of bought some Evian and tried that. Although it may have ‘remembered’ some of the toxins from France.
  :)

• 2. Nathan Brown  |  October 30th, 2007 at 9:38 pm

  Why don’t you try a full course, and see if the colouring reduces on the pads over several days, indicating that the toxins are slowly being removed (if the colouring is less).

  Also to let you know, i’ve done this and find them fantastic. I feel revitalised

• 3. Frank the SciencePunk  |  November 10th, 2007 at 2:41 pm

  Why don’t you try a full course, and see if the colouring reduces on the pads over several days, indicating that the toxins are slowly being removed (if the colouring is less).

  This would prove absolutely nothing about the supposed detox powers of the patch.

  I’ve actually seen the “research” Champneys used to “test” this patch - all it shows is the pads get heavier from moisture absorption.

  I’ve tried to illustrate the trick here in a humorous way, but I’ll just come out and say it. THESE PADS DO NOT WORK. THEY ARE A SCAM.

  It’s so tedious to have to point these things out so bluntly.

• 4. Crystal  |  November 19th, 2007 at 3:17 am

  Just out of curiousity, did you try to test for which chemicals are in the pad taken from her foot? That would be interesting to take note of. If it’s just the vinegar or whatnot, then it’s a scam. But it might also be that some of the “toxins” they’re talking about are from the “sweat,” which doesn’t necessarily make the pad look any different than with pure water, but hey, who knows? *shrugs* Something to look into.

• 5. Crystal  |  November 19th, 2007 at 3:20 am

  Here, they had tested the chemicals for the “foot bath” version on a website:
  “Many skeptics suspected that the color change produced by the Aqua Detox was caused by rust (oxidized iron), rather than toxins. Ben Goldacre, who writes the “bad science” column for Guardian Unlimited (an online British newspaper), investigated by using a car battery to send current through two metal nails that he placed into a bowl of salt water. The water turned brown and developed some sludge on top. Then he sent a colleague to get “detoxed” and collect before-and-after water samples. Laboratory testing showed that in both cases, the change of water color was due to greatly increased iron content [7]. Thus it appears that (a) the color change is due mainly to the precipitation of rust created by corrosion of the electrodes, and (b) the water would change color regardless of whether or not a foot was placed in it.”

• 6. dana  |  January 21st, 2008 at 6:42 am

  thanks u guys, the comercials look really convincing, but I ‘m glad you disproved them, was just about to buy some.
  Dana

• 7. grace  |  January 21st, 2008 at 11:07 pm

  thanks you’ve convinced me and saved me 20 bucks!

  but just incase you decide to use my email for crap i don’t want to receive i’m giving the email i’m phasing out.

• 8. Frank the SciencePunk  |  January 21st, 2008 at 11:17 pm

  too late, I’m totally going to spam you with ads for herbal viagra.

• 9. Happy  |  January 25th, 2008 at 10:05 am

  dana, grace, here’s a rule of thumb: if you see something with spectalular medical properties in a TV commercial, being advertised like 19th century snake-oil - don’t buy it! It’s probably scam, and you’re going to save loads of money over time.
  Anyway, Frank, I’ve given you my real e-mail and I would really like to hear more about that herbal viagra of yours… ;-)

• 10. Scott Kaine  |  January 28th, 2008 at 3:57 pm

  It’s too bad that you didnt actually test her used pad for any toxins. I mean that would be REAL science, but hey, who cares right? Obviously the pads would be the same color since both sweat and water are comprised of H2o, duh. I’ve been trying to find someone to do an actual scientific test with these pads to see if they really work. I’ll keep looking.

  Just in case you guys decide to “retest” your methods, try this, sample the content of the pad BEFORE your put it on a foot and then AFTER, see what if anything is on the pads that wasn’t there before, in the real world we call that research.

• 11. Frank the SciencePunk  |  January 28th, 2008 at 4:29 pm

  Whoa, I’m sensing a little hostility here, Scott.

  firstly, if you’ll look above at the experiment you’ll see that I clearly explained that these tests weren’t conclusive on toxin removal or not, and showed that the results could be interpreted a number of ways.

  Secondly, as much as I’d like to have a mass spectrometer in my office I don’t, so I’ve no means of determining the absorbed chemicals.

