Detox Foot Baths: Are they any good?
You can’t miss them whether you are roaming on the street or surfing the net. The ads are everywhere. Getting a foot detox therapy is beginning to be considered the in-thing these days. No wonder. What can be more appealing than letting ions from an ionic detox foot bath chase away toxins from your body while you sit idly with your feet in a tub of hot water? But detox foot therapy is getting some people all wound up. They believe it’s just one more scam.
Health officials, for one, are skeptical and fear people might be misled about its efficacy. Sharing their concerns, FDA ordered an enquiry last month to study the effects of such therapy.
How an Ion Detox Foot Bath is supposed to help you
Practitioners of the therapy claim taking a foot bath cleans your body of harmful chemicals. Repeated use is claimed to bring relief from such ailments as cancer, fibromyalgia and arthritis. Our feet have 2000 pores and, they claim, toxins can be flushed out of these pores by using the right technique.
The treatment is simple: the feet are put in a special tub filled with saltwater. After a while they pour in what is called an electrolyte. The ions in this electrolyte are said to be able to penetrate layers of skin and fat and jettison out waste through the pores.
You are chatted to while waiting for things to happen in the tub. In a few moments the water changes color. This is given proof to believe that toxins have been thrown out of your body.
It’s a Scam, scientists and doctors cry out!
The therapy, in principle, works at cleaning out toxins by targeting fat in our bodies. While it is true that fat is the place where toxins find refuge, there is little scientific basis for the rest of the practice. (Here is an explanation for why the water changes color.)
In fact, it could be a cause for worry, feel doctors. The perceived improvement of their condition felt by users of the therapy could be just the effects of a placebo, they warn. Strong faith in a treatment, after all, does make us believe sometimes that it works.
Doctors fear that temporary feelings of well-being can give wrong signals to users about their true medical condition. It may prevent them from seeking proper medical help at early stages of an illness and stick with such therapies, instead.
Now that the FDA has taken up the issue, the question of whether the therapy is fraud or not, looks set to be resolved once and for all. Meanwhile, if you are now wondering whether foot pads are any good, here is an informal experiment that shows that it too happens to be a scam.
And while we are at it, here are 10 more scam health accessories that you would do well to avoid.
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- Federals Busts Biggest $251 million Medicare Scam ,Doctors and Nurses among 94 Charged
- Doctor with Bogus medical research Sentenced in Medicare Care Fraud
- Medical Card Scams
March 30th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
I hope the FDA goes beyond the question of detoxification. These machines rather let negative ions in than flush out toxins.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Thanks for this post!
August 12th, 2008 at 3:00 am
@’ionic foot bath’…
Yeah…there’s no telling what they might actually be doing to our bodies!
Best Wishes!
August 12th, 2008 at 3:00 am
@’ionic foot bath’ and Max_1…
Thank You for dropping by and taking the time out to leave a comment!
Best Wishes!
August 15th, 2008 at 1:06 am
Good Post
September 5th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
I used the footpads and believe they work simply because one night I placed the pads on my heels and the parts of the pad that were against the sides of my foot remained white. Only the part against the bottom of my foot turned brown.
===========================
Angelinjones
(‘www.detox24.com’)
September 9th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
I feel that because doctors don’t approve of it and main stream science disagree doesn’t mean that foot detox doesn’t work. For example they will tell you if you have cancer posion yourself with chemo or radiation! They are burning down the forest just to kill one tree. Oh boy but they will say that’s modern medicine 21cent medicine give me a break let people feel good about what they are doing!
Thank you..
September 12th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
I am currently being treated for IBS by a wellness professional footbaths are part of my treatment. After suffering for almost a decade I am symptom free and I have my life back. Let the FDA challenge holistic treatments all they want after all they are the ones approving drugs into the market that kill people everyday. They are a really brillant source of knowledge (sarcasm)!
September 29th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
You have never been so sick you had to look for therapies outside western medicine. Alternative medicine saved my life and took me of a 10 pill a day habit perscribed by physicians..
Go Natural You might learn something.
October 23rd, 2008 at 2:25 pm
I own 3 footbaths, I let my friends & family use them, all of us have improved our own health. Who cares what the FDA & drs. say about detox, Have they tried a foot bath? I have and I have lost weight, my skin is much better than b4, my knees are better. Don’t forget: lemon juice (from a real lemon) in a bottle of water,& do this @ day, for 30 days, will help bone spurs disappear.
November 14th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Detox foot baths are a scam!!!
There is NO objective evidence that they do anything. If anything, the extra iron in the water from the electrodes could have a detrimental effect.
Why anyone thinks this works is beyond me. If you do think it works why don’t you turn the machine on, in salt water, and see what happens.
