# foot detox



## marvella (Oct 12, 2003)

has anyone had a foot detox? 

one of the doctors at work gave me a gift certificate to have one done. at first i felt worse but within 24 hours i felt better than i had in years!! lasted about a week, so i went back and got another one, that has me still feeling pretty good, more energy, better mood, etc.

it's a tad pricey at $25 per treatment. a coworker said she used the foot detox pads from the drug store and felt great afterward too.

does anyone have any experience with either one?


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## roadless (Sep 9, 2006)

I don't know what that is.
I have had a pedicure where my feet are in a whirlpool and that is absolutely wonderful.
Back in my hippy days a thing called reflexology was in vogue. It was thought that the nerve endings in the feet coorosponded to parts of your body and rubbing your feel could help the other areas.. I don't know about that but it sure felt good!


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## kohburn (May 21, 2009)

feet and hands have some of the best bloodflow and transfer rates through the skin of anywhere ont he body. 

the same system that lets essential oils get into the body through being applied to the feet works in reverse to remove things from the blood stream.

I've never done it but I makes sence.


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## Dwayne Barry (Jan 9, 2009)

If this is the stick your feet in some water as electric current passes thru it and watch it change color detox, it's nonsense. For that matter, most any "detox" is nonsense, especially if it claims to get the toxins (what exactly are these toxins?) out thru your skin.


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## sss3 (Jul 15, 2007)

Would Vicks on the bottom of your feet, w/socks on overnight do the same thing? There is a Vicks thread from a few months ago. I'd certainly check that out.


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## kohburn (May 21, 2009)

completely different - vicks is basicly just eucolyptus, camphor essential oils and menthol. 

with vicks you are adding things to your blood stream and should be able to smell and almost taste it within about 5 minutes.

the detox is supposed to do the opposite byt drawing stuff OUT. I have no idea if it the detox works for drawing stuff out, but I know the essential oils do work for putting things in


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## marvella (Oct 12, 2003)

Dwayne Barry said:


> If this is the stick your feet in some water as electric current passes thru it and watch it change color detox, it's nonsense. For that matter, most any "detox" is nonsense, especially if it claims to get the toxins (what exactly our these toxins?) out thru your skin.


yes, that's the treatment. you may think it's nonsense but i am here to say it does work.


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## marvella (Oct 12, 2003)

first, the practitioner has you put your feet on this roller thing with nubs all over it. it kind of hurts at first but it gets easier after a few minutes. he said the purpose was to get the body and brain to pay attention to that area and send more blood flow. then you put your feet in warm saline with an electrode in it. made me nervous at first mixing water and electricity but you can't feel a thing. it takes 30 minutes. at the end the water is FULL of white foamy stuff that is supposed to be from the lymphatic system, the water is orange that is supposed to be liver toxins, and black crystals that indicate heavy metals. the second treatment i got a week later had less. it's been two weeks now and i still feel good.

i was quite skeptical at first and refused to tell him my medical problems and what medications i am on until i saw what happened. the next day i felt so much better it was unbelievable.

i was hoping someone had some experience with the sticky kind of pads for foot detox as they are quite a bit cheaper.


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## Dwayne Barry (Jan 9, 2009)

marvella said:


> yes, that's the treatment. you may think it's nonsense but i am here to say it does work.


And by "work" you mean, made you feel better, no?

By "work" I mean removes toxins from your body. If you can show me any data that demonstrates what said toxins are and that this technique removes them from your body I'd be happy to reconsider my opinion. It is not as if we can't identify true toxic substances and measure them either in the body or in water.


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## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

http://www.devicewatch.org/reports/aquadetox.shtml

It works whether a foot is in it or not. Amazing device.