  For what it’s worth, I’ve seen the “clinical trials” that these patches claim is proof that they work - these trials did not show that the pads had absorbed anything except moisture.

  Your body has a myriad of systems for controlling and ridding the body of waste products, from your lungs to your liver. Strapping a patch onto your skin is not going to beat millions of years of evolution.

• 12. Michael  |  January 29th, 2008 at 4:44 pm

  Well, of course enquiring minds want to know - so I sent away for some pads. As anticipated lots of black gunk appeared on the patches after each night of wearing them. The strange thing (and actually I am not comfortable with this) is that I did feel better. I didn’t know what feeling better was supposed to mean with these things, but for the first time in a while, I awoke without feeling stiff and achy. I was able to walk rather than hobble to the bathroom. Also I slept better than normally as well.
  In some ways, I didn’t want these wretched things to have any effect.

  So I splurged and wasted the last two. I don’t have a mass spectrometer handy either, so wanted to devise an experiment that indicated if straight water or salty water had an effect on the pads. So I placed each pad on its own clean plate. On one of them I dropped a little water, and on the other about the same amount of salt water. As anticipatd both of the pads changed color as the liquid was absorbed. The plain water treated pad became a light grey, the saline treated pad was a darker grey. Neither of the pads were as black and gooey as the ones that came off my feet - even after an overnight soak.

  There are of course a myriad possible explanations here. The “lab” conditions are far from ideal - I didn’t have the adhesive backing on the pads under test. There may be other dissolved materials in the sweat of my feet (almost sure to be).
  The quantity of liquid is likely to be highly variable. Pressure was applied to the ones on my feet but not to the test variety….

  So nothing at all conclusive, but I felt sufficiently energized to continue. If it is all in my head, then so be it! I do feel better as a result of using them.

• 13. nick J  |  January 30th, 2008 at 8:33 am

  to expand on what happy said you can recall on a good ol david hume…
  “That no testimony is sufficient to establish a miracle, unless the testimony be of such a kind, that it’s falsehood would be more miraculous than the fact which it endeavors to establish.”
  It would be nice if there were some miracle drug that cleaned your body of all its toxins, paid your back taxes, and walked the dog but that’s just not the case. If you think about it and there was some kind of miracle drug I’m pretty sure it would be extremely mass produced by every fregin company that could produce it.
  FDA has a few brands of them listed as “potentially dangerous” as of the 3rd of Jan 2008.
  http://www.fda.gov/ora/fiars/ora_import_ia6641.html

• 14. lm945  |  February 10th, 2008 at 7:07 am

  I read about the pads, both pro and con, and thought I’d give them a try. If they really don’t work, I’m only out a few bucks. But if they do work…

  Yes, the pads turn disgusting and smelly over-night (they don’t tell you about the stinky part). However, my notoriously iceberg-like feet were warmer (and stayed that way throughout the day, even with my open shoes). And I got the most restful sleep I’d had in months.

  I’d call that $16 wells spent.

• 15. Frank the SciencePunk  |  February 10th, 2008 at 5:28 pm

  As I’ve stated many times, the plural of anecdote is not ‘data’. Warm feet isn’t even one of the miraculous benefits advertised by this pad.

  Would someone in favour of these pads please submit tangible proof that they work - I’d settle for a plausible mechanism on how exactly these are supposed to “suck out” toxins.

  Because this post has received so much attention, I’m going to add a few scans of Champney’s “clinical trial” of these pads. You’ll see that there is no evidence that these pads work as described.

• 16. Dave  |  February 10th, 2008 at 10:04 pm

  “O RLY?” “Is she look toxic?” “Ellen = nasty.”

  Really, now. If you want me to take this seriously, you’re going to have to talk (or TYPE, it’s even easier) like an adult. As for the actual experiment, it succeded in proving to me nothing, other than the actual results that you posted yourself. Also, as someone else has mentioned, why not try using the pads on someone night after night after night, like they recommend and see if they turn brown less and less each time?

• 17. Frank the SciencePunk  |  February 10th, 2008 at 10:24 pm

  Wah wah wah. Does this look like fucking Wikipedia to you? Anyway, it’s up to Champneys to prove these pads work, not the other way round.