People are being ripped off. Fear of big pharma is a tool people use to scare poeple into believeing in these alternative “therapies” that have ZERO evidence of there efficacy.
Since the burden of proof is on anyone who claims they work, please show me any OBJECTIVE evidence. Show me a study that shows there are more toxins, other than iron, in the water after the foot bath that are not there after just soaking your feet in warm water. Please show me any evidence. Convince me.
December 28th, 2008 at 4:31 am
In my opinion, detox foot baths do real good to your body. It relaxes you and keeps you calm. It soothes you. That way it helps in reducing tension and stress. Frequent use of this can make you stay calm and can stop the rise of your blood pressure too
Regards, DcrDetox
January 2nd, 2009 at 8:32 pm
I thought I had bone spurs on my heels of my feet. I was worried, thought I would have to spend lots of money on pills, surgery etc…
My wife told me she has a friend that comes to your home with her foot bath tub for a small fee of $50.00. I did it and roughly about two weeks later the pain was gone.
I believe it does WORK! The best $50.00 bucks I ever spent…
January 6th, 2009 at 1:08 am
The level of toxicity is not all there is involved in food baths. Our modern medicine is suffering of partial “objective” knowledge.
One miraculous FDA drug today would be rejected as poisonous in only few years by the same agency which approved it. If tomorrow FDA finds ways to capitalize on foot baths they will be approved in a heartbeat…
Food baths in one way or another have been around for centuries with proven beneficial effects. I wonder why FDA would consider approving a drug based on 20 years of “objective” research but would not recognize a century old proven procedure!
The fact is that the foot baths work and work giving more benefits than side effects than any “miracle” pill. I recommend them to anyone willing to “detoxify” them-selves from the brainwash of the modern medicine.
February 9th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Example: It is said that high stress levels speed up cancer right? People who are calm and have little stress or worries can fight through illnesses faster than someone who is freaking out about being sick. So if the foot baths are calming people then maybe it is helping with their physical problems. Unless it is proven that we are doing harm to ourselves by putting out feet in water why argue it? Let people waste their money that seems to be the only harm they are doing, as long as they are still keeping up with regular doctor visits, a little natural healing cant do wrong.
February 11th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
Fascinating to read all the comments - i have left a foot spa on by itself and yes there is minimal discolouring of the water but not as much as when feet are in it! I have used and do use the foot pads - they are a great hang over cure (!) when worn over night after a binge. In conclusion, i cant say i felt better for foot spa usage, however i felt fantastic after foot pad usage. I am not entirely sure how it all works though, i just like trying these things out - i suggest you all do the same and make up your own minds really!
Happy foot padding/bathing
March 4th, 2009 at 9:26 am
You can say what you will,..but I have witnessed too many positive results from too many people from the use of these machines to dismiss this as a fraud. I was skeptical at first, but I now believe strongly that the answers to many of our health problems lies in alternative treatments, not in expensive, sometimes addictive drugs that only mask the symptoms, not addressing the cause. Too many MDs dont “treat” they “prescribe”.
March 10th, 2009 at 9:11 pm
I am constantly amazed by how badly people want to distrust factual science, yet can easily trust people who are scamming them. Foot “detox” baths were invented only to trick you into giving your money as many other like products. I do agree, however, that if you believe something works, your mind will affirm that there is improvement. So, detox in whatever manner you choose. I am very fortunate that I feel my healthy diet, lifestyle, environment, and my liver keeps me from seeking alternative or medical means to remove toxins.
March 15th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Of course it must be a scam…..the FDA can’t make any money off of it! When are people going to wake up?? Instead of pumping everyone full of prescription drugs that only cause MORE toxins, why not give alternative therapies a chance? It’s getting to ridiculous point.
March 25th, 2009 at 11:36 pm
I have used foot baths for a very long time( professional and personal) and as with all things, there are always people trying to make cheap impersonations of the real deal- people must be aware. The colour change in the water is not toxins being sucked out of the feet, in fact the water will change regardless, its the depth of colour that changes when your feet are in the water. The colour change is the reaction of the ions travelling from the electrode into the water and reacting with the oils, dirt, impurities, both in th water and also on the persons feet. etc. This at least tells you that it is working. I was always taught that the foot bath helps stimulate metabolism and gives the body a bit of a kick start. It is meant to help the body work at optimum levels by helping it detox itself. You should always drink water when detoxing, it helps passing toxins out of the body but is also absorbed better while detoxing. At the end of the day its the individuals thoughts. There are alot of alternative therapies that work wonders and people just need to find one that works with them and go for it. !!
April 1st, 2009 at 6:45 pm
i used the foot detox last week and my feet melted off. its all good though, they grew back and i feel better than EVA!