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## Lizza (Nov 30, 2005)

I don't know. I mean I'm all for alternative treatment but I sat across from a booth at a convention show in Las Vegas selling these devices. They were all women pushing the devices and it was a major snake oil racket going on over there. When they would get slow one of the girls would sit down and ohh and ahh about how many "toxins" are getting released, her "detox water" looked the exact same as someone who would be roped into sitting down because of all the snake oil calls about how amazing it was, wouldn't her water be a bit cleaner since she gets it done many times a day? They held up these disgusting pictures while their customers were "detoxing" of all the "toxins", look how bad you are!, look at how much you detoxed! When you sit there all day and see time and after time the same thing, it just seemed like a very well organized scam. 

Hate to rain on your parade, like I said, I am all for alternative treatments, but there is something called the placebo effect. Doctors even use it if they don't think you need medicine but you insist on medicine, they will give you sugar pills and you'll feel better, not because you took anything but because you THINK it will work. The mind is an amazing thing and capable of amazing things.


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## kohburn (May 21, 2009)

all someone has to do is send the water to a lab for testing. of course that also requires someone footing the bill.


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## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

kohburn said:


> all someone has to do is send the water to a lab for testing. of course that also requires someone footing the bill.


From my link above:

"Many skeptics suspected that the color change produced by the Aqua Detox was caused by rust (oxidized iron), rather than toxins. Ben Goldacre, who writes the "bad science" column for Guardian Unlimited (an online British newspaper), investigated by using a car battery to send current through two metal nails that he placed into a bowl of salt water. The water turned brown and developed some sludge on top. Then he sent a colleague to get "detoxed" and collect before-and-after water samples. Laboratory testing showed that in both cases, the change of water color was due to greatly increased iron content [7]. Thus it appears that (a) the color change is due mainly to the precipitation of rust created by corrosion of the electrodes, and (b) the water would change color regardless of whether or not a foot was placed in it."


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## keyhole (Dec 2, 2008)

For those of you that seem to think it's snake oil salesmen or just plain B.S. I hope you keep thinking that way.

Has anyone here ever heard of "Electrolisis"? You know where you put metal is a water bath and then add an electrical current and it helps draw out the oxidized impurities such as rust!!!!

Why can't it work for drawing out toxins from the body. I assure you all that when you get up in the morning to the time you go to bed at night and even in your sleep you are ingesting massive amounts of toxins. Does anyone know how many different chemicals are just added to our food supply in the USA. Well try 15,000 different chemicals!!!

Why do most americans today like to come home and sit on their obese backsides after work and plug themselves into the TV and do nothing else before they go to bed at night because they don't have the energy to do anything else? Ever think that they just might be a little overly poisoned with all the toxins that they ingest each and everyday of their lives?

Marvella if you use the detox system...good for you!!!! If you get tired of paying then go and buy one. Check out e-bay I bought mine there.

If anyone thinks that the water will turn color if your feet are in the bath or not...you are generally correct. The water in a bath turns to a color similar to weak iced tea if your feet are not inserted into the water. Once I put my feet in it for 30 minutes in turns into a nasty dark brown layer of slime on the top of the water and the water itself turns black and has such a putrid stench to it.

How do I feel???? As far as energy goes I do really well after the foot baths. I do them twice a week and implemented with a detox plan I follow my energy has returned and and I have shed some unneeded pounds!!!

But for you skeptics....You can find a contrary opinion for everything and anything on the internet. I bet we can even find pictures of Bigfoot himself if we look hard enough!!!


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## Sherrynboo (Mar 19, 2005)

I don't know about that particular method of detoxing working but I do know beyond a shadow of a doubt that detoxing DOES work. My husband had been feeling bad since last Sept. In October he got a lot worse with sharp pains occuring in different parts of his body. He had even gone to the ER thinking he was having a heart attack. $1200 later no definative diagnosis. We have no medical insurance so we had to rely on a friend of mine who is a chiropractor and into all kinds of alternative therapies. My hubby thought I was insane when I insisted that he go see her. The visit was only $50 so we wouldn't be out much if it was all nonsense. The difference she has made in him is remarkable! She sold him some kind of clay detox to soak his hands and feet in plus other supplements to support his liver and kidneys. He started all of this in Feb. His blood work showed elevated lead levels and his symptoms were indicative of heavy metal toxicity. It is now mid June and he is feeling so much better, is sleeping through the night and no longer taking Tylenol for the muscle pain. He, at first, wanted to hurry through it and when you do that it does make you feel really bad but then you get past that and it really does work. Sorry, I have no documented proof just the fact that his symptoms have greatly subsided and he is back almost 100%.

