Question:
Someone at work asked me about the foot detox process. I looked at
the websites offering this product/service. The following is my
conclusion. I hope that this information will help other people avoid
this scam.
This treatment purports to detoxify your body via a foot bath. The
scam vendors advertised these devices as aqua chi machine, bio
electrical biofeedback machine, foot spa, energy spa, super detox foot
bath . They also advertise the scam as a service such as bio-detox,
aqua detox, aqua spa, emerald detox, platinum detox. The machines can
run upwards of US$2500. The treatments can cost upwards of US$75.
In essence, the foot bath contains a low voltage/amperage AC to DC
transformer attached to ferrous electrodes.
The process is basically electrolysis of water, a typical high school
experiment, with a twist.
The brown "toxins" you see is from the rust generated by the corrosion
of the iron electrodes. The different variations in color can be
accounted by varying amount of salt added to the water and variations
in the compositions of the electrodes.
Hydrogen and chlorine gas is given off in this process. The oxygen
atoms from the water combine in the liquid with the salt(added to
water to improve conductivity) to form hydroxyl ions. The chlorine gas
is from the chloride in the salt. The oxygen in the hydroxyl ions stay
in the solution.
Given that chlorine gas is poisonous, this process can be potentially
be dangerous to your health. And the explosive hazard posed by the
hydrogen is another minus.
So next time someone shows you this "miraculous" treatment, run the
other way.
For those interested in the proving the fraudulent nature of the scams
for yourselves, you can do the following:
You need a direct current source, some copper electrical cables, some
steel wool, a plastic container, and some salt.
For DC current source you can use the brick transformer from a walkman
or portable electric device. Read the label on the brick to make sure
it is DC output. The higher the amperage and voltage output the
faster the results. I had good results with 1000mA and 5V. Make sure
the voltage output is less than 30V.
For electrodes, use dish washing steel wool. There is a lot of surface
area and it rusts easily. Make sure the steel wool is not made from
stainless steel or galvanized to prevent rusting.
Roll some steel wool into the approximate shape of a pencil. Make
two. These are the electrodes.
You can either cut off the output plug from the transformer (the easy
way) or strip the ends off some copper wires and attach them to the
output plug of the transformer.
Strip off the other end of the wires (from the previous step) and
attach to the electrodes. Wrap the wire around the top of the
electrodes.
Fill your container half way up with water and add salt. Because
water is not a good conductor of electricity, you need the salt to
make it conductive. The saltier the better.
Put the electrodes in the water. Make sure the wires coming from the
transformer is not in the water. They can corrode and stop the
effect. Also make sure the electrodes don't touch.
Plug in the transformer and wait about half hour. Do the experiment
in a well ventilated area. The gases generated are chlorine and
hydrogen. Both can be dangerous.
The water will turn brown from the rust.
Because this experiment involves electricity, explosive and poisonous
gases, proceed with care and at your own risk. I take no
responsibility for any problems that may result.
Answer:
I agree...
Anyone who asks that much of money is a scam...
My hubby, a pipe welder, tested high positive for an array of heavy metals.
After 6 months of doing the Bio-Cleanse footbaths, and continuing to weld,
he tested low positive for heavy metals. The only thing he did different was
the Bio-Cleanse. Go figure.