April 23rd, 2009 at 10:21 pm
I have tried it twice and have had very positive experiences on both occasions. I go on my lunch break and I get a 25 minute de-stresser. Being in the banking industry, you need that these days. I will continue to get them done at the “witch doctor’s” office and I will continue to pay with my FSA card as well. How’s that sound?
Ki no Takara was the only foot pads that I tried, I liked those too. It’s like the nastiest biore strip that you will ever pull off your foot. Fascinating!
CB
May 13th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
I had my first foot bath today…my mom and I were side by side…our water was two totally different colors…I so want to believe that it will work…I am using alternative medicine to stop smoking…
June 28th, 2010 at 11:01 pm
I own a foot detox machine and honestly i feel much better now, then before I started it. I dont care what negative comments people are saying about it, because I love it and it changed my health for the best
July 9th, 2010 at 12:50 pm
Foot baths are effective. I, atty and wife, RE broker had a host of problems…Her and I both suffered from arthritis causing foot and leg pain. I, after 3 foot baths was pain free in my lower body and could walk 27 holes of golf! She with severe foot pain became pain free. HOW they work biologically is subject of much controversy, but the fact is THEY WORK, period. We charge in LA, Ca.area, 40 per treatment of 45 minutes. Recommend 4x first month and 2x thereafter to keep the toxins out. Anyone dissing this procedure has rocks in their head as it WORKED for we two, and should help you too. [email protected] Drop us a line. Don’t let skeptics who have never dipped in deny effectiveness.
July 18th, 2010 at 12:13 pm
I have been using the foot pads for 6 months and I do believe they DO WORK!!! For one thing not mentioned in all these ‘scam’ sites is that every night the pad gunk becomes less and less until finally, when you wake up - there is NO GUNK - the pad is WHITE!!! Wait a week and do it again - you will find some gunk - but not nearly as much as with the 1st month!! All of these trials prove to me that they DO WORK! How could they get a pad to produce a lot of gunk on day 1 - then less for each subsequent day? Truly it is removing ‘something’ from the body. That point is obvious from the above data. The only question that is left is: What are they removing? That point I cannot prove - but I can say that on the 1st 3-5 days of the pads, I woke up with kidney pain in the lower part of my back. After a few days - the pain is gone!!! So, it does seem to work. They also can be placed directly on the kidneys - but it is suggested that you also do the feet simultaneously. I just use the feet - I didn’t like the feeling of the pads on my back. I would say, Try them to see if they work for you!!
Thank You,
Anne-Marie:)
September 1st, 2010 at 1:37 am
just wash your feet smoke some weed and everything will be fine…
October 19th, 2010 at 2:50 am
I have a detox footbath and have been skeptical about it’s ability to detox. After 45 minutes of use the water has a metallic odor.
35 years ago, I took organic chemistry and there was a machine where we could identify an unknown substance—I think it was called a mass spectrometer. If there is anyone who has access to one of these at a university or science lab it would be easy enough to test samples from the water from different people. I don’t know why I haven’t heard about anyone doing this.
November 23rd, 2010 at 12:05 am
Can one take too many foot baths. My friend will take several a day & night - (maybe 4 to 6 a day). Friend says that if he doesn’t take them, the pain is terrible, after the foot bath it has ceased.
December 14th, 2010 at 7:35 am
Date: 14/12/2010, I love massage, spa’s etc. since last 2 weeks i was researching if the foot spa works, saw some people beleive in it but most said its scam. i had tried this few years ago at shopping center and had minor discolouration of water etc. anyway decided to buy this ION spa from ebay which came through china in weeks time.
Here are the results:
I tried with half a spoon of salt and saw that the water change colour the moment i put my foot inside. ( i said that cant be right) i went through the whole 30 minute and got the dense discolouration of the water mainly orange with organge particle residues floating.
Here is the tructh and exposed the scam.>>
I completed the circuit with putting the metal wire( used for fuse steel look) around wrist band and put that in water. SURPRISE!!! the water started changing colour the same way as the first excercise where i had feet in my water.
RESULT>>> ITS A SCAM>>>>>> DONT GO FOR IT>>>
Best way ti detox: is massage, lemonade, be veg for few days , zero alchol etc.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
Please understand I don’t have any medical training so i m not part of the of the establishment. the next time you go in for a treatment ask them to run 1 cycle of treatment with out anybodies feet in the water. just put all the things in the water that go in minus the feet. See if the water changes color if it does would you please consider that all this detox crap is just that CRAP a SCAM.some people who need to seek medical treatment will not do so based on the scam about the water changing color it is a simple high school lab test…..