Sherry in GA


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## Dwayne Barry (Jan 9, 2009)

keyhole said:


> For those of you that seem to think it's snake oil salesmen or just plain B.S. I hope you keep thinking that way.
> 
> Has anyone here ever heard of "Electrolisis"? You know where you put metal is a water bath and then add an electrical current and it helps draw out the oxidized impurities such as rust!!!!


Here's the problem. "Toxins" is meaningless. Name them, stop using some generic term. What are these toxic substances? Surely if a product makes a claim then they should have the evidence to support it (which of course they don't because these type of alternative medicines typically have never been tested).

That's the first step since we know generally which substances can cross the skin and which can't.

If it's at least theoretically possible for a given "toxin" to cross the skin, let's put the device to the test and measure them.

The hallmark of the vast majority of alternative medicines/techniques is avoidance of rigorous testing or ignoring negative results when tested.

When tested few of these treatments end up providing the claimed benefits. Some do but it's rare.

BTW, I've had it done and I noticed no difference in anything.


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## marvella (Oct 12, 2003)

well, finally someone came along who has actually tried them. i wasn't ever going to get an answer from all those who had never tried them but were sure they didn't work. 

once again, i'm saying i was skeptical too but became a believer afterwards.

those that have experience, what do you think about the detox foot pads sold in the pharmacy??


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## sebastes (Jan 6, 2009)

the pads are a scam!

here is what ABC and Jon Stossel found from some tests they did:



> ing Yourself of Toxins, or Money? - ABC News
> 
> The Kinoki ads' claim that we're brimming with things like heavy metals, toxins and parasites scares people. "20/20" asked NMS Labs, a national laboratory in Willow Grove, Pa., that performs toxicology testing, to analyze the used Kinoki and Avon pads from eight of our group to see what we could find on the pads.
> 
> ...


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## Jeff54321 (Jan 26, 2005)

The world is full of scams & con artists and they exist in all areas. 

This does not mean that detoxing does not work, it does. Just make certain that you are pursuing a legitimate path.


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## chickenista (Mar 24, 2007)

The clay detox and herbal detox etc.. will work to cleanse the body. The clay draws as it dires and the herbs work internally to stimulate and cleanse.
The foot stuff is a scam I am sorry to say. Perhaps you are feeling better from the reflexology type massage at the beginning.
I had a long talk with my local natural food people as they had a sign up explaing the foot pad scam and the foot bath scam.

Also.. the internal stuff they used to have that cleaned the 'ropey black stuff' from your bowels... the ropey black stuff was IN the pills you took. Blech.
Those folks got busted and busted HARD>

Save your $25 and get a foot massage or a real reflexology treatment instead.. even better.. add $10 to it and get a real all over massage. It is not just about muscles, but tendons and ligaments and circulation. It is about getting pressure and movement into parts of your body where previously there has been none. 
Drink a big glass of water before you go and one or two after to help get the little pockets of fluids etc.. that are in between your muscles and around your joints moving.


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## sebastes (Jan 6, 2009)

sorry detox is a scam. Never will you find, like with the footpads, any measurement (either quantitative or qualitative) of anything that has been eliminated from your body as a result of some 'detox' regime despite all the claims of these 'toxins' being eliminated.


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## Lizza (Nov 30, 2005)

Like Jeff and Chickenista said. Detoxing does work and should be done but there are WAY more scams probably then legitimate detoxing. I saw that internal stuff got busted Chicken, there were so many people that thought they were really eliminating parasites and things, gross. 