  Let’s look at what Champneys have:
  * No clinical trials
  *No plausible mechanism
  *No evidence of efficacy
  *No physiological basis for the claims
  *No scientific history in this field
  *No labs
  *No publications
  *No ability to defend these patches
  *Currently under investigation by Trading Standards
  *A product that recently had a FDA warning issued on it

  Science is all about looking at the evidence and making the best judgement. In this case, I’d say the patches are a sham.

• 18. lyn the foot detox patches guru  |  February 12th, 2008 at 6:22 pm

  “All we can recommend is not spending £20 on detox patches until we have definitive proof! ”

  I definitely agree with that statement. There are many detox patches available nowadays and distinguishing which one really works effectively is not that easy. It is a wise action to choose the brand that earned positive remarks from users themselves.
  One way of spending your hard earned cash the smart way.

• 19. Frank the SciencePunk  |  February 12th, 2008 at 6:33 pm

  @ Lyn:

  Nice try, but these results apply to the whole industry of ‘detox pads’.

  Testimonials are not proof, clinical trials are. Unless you have some clinical trials to show me, you have nothing to add to the discussion.

  (Also, I’ve switched your shameless self-promoting link to something more appropriate)

• 20. stinky feet  |  February 13th, 2008 at 11:51 am

  I have never tried detox foot pads or baths. But I have been reading a lot to try to piece together truth from error before I make a decision whether to buy or not. It would be awesome if they really worked. I can’t explain why so many users have experienced great side effects, “if” nothing is really extracted. But I have never found any proper studies so far that indicate which toxins are actually pulled out of persons body by these products. If pulling toxins out of ones body using a detox footpad was faith related, I would go for the tesimonial…yes, well…

  If they work, then this would be a major medical breakthrough…so where are the records of scientific proof?

  This article about detox foot baths was pretty interesting. Enjoy…

  Here’s what a manufacturer says about them:

  There are several ‘Detox’ systems based around Foot Spas on the market today. Some manufacturers and retailers of such products make claims of purification and Detoxification that attract a lot of people. At beauty and health equipment exhibitions there are numerous stands that offer this kind of therapy and many visitors volunteer to give it a try.

  But how effective is it really and how does it actually work? Is the fact that the water changes colour really proof that the Spa is detoxifying the body? Dr. Mary Staggs Ph.D. D.N. F.B.I.H., of the Mary Staggs clinic in Estepona, Southern Spain, is interviewed by R. B. Research.

  Dr Staggs, we understand you were the first person to bring the concept of Ionic Foot Spa Detox systems into Europe?
  
  Yes, back in 2001, I heard about Ionic Foot Spa’s from both Dr Corey in Florida and Dr Morney in Denver Colorado. They had been working on the technique for some time before I was introduced to it. I found it fitted directly in with my research so I became involved in order to develop it further and decided to bring the concept to Europe.

  What does the system consist off?

  It’s a Footbath into which we introduce an array. This is coupled to a power unit, which generates a low voltage electrical current - with both positive and negative polarities - which, due to the conductivity of saline water, work together to produce the desired effect.

  Why did you become interested in ‘Ionic Foot Spa Detox’ systems?

  Since it seemed this was a type of natural Detox process, I thought it would fit nicely alongside other therapies that I was using in the field of nutrition. The basic principle of the treatment was electrolysis and electro dialysis. But what caught my attention most early on was how the water, that the feet were submersed in, changed colour.
  

  Some manufacturers claim that these colours correspond to specific body fluids, like cholesterol, uric acid, bile, blood, and even certain types of fats. What do you think of these claims?

  Such claims are no more than a ’sales pitch’. From the early stages of development it was suggested that certain colours corresponded to certain types of organ drainage from the kidneys, liver, intestines and so on. But when we started our investigations, within the parameters of biochemistry, we found only Iron Sulphate in the water. We could not show the presence of Albumin or any other type of liquid, any kind of increment of sodium or potassium, urea, bilirubin transaminates, sugar and so on.

  So why does the water change colour?

  There are many factors that come into play. But basically we are talking about electrolysis.

  Please explain.

  In order to produce electrolysis, we need an ionised solution to close the electric circuit between two electrodes. These electrodes, when connected to a source of continuous currents are submerged in a carrier solution - one charge is positive (anode) and the other negative (cathode).

