Foot Pad Detox

Imagine wearing a giant bandage on your foot while you sleep, and when you wake all of the toxins and poisons in your body will be gone. This is what detox foot pad manufacturers claim their products can do. Before you spend any money on these products, find out whether or not any scientific evidence backs these claims.

The Theory

• Detox foot pads claim to remove toxins from the body through the feet. When the user puts these pads on his feet, usually overnight, the pads turn a disgusting brown color and appear dirty, which the makers claim is because of the toxins they have absorbed from the body.

  The companies making foot pads detox systems have a variety of health benefits they claim come from the use of these pads. Many products, like Kinoki Detox Foot Pad, claim to restore the body's balance and boost energy. Some claim to provide an immune system benefit, help you sleep better or even relieve problems like arthritis pain and digestive problems.

The Science

• No scientific studies prove these claims, according to Dr. Stephen Barrett of Device Watch, a medical consumer watch group. When asked to provide studies, the major manufacturers of these products have repeatedly refused, according to a 2008 ABC News report. Barrett says the product claims of these foot pads go against known human physiology. While toxins are present in the body, they are not removed through the feet, but rather through the liver and kidneys, which flush them out of the body through the urine.

  In an informal study done by the reporters from 20/20, participants wore Avon detox foot pads for several nights. Some did report benefits, such as more energy or better sleep, but the actual pads were sent to NMS Labs for testing. The lab report showed that none of the metals, toxins and parasites the manufacturer claimed would be absorbed onto the pad were actually there.

  In a similar non-formal study a reporter for KQED, a California radio station, wore the pads and sent them to a lab for testing. The lab tested both the used pads and unused ones, and found the metal content to be identical, indicating that there were no metal toxins removed from the body.

The Affect of Water

• Interestingly, when the 20/20 investigators and a radio reporter exposed an unused pad to water, the pad turned brown just as it did when worn on the feet. This led the investigators to wonder whether or not the visual effects of the pads were caused by a chemical reaction between the water in the wearer's skin and something in the pad.

  So why do many people claim benefits from the foot pads if ordinary water brings the same affect? According to Dr. George Friedman-Jimenez of the New York University Occupational and Environmental Medicine Clinic these reported results are likely a placebo affect. People believe the foot pads will make them feel more energized and healthy, and so they feel better, but not because of the pads themselves.