Detoxing internally (Vitacost has a great bentonite clay for really good prices and the fiber husks), doing 24 hour juice fasts, getting reflexology, massages, sitting in saunas, I think all really help. It's not that detoxing is the scam, just the foot pads and foot baths. Again, sorry to burst your bubble but it really is probably just because you thought it worked vrs. it actually working.


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## sebastes (Jan 6, 2009)

> =morningstar;3884295]Like Jeff and Chickenista said. Detoxing does work and should be done


could you, or anyone else, provide us with a list of toxins (qualitative) that have been found to be removed from the body as well as how much (quantitative) of those toxins were eliminated through a 'detox' regime?

This is the required data to demonstrate that 'detox' works.


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## Lizza (Nov 30, 2005)

sebastes said:


> could you, or anyone else, provide us with a list of toxins (qualitative) that have been found to be removed from the body as well as how much (quantitative) of those toxins were eliminated through a 'detox' regime?
> 
> This is the required data to demonstrate that 'detox' works.


Yes, but I don't have the book handy. Next time you are at the library check out this book, I really liked it and he goes through testing (before and after) and detoxing at the end of the book. It is called "The Hundred Year Lie" by Randall Fitzgerald.


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## sebastes (Jan 6, 2009)

morningstar said:


> Yes, but I don't have the book handy. Next time you are at the library check out this book, I really liked it and he goes through testing (before and after) and detoxing at the end of the book. It is called "The Hundred Year Lie" by Randall Fitzgerald.


I took a look at the man's website and the very first thing I saw that raised red flags was Bonnie Lovett's testimonial about how she cured herself through a change of diet. This type of claim is common with testimonials about disease cures, i.e., cancer, but everyone should question why she is not praising, and giving credit, to the two major surgeries she had to remove the tumors. Cancer is quite curable IF you can cut it all out. Radiation and chemotherapy are used to target stray cancer cells left behind in a surgery or to shrink tumors in general. Radiatioon and chemo are not necessarily needed if the cancer is completely excised and this basis is misused by many to tout their claims of 'natural ' healing. Another example of this that I can think of is Lorraine Day and her surgeries for breast cancer. IN both cases it is obvious, or at least it should be, that the surgeries removed the cancer and 'cured' them despite any change in diet or lifestyle changes.

However, that is an aside so let me address the claims of 'detox' and his before and after tests. Now not to make an argument from authority but I do know my way around chemical analysis (DW is an analytical chemist) and there is deception going on here either purposely or through ignorance.

The very first thing I noticed in both the before and after lab reports is that the lab reports contain no QA/QC (quality control and qualty assurance) samples. For this type of analysis (halogenated hydrocarbons) these samples are essential. These reports should have contained some spike and recovery data to demonstrate the the labs methodologies are reliable. To do this a sample is spiked with one or more analytes prior to extraction for analysis. This monitors the accuracy and precision of the method. Without such information any results are meaningless.

Looking at the actual reported values you need to keep in mind the detection limit and what is the limit of quantification. The detection limit means we can see a signal from the analyte but it is so close to the baseline noise that we can't quantify it. In this case the reported values are not only so close to the baseline values but there are no error bars (no replicates) of the samples to provide perspective on the variability in the analysis. The values given for both the before and after only represent that variability and that is demonstrated by the 'sudden' appearence of mirex in the after sample. That analyte did not show up as the result of 'detox' but rather as a result of working so close to the limit of detection that the variability is very high. 

The second point that needs to be made is that to demonstrate that a detox method works samples of urine and feces need to be analyzed before the regime starts and after the regime starts. This is the only way to determine if anything is actually removed. Reporting trace values of halogenated hydrocarbons (found in each and everyone of us) does not meet that level of evidence especially with no QA/QC samples for perspective.

He also claims that an observed increase in arsenic is indicative of detox from fatty tissue. This claim only shows a glaring lack of knowledge of basic chemistry and how, and why, various chemicals partition into different compartments, i.e., fatty tissue (lipophilic) or aqueous (hydrophilic) compartments. In this case arsenic compounds are polar compounds and partition into aqueous compartments not fatty tissue. Basically the claim is bogus.