  This action produces ionisation. The positive ions within the solution will move towards the cathode and negative ones towards the anode. The word electrolysis means to rupture, separate, by means of electricity, through galvanic current. The water that is used has its own impurities that, due to the electrolysis, are drawn towards or separated from other components. The consequent ionisation in the water results in the formation of solids that are deposited on the floor of the container and that float on the surface of the water. Bubbles also appear and at the same time the water changes colour. We must also remember that the arrays are metallic and release waste, which in turn results in an electrolytic reaction causing corrosion. Another influencing matter is what we introduce into the water, eg. our feet. These have their own properties such as acidity or alkalinity. The skin can also contain remnants of soap, creams, nail varnish, pollutants and dyes from shoes, including shoe polish, bacteria, fungi and fibres. There might also be a release of substances from the sebaceous glands and dead cells. All these factors combined will influence the colour change.

  We must consider the internal condition of the body, which will influence and manifest itself in the water. Here we need to take into account sub dermis conditions, the capillary microcirculation and other internal influences that can be emitted through the largest human organ, the skin. Last of all, temperature will also affect the chemical reactions in the water.

  If we take into account all these factors we can begin to understand why the water changes colour.

  Is the change in colour of water the same for every treatment and for every individual?

  No. Different treatments, individuals and water sources are likely to yield different colours but in all our investigations we detected no biological substances, furthermore the colours do not correspond to any pathological state or any organ deficit or any specific bodily excretion. The reasons for the change in water are as I’ve already mentioned, but also we could add improper rinsing of detergents used in the cleaning of the array and the bowl, which might produce bubbles.

  So there are many reasons why the water might change colour, which means the whole process is impossible to calibrate which in turn means that clinical interpretation is misleading.
  So are you saying that this therapy does not have a positive effect on our health?
  No, I’m definitely not saying that at all. It is obvious that it does have a powerful effect on the human organism but that the water changes colour is not what we should be focussing on. This aspect is only of interest to those who do not actually understand the concept of chemistry and physics or the real function of the machine. They also do not understand medicine and so are using the change in water colour to impress the general public and to spin a line to make a sale. I’ve seen people gasp when they see the water changing colour around their feet but that’s largely because they are not being told the real reason why this is happening.
  So can you clear up for us what the machine is actually doing?
  First of all, we need to understand that the human body is made up of 60%-70% water. There are different types of salts within the body’s fluids that are capable of conducting electricity. In fact, our whole body acts like an industrial plant that produces chemical reactions and generates electrical currents, which produce energy.

  Water is, of course, very fluid and has the ability to alter molecules in the presence of certain solutes and energies, which can also be referred to as ‘memory’. It is precisely this principle that is used in homeopathy in the preparation of homeopathic remedies in different potencies. They dissolve to such an extent that there no longer appears to be molecules of solute present. It is this memory phenomenon that explains the clinical action.

  When we introduce our feet into the Ionic Footbath water, our body fluids are actually connecting with the water. When we cause an electrical current between the two electrodes of the array, the water becomes the main conductor. This current in some way propagates with our own water. We must also remember that on the soles of our feet we can find a large number of reflex points that correspond to specific organs or certain parts of our body (this is the principle of reflexology). Also, we find in this area the beginning of the meridian flow lines that have been outlined for us in Chinese medicine, used by acupuncturists and previously by allopathic medicine. Therefore, any kind of stimuli - be it mechanical, luminous, electromagnetic or simply electric - in one way or another causes a reaction in each bodily system, organ or corresponding body area reflected on the sole of the feet.

  This means that no matter what type of dialysis takes place, the level produced through the pores and glands of the feet is minimal and cannot be considered as genuine Detoxification. What actually happens is bio-stimulation which restores energy and balance, eases tension in certain areas, and re-establishes energies previously blocked. This then helps the body’s organs to function correctly. In other words, by recharging the batteries, each organ can get back to its optimum efficiency.
  How does one prove what is actually happening? Have the Mary Staggs clinic carried out any tests?
  We have carried out experiments and investigations using biochemical tests, bacterial cultures and quantitative water tests, as well as explorations with a GDV camera, a thermo camera and other types of equipment to measure the changes in the energetic field of corresponding meridian and acupuncture points, kinesiology and Contact Reflex Analysis.

