How Often Should You Use Japanese Detoxification Foot Pads?
Everywhere we turn these days, we find warnings about toxins, pollutants and other hidden dangers to our health. That's nothing new---the concept of "detoxifying" has been around since ancient times. Every culture has their own methods from the Ayurvedic water cleanses to the Zen concepts of cleansing breaths. One of the newest to be marketed is the Japanese Detoxifying Foot Pad, adhesive pads whose manufacturers claim will draw toxins from your body through the soles of your feet. To accomplish this, you are supposed to place the pads on the soles of your feet every night before going to bed.
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Ingredients
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It is very hard to pin down what ingredients are in Japanese Detoxifying Foot Pads. The Kinoki Foot pad, for instance, lists bamboo vinegar and "homeopathic ingredients." But the latter are not listed in more detail, and no amounts are given, which makes independent clinical trials very difficult.
Product Claims
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According to a website Chinese Culture, "The product works on the principle that tree trunks, which are composed of numerous tiny tubes, are able to draw water and nutrients through the roots and up to all other parts of the tree." They extrapolate that since the different parts of your feet are connected to different parts of your body, the toxins should be drawn out the same way nutrients are drawn to the surface of the tree. These toxins are supposedly what turn the pads dark.
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Independent Test Results
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Most of the detox pads currently on the market contain wood vinegar---usually distilled from bamboo---which turns dark when exposed to water. Even distilled water, which contains no toxins, will turn the foot pads dark brown. An April 11, 2008 segment of ABC's "20/20" with John Stossel proved this, as did a private study by S. Varney of KQED radio in California, reported on August 18, 2008.
Instructions for Use
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Most foot detox pads advise that you use them once a day for 3 to 5 weeks to be completely detoxified.
Pros & Cons
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On the plus side, anecdotal evidence suggests a positive placebo effect, and people using the foot pads believe that they feel better. Unless you have an allergy to wood vinegar or any other ingredients you see listed on the box, you can use them as often as you want since they will have no actual effect on you.
The down side is the cost. As of September of 2009, one box of foot pads was as much as $35.00.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit All images courtesy of btanimoto at Photobucket,