I also looked at the lab's website who conducted the analysis and to tell you the truth this lab is just one of many that have sprung up as a cottage industry. This industry provides dubious and often meaningless tests to people who really have no idea of what any results might mean. Some of the tests are quite meaningless and designed only to separate people from their money.

Lastly, the Hundre Year Lie website has a little test that is supposed to test if you are 'toxic' or not. Answering no to all question still results in a determination of toxic so it matters not what answers you give you will still be declared 'toxic' a meaningless and amorphous term.

In short this provides absolutely no proof the 'detox' works and is either a clever scam to sell products or is directed by concerned but ignorant individuals who while well meaning do not understand teh very basics of toxicology and chemical analysis.

Don't allow them to fool you and don't take my word on the matter. Take a look at what consittutes correct analytical chemistry protocols and what the limit of detction (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) mean in this process. Also research why spike recovery samples are an absolute essential in these analysis and why without them the results are meaningless.


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## Jeff54321 (Jan 26, 2005)

Let me repeat, detox works. 

If you believe, insist, think, feel, or simply want it to not work that is fine too.


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## sebastes (Jan 6, 2009)

Jeff54321 said:


> Let me repeat, detox works.
> 
> If you believe, insist, think, feel, or simply want it to not work that is fine too.



Could you provide us with the data that demonstrates this works or is this a faith-based belief?


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## How Do I (Feb 11, 2008)

sebastes said:


> Could you provide us with the data that demonstrates this works or is this a faith-based belief?


Alternatively, could you provide us with the data that demonstrates this doesn't work?


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## Lizza (Nov 30, 2005)

Like Jeff, I am not here to make you believe or any such thing. I do think that these foot "detoxers" and things like the pills that actually contained the gross looking string things that people were "detoxing" sure doesn't give detoxing a good name, but again like Jeff said there are scam artists in almost every area of life. 

Fasting is the only thing that has ever actually proven to extend longevity, it is also suppose to release many of the toxins that we hold onto. I understand that our body is basically self-cleaning and takes care of itself, as LONG as we take care of it. You can't go putting tons of junk in your body, fast for one day, and call it good, that's silly. But something like "detoxing" can add to your already healthy regime. Maybe "detoxing" isn't a good term, I don't know, but I do know that doing taking good care of our body includes some sort of flushing/detoxing. 

You don't believe, then by all means, don't, again I am certainly not here to make you do anything. If you think I am silly, then again, by all means think that. If you don't want to read the entire book, then don't, keep doing whatever it is you are doing to keep healthy, it must be working for you.


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## Jeff54321 (Jan 26, 2005)

sebastes said:


> Could you provide us with the data that demonstrates this works or is this a faith-based belief?


I am not here to convince or debate. 

I simply want the original poster and any others interested to know that from my experience with detox programs they do in fact work. I have no specific experience with "foot" detox.

Jeff


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## marvella (Oct 12, 2003)

for an alternative health forum, there are sure a lot of people trying to convince me that i am wrong to think it worked.

it did.

i feel better.

i'd not mind it so bad if those telling me it doesn't work had at least tried it first.

a google search indicates that, in general, the foot bath works and the pads don't.

thanks to those who tried to answer my question. during the last treatment i asked him how to make these "feeling better" feelings last longer than a week. he gave me some excellent dietary advice, i'm drinking a lot more water and digestive issues moving well now too. he had mentioned leaky gut syndrome and it seems to fit. since the detox i can tell the next day that i made bad food choices- achy, fibro-type pains, lethargy, mentally sluggish. a day or two back on track and i feel better again, ready to hit the treadmill in the morning before heading off to work.

so as others have pointed out it can be part of an over all lifesyle and health improvement.

i'm going back for another treatment next week. $25 is a small price to pay for the overall improvement i experience. i am always interesting in saving a few bucks doing it at home for myself but in this case, i guess i'll keep paying someone else.