  We also receive a lot of feedback from many therapists, doctors and patients who give us their testimonials and experiences. This has to be considered as another type of investigation although purely empirical, but still valued in the field of natural medicine
  So what future does this treatment have?
  I am very excited by the feedback we receive daily on how people feel and how pleased they are to have had an opportunity to use our equipment. People contact us to ask if they can buy their own machine, after they have had several treatments in a clinic, because they feel so good. They feel that their bodies are now responding in various ways that was not happening before, which is great!

  We also regularly hear from therapists and allopathic doctors, throughout Europe, calling to comment on their results, or just to clarify their findings.
  So have certain companies operating in the field literally ‘muddied the water’ for Foot Spa Detox systems?
  No, certainly not, the technology has only scratched the surface, although I feel it is a shame that people who commercialise the product oversell it by making false claims about its merits. Some of what they say simply cannot be proved. It is very wrong to claim that the system can do things that it can’t.

  If our findings can help in whatever way to lighten the burden of stress then that can only be a good thing.

  But let’s stick to the facts. The process can be beneficial to people’s health but they should know, when they are having the treatment, exactly what it is doing to them and not having the treatment under false pretences or due to outrageous claims.

  We have completed extensive clinical research under controlled conditions. This research led to being awarded ISO 9001, ISO 13485 and the Medical Class 2A Approval in July 2005. Our clinical claim is:

  The use of the Dr Mary Staggs Detox System improves the micro circulation of the blood and helps to re-balance the bodies electrical system.
  
  Thank you
  * Dr. Mary Staggs is a recognised authority in the field of Natural Medicine.

• 21. Frank the SciencePunk  |  February 13th, 2008 at 10:33 pm

  Longest. Comment. Ever.

• 22. Lili  |  February 16th, 2008 at 3:59 pm

  These pads are a scam… but then again, so is “vitamin water” and “colonic cleansing” - one of them puts in excess vitamins that your body simply rejects if you are already well-nourished (if you are not well-nourished then spend your money on real food, not colored water with vitamin supplements) and the other simply removes fecal matter and gas so you do not feel so full. Both make you think you are healthier - no gas and well hydrated.

  There is absolutely no physiological mechanism by which “toxins” are drawn out of your feet- but pads or by electrolytic baths. You can draw moisture, sweat - that has many ions in it and, if you break blood vessels, even blood from your feet, but these are NOT toxins.

  The fact that there are IONS in the body is a good thing - even METAL ions. Many of our vitamins need metal ions as co-factors, many proteins need them, too. Cobalt, iron, for examples.

  If a person finds parasites in a detox pad, they would have found them on any moistened pad on the foot. EEWWW!!

  Why do they work? They don’t.

  Why do people report that they feel better? Who knows??
  Could be any number of reasons that people report positive effects from absolutely nothing. And if they want to spend money to feel better, fine - it is their money. Personlly I would rather see a movie, have a nice dinner and throw parties for my friends with my money - I fee great after those things. I also invest in a really good mattress and a reaaly good masseuse.

  My Ph.D. is in physiology and I dare anyone to explain coherently the cellular and biophysical mechanisms by which true “toxins” (poisons) leave the body by this method in such great amounts that one is truly “detoxified”.

• 23. mrpips  |  February 18th, 2008 at 2:35 am

  Wow - Ellen is hot, even if she is full of London tap water.

• 24. Mockarena  |  February 18th, 2008 at 7:04 pm

  I LOVED this experiment. I wanted to link you to one that I’ve been involved with as well. Check out http://www.themockdock.com/?s=kinoki. I just completed day one of the experiment, and even though I know it’s a total sham, I’m having a blast writing about it.

  Enjoy! :)

• 25. Priya Raju  |  February 25th, 2008 at 5:11 am

  People do get raving mad when you debunk pseudo-science, don’t they?

  I have a suggestion for people that swear by this detox pad. Why only the feet? Do you think toxins gather down below like sand gathering in a beaker of tap water? Perhaps you’ll get better results if you wrap yourself head to toe, like a mummy in detox wraps.

  Actually, I like my idea. I think I’ll sell these wraps myself. I maybe able to retire before 40.

