For the past couple of years, we've been a bit bombarded by commercials for "all natural" foot pads that tell us they'll clear the body of toxins overnight. They promise to remove everything from cellulite to heavy metals to parasites to metabolic wastes that invade our bodies. It tends to make one gross oneself out! What on earth is in my body and how can I still be alive with all these poisons, not to mention reasonably healthy?
The food pads are worn overnight and the wearer is warned that the pads will be a dark, dirty color and smell offensive. What can one expect, with all that stuff flowing from our skin, into these pads?
The problem is that these pads are selling like hot cakes and they simply don't work. No kind of pad like this can eliminate all the toxins in our bodies, via the skin of our feet.
The ingredients in these pads include vinegar, vitamin C and bamboo sap.
Tests on these pads have shown that anything put on these pads - even plain old water - will turn them dark and dirty looking. The color is not the color of all those toxins - it's simply the reaction of a chemical in the pad to liquid - pretty much any liquid.
The websites selling the pads offer scientific evidence, dramatic "they have changed my life!" testimonials and even some thermographic pictures to show before and after images of feet!
The companies also let us know that the pads can remain fairly colorless or be anything from beige to black, depending on how "toxic" the person is. Or, a cynic may think, a ploy to defend the fact that these pads are fairly meaningless and the outcome can be so varied that it all means nothing.
The companies also give a history of these pads that have worked for "centuries" in Japan, and thank goodness these foot pad sellers have uncovered this great secret to detoxifying ourselves!
Unfortunately, tests on these pads have shown they simply do not work and that the ever-strong placebo effect is in place for most who believe they are healthier because they use them.
We'll save a lot of time - and money - by leaving the pads alone. Our best way to "detox" our bodies is to eat well, drink plenty of water, exercise, be kind to our livers, and get as much rest and sleep as we can. All that, and a good dose of sex, friendship and laughter, is my recommendation for a detoxifying lifestyle!