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## sebastes (Jan 6, 2009)

How Do I said:


> Alternatively, could you provide us with the data that demonstrates this doesn't work?



If I claimed I had a car with a new designed fuel injection system that allowed me to get 400 miles per gallon would it be up to you to prove I did not have it or would you expect me to support my claim of high gas mileage?

But you could look at biochemistry and chemistry texts/literature but perhaps the best source would be the field of toxicology and pharmacology. Those two fields deal with the absorption, metabolism, distribution, and excretion of chemical compounds from our bodies from various routes of absorption/excretion. This combined with the field of human physiology should be all you need to demonstrate that our organs, fat, blood components, ect. are not like trash cans that can be emptied periodically at will.

Here is an example of the futility of 'flushing' or 'detoxing' using DDE, a metabolite of DDT and also an insecticide on its own merit.

To understand this you need to grasp a few basic concepts. One is partitioning. Partitioning of a compound is based on the physical and chemical properties of the chemical in question. Perhaps the most frequent expression of paritioning is the use of octanol:water partition coefficients. Many years ago it was found that by placing a chemical into a 50:50 solution of water and octanol then shaking it up and allowing it to come to equilibrium you could then analyze the water portion and the octanol portion to see how the chemical partitions in the body.

In the case of DDE it has a log octanol:water (Kow) coefficient of 7. Which means that for every molecule of DDE found in the water phase there are 10,000,000 molecules found in the octanol phase. IN our bodies this means that for every molecule of DDE in our bloodstream there are 10 million molecules contained in the fat portions of our bodies. If you can remove one molecule of DDE from the blood another molecule replaces it from the fat reserves as equilibrium is reestablished. You can do the math yourself to see what percentage that represents of the entire body burden of DDE.

There is no way to substantially change the makeup of our blood (and survive that transformation) to get the blood to the consistency of a oil/solvent that DDE would partition (dissolve) into the blood for transport to the kidney or liver for excretion. 

This is the reason I asked for the data showing an increase in excretion of 'toxins' from a 'detox' regime. Without that data all you are basing an assessment of 'working' on is faith.

As I said in one of my first posts (and others as well) is that there is no data available that supports the notion that 'detox' does anything to remove any alleged, and often unnamed, 'toxins' from the body. 

It is 'your' money and your life and all I was hoping for was a discussion on the merits of 'detoxing' and what data there is to support such a notion.


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## mosepijo (Oct 21, 2008)

I also agree it works. I bought one on ebay, use it and love it. In fact, I think I will start another detox program tonight with it. Thanks, Marvella, for reminding me to put it to use again.


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## keyhole (Dec 2, 2008)

Sebastes...I noticed that you didn't mention that "radiation or chemotherapy" can also cause cancer!!!


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## sebastes (Jan 6, 2009)

keyhole said:


> Sebastes...I noticed that you didn't mention that "radiation or chemotherapy" can also cause cancer!!!



there are a lot of things I didn't mention!!!

There certainly have been instances of chemo or radiation causing cancer but it is a risk benefit analysis that drives, or should drive, the decision to undergo chemo or radiation in the first place. Putting off a treatment for cancer because your afraid of getting cancer would be a poor decision, IMO.

but what does radiation, chemo, and cancer have to do with the alleged detox regime presented in the OP?


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## keyhole (Dec 2, 2008)

Probably about as much as vehicle fuel systems!!!!


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## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

Sorry to burst anyones bubble here but Mythbusters proved the detox pads are just hype - the pads turn black when they get moist (think sweat) if you put the pads on your feet they make your feet sweat slightly and then the pad turns colors -- don't waste your money!

I'm all for alternate methods, but on this one, well lets just say PT Barnum was right


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## GoldenSeal (May 21, 2009)

I'd rather spend that money on several pounds of bentonite clay and take that twice a day. 1 tsp in 8 oz water. Much cheaper.


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