• 26. How To Spot A Psychopath &hellip  |  February 25th, 2008 at 8:03 am

  […] pads turn brown if you just pour some tap water on them, because they contain a powder that goes nasty when it gets […]

• 27. Jason  |  March 2nd, 2008 at 5:12 am

  I made fun of a co-worker who used these pads. She gave me some to try for a night. I used them, expecting a load of jack squat to happen. I woke up 30 minutes before my alarm went off and felt inexplicably good for the entire day. Furthermore, I slept like a log that night, which I usually don’t do. I don’t know what the goopy crap is, and really don’t care. If it is all in my head, it is still worth $1 for a foot patch for the placebo effect that it has. I bought a small supply to see if less goop shows up over time, and to see if these effects are lasting. So far, so good. I no longer get the post-lunch time tiredness that used to characterize my afternoons either. We’ll see what happens over time. I feel like a complete arse for making fun of my coworker, but still can’t explain why the stinky foot pads work. People that are skeptical of them should try them for a day or two just to see if they feel the same way I do—confused about feeling better when I use them.

• 28. Frank the SciencePunk  |  March 2nd, 2008 at 1:41 pm

  That’s a lovely story Jason, but unfortunately the plural of anecdote is not ‘data’.

• 29. Ally Scott  |  March 5th, 2008 at 6:15 am

  they also burnt my feet

• 30. elton in san ramon  |  March 16th, 2008 at 8:26 am

  Sciencepunk,
  You’re such a wuss for not trying these for a week. I dare you…I’m on my 4th day with the pads, and am starting to see some lightening from dark brown to medium brown. I can’t wait until they really become clear, because the turnaround in my sustained energy level is nothing short of astonishing! It’s not a boost of energy, rather a removal of lethargy. After my first night (using 1 pad on each foot), I felt different, but didn’t want to make any claims. I am using Kinoki brand, and I am now only using 1 pad/night. The second morning, I really felt tremendous…like my body got an oil change. The 3rd morning, I told my wife I felt 5 years younger. Today, I felt 10 years younger. In 4 days, I’ve lost 4 pounds, and haven’t changed anything else. I will update again after the pads become clean.

• 31. Ryan  |  March 20th, 2008 at 12:17 am

  This is one of those moments where it would be awesome for you to trace Scott Kaine’s ip to the Champney’s corporation. lol.

  People getting upset you didnt take the most ridiculous claim ever seriously is really awesome.

  I’m going to start taking sugar pills and tell myself they will cure all diseases and make me feel 100% perfect all the time. THAT WILL SHOW YOU!

• 32. Frank the SciencePunk  |  March 20th, 2008 at 2:23 am

  @ 31
  Well, remember when some people spammed my entry about Shark? And I challenged the readers to uncover them as Shark employees? Yeah, well, I’ll be writing about that pretty soon. :-)

• 33. Jeff  |  March 21st, 2008 at 9:54 pm

  I was amused by your experiment/report and look forward to future experiments; however, I am curious about your rationale to approach testing the claims with the experiment you actually did… Since the detox pad claims to “detox”, why did you choose to base the validity of their claim on “color” alone. While it is quite likely that the product is not worth much, it would seem more appropriate to actually pretest a body (like Ellen’s ) for a spectrum of toxins (via urine, hair, blood)….use the pads faithfully for 30 days…and then run the tox tests again. You’ve only “proved” that the pads can turn color with plain water, not validating anything regarding their claims about detoxification.

• 34. Frank the SciencePunk  |  March 21st, 2008 at 11:35 pm

  @ 33. Jeff
  I made it pretty clear what I was and wasn’t testing. I don’t exactly know what you mean by ‘testing the body for toxins’. The human body is a wonderfully complex machine, and while urea, water, oxygen, carbon dioxide and salt are all essential constituents, they can also be toxins if in the wrong place and the wrong amounts.
  So I don’t how you can test for ‘detoxification’.

• 35. Poor Pothecary  |  March 29th, 2008 at 2:30 pm

  Frank > Longest. Comment. Ever.

  Actually, there’s a story behind that. Detox footbaths have been subject to massive revisionism: When these things first went on the market, the general claim was that the brown stuff in the water was toxins. Now that the secret is blown, there’s been a shift to various handwaving explanations about “rebalancing the system” and similar.

