In recent years, there have been many new products referred to as "foot detox systems." All of these systems work in a similar way: you place your feet in a small tub, and the tub is pumped with ions generated by a machine. These ions alternate from positive to negative polarity, with the idea that your body will take these ions up through the pores in your feet, and attach to and remove the toxins in your system.
There is, however, plenty of cause for skepticism with the BioEnergiser Detox Foot Bath.
The Claims
The BioEnergiser foot detox system was released in 2007. The company's website claims all manner of benefits from the use of their product. According to the site, one simply needs to put one's feet in the bath for thirty minutes and let the machine do its work. Bad skin, colds and sinus problems, lethargy, migraines, and body odor, are all symptoms of toxin build-up in the body. According to BioEnergiser, all these can be addressed with a foot detox. The company recommends treatments of 30 minutes at least twice a week, for a course of 30 treatments total.
The results, claim the company's website, "will be renewed energy levels, both physical and mental, with a general feeling of well being."
The Skeptics
There is, however, reason to doubt that the results of this foot spa are completely accurate.
One of the main pieces of evidence cited by manufacturers of foot spas is the change of color in the bath water. At the beginning of the treatment, the water is clear; by the end of the treatment, the water is a murky brown color. This, it is often claimed, is the result of toxins being sucked out through the feet. The BBC's consumer watchdog, an organization that heard these claims repeatedly, put them to a very simple test. They ran the machine with no one in it, using a Barbie doll instead of a patient. Again, the water turned brown. This, it turns out, is a simple byproduct of the metal electrodes rusting in a salt water bath.
In short, there is no scientific evidence that these foot spas provide anything but a pleasant sensation.
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