  Around 2004, Mary Staggs was associated with a particular brand called Aqua Detox, which was promoted with exactly the same “toxins coming out” claim as everyone else. It’s only since they went their separate ways - some kind of business schism, I imagine - that her pitch has shifted to all this waffle about electrolysis.

  See Bad Science and rusty footbath revisionism.

• 36. Poor Pothecary  |  March 29th, 2008 at 4:40 pm

  Jeff > Since the detox pad claims to “detox”, why did you choose to base the validity of their claim on “color” alone.

  Because their central claim is that the black gunk is the toxins. Once you’ve shown that the stuff darkens merely with the addition of water, the essential scamminess of the product is demonstrated. Why bother investigating the technicalities when the central mode of action has been shown to be a fraud?

  Want to buy some detoxifying soap? You can actually see the toxins it removes from the body.

• 37. Poor Pothecary  |  March 30th, 2008 at 3:49 am

  PS A hypothesis to investigate for those who claim the darkening of pads diminishes after a few days: that pickling the skin of your foot in vinegar might affect its characteristics.

• 38. geneva  |  April 16th, 2008 at 4:35 am

  REPLY TO #15 &17 from scipunk…

  Just a few facts about my own ”SELF TRIAL” beginning May 2007
  After reading all that I could find about footpads via the internet I reluctantly purchased 10. My first night was a restless one, and my feet tingled quite a bit, I remember thinking, this is not going to work, i cant even sleep, I knew I would be exhausted the next morning, i fell off to sleep aprx 3pm, woke at 7am and sprung out of bed. no Lie, i been using & seeling every since. BY THE WAY many brands do clain to improve circulation which would attribute to warming of the feet and hands!, just FYI, companies do make this claim and the footpads do live up to it. I have a base of over 50 REPEAT PURCHASERS WHO SHARE IN THE USE OF THESE WITH ME ON A REGULAR BASIS. WE DON’T HAVE WILD IMAGINATIONS
  2nd fact, I have NOT USED lab testing yet, but plan to soon
  there are 2 labs known for testing of detox footpads of ANY BRAND.
  SRC ANALYTICAL LAB
  CTS ORIGINALS LAB
  THANKS FOR THE READ!
  GTOWNE!

• 39. Frank the SciencePunk  |  April 16th, 2008 at 9:33 am

  @ 38. Geneva
  Do you understand the difference between ANECDOTE and DATA?

  Although it’s hardly surprising you sprang out of bed after just 16 hours of sleep, I really don’t care for your personal stories.

  You’ve completely failed to answer my request in post 15 for tangible evidence. Please come back when you have lab results showing before and after toxicity analyses for a sample group wearing these pads and those of a control group.

  Seriously, people, any more pointless anecdotes and I’m closing the discussion thread.

• 40. Jim  |  April 21st, 2008 at 7:40 am

  Maybe the toxins just can’t be detected through any known means? It is magic, after all, isn’t it?

• 41. Scott  |  April 21st, 2008 at 8:39 pm

  I woke up feeling amazing after a trial pad from [spam removed] natural foods convention. Later pads did not give me that feeling.

  There are adaptogenic herbs in the [spam removed] pads that will make you feel better with or without any detox just like ginseng.

  Hard to say whether it works to detox or not. I have been tested as to what is in my body from a chelation test. Curious if the pads will be comparable.

• 42. Eetmorsqrls  |  April 29th, 2008 at 7:17 pm

  so I was totally uninterested in these pads, but then my mommy made me get and use them. After only fifteen days of sleeping for 10 hours every night and eating correctly and excercising often I was so revitalized! This product works so well! It is simply amazing!

  Oh, and the plural of anecdote is obviosly data since people never lie and people never post things more than once under a different name.

• 43. taking tiger mountain  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 9:42 pm

  it seems a lot of posters in here should be reading more michael shermer and james randi.

  it’s strange the things that people believe. there is no such thing as detox! you’re body “detoxes” naturally through it’s internal organs. it really is an efficient machine.

  but hey, keep spending your money on products that have no scientific basis, that’s your problem not mine. wouldn’t it be nice if i felt like sunshine and rainbows just by sleeping with stickers on my feet? mind over matter imo.

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