You're right to be skeptical.

The "detoxification" idea is a big seller for makers of various supplements and devices. What they don't have is any valid clinical evidence that these products do more than eliminate "toxic" cash from your wallet.

Additional keys to the uselessness of this particular foot pad product include the laundry list of problems it supposedly solves ("microscopic parasites", radiation, cellulite etc.), the exotic-sounding Eastern name ("Kinoki") and the use of testimonials. I'd also bet that if you put any kind of clean white cloth pad on your feet overnight it would accumulate dirt, sweat and sebum from the skin that would discolor the pad and simulate "toxins" (a similar dodge has been used to sell "detoxifying" foot baths).

The likelihood that you'll ever see the company post any relevant research under "Clinicals" is zero.

One interesting thing about the promotion is that they claim to use "bamboo vinegar" in the pad. Guess the usual super-duper cures-all apple cider vinegar wasn't special enough. ;)

When I tried to go to the Kinoki website, www.kinoki.com, I get a different website selling another detox foot patch for a lot less. What happened to Kinoki?

Here is a link that might be useful: Kinoki.com

Hmmmmm...the link I provided still works for me.

it seems the link you provided is selling some of those knockoff SPAM patches that the Kinoki site warns about

I checked out http://www.kinoki.com again and they claim that Kinoki is a scam. Interesting.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kinoki Revealed

It sounds like the foot pad "detox" companies are getting into an advertising war.

The "Detoxion" claims are as ludicrous and poorly documented as what the Kinoki sellers allege. Detoxion says its product "may" promote various kinds of wondrous health benefits, then includes this disclaimer:

"The claims made on this website are based on manufacturer documentation believed to be reliable. Holistec makes no claim that there is a scientific consensus regarding these products. The statements on this site have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease."

Bottom line is that what both companies are telling us is bunk.

First of all, I am skeptical, but my initial experience has got me very intrigued:

About ten years ago I came across some information about chi in the body and how it circulates. One very interesting part of this is how your negative energy leaves thru the sole of your feet and specifically where it is concentrated, just behind the balls of your feet, dead center. Knowing this info, when the commercial came on , I was very intrigued. The money was worth the experiment to me so I bought them. I wore them last night and although I feel the same, I was intrigued to see that the darkest, thickest concentration was exactly where the negative energy leaves the body. Furthermore, this is the one spot that would have the least amount of pressure against the foot (on the edges near the tape has the most pressure - also because I did walk a few times to the restroom). The most soiled area is across the arch of the foot right up to the sole, behind the balls of my feet where it is darkest. If you know anything about chi, you will immediately recognize this as significant.

With that said, I personally would prefer to see some clinicals on this. If it does work, it would benefit the company as well as people like us who are skeptical. But my preliminary observation is interesting to say the least.

Don't order directly from the "kinoki" website...or from "kinoki" t.v. commercial...
YOU WILL NEVER RECEIVE YOUR ORDER!!!!
however they will be more than happy to take your money...
The story they will tell you at customer service(if you ever get through)
"they're on back order", "3 to 5 more days", "5 to 7 more days"....
always an excuse! the company says they will ship the product to you every 30 days...Bull!!!!! they do not live up to that statement.
Do the pads work?....hmmmm....geeee...I really don't know? I NEVER HAVE RECIEVED THEM!

I have bought these pads because I had seen them on TV. I had absolutely no problem finding the website from the search engine (I had forgotten to write down the information from the TV ad). I had no problem ordering from the company, and my order came right on schedule... no backorders, no disappointment of any kind. The product is also doing exactly what it claimed to do. I have had foot detox baths before, which is why I was interested in trying these pads in the first place. The pads are MUCH less expensive. I was skeptical the first time I tried the foot detox bath, but believe me it worked. I could literally see the water change, and in a different way each time. I felt much better a day or so afterward... not the kind of instant 'high' that one might get from popping a pill, but a less sluggish, generally all-over better feeling. I did not imagine this... was not actually thinking about it or expecting it. I just realized a few days later that I didn't feel like napping, and was getting more things done than normal, and I realized that was the only reason. It happened every time I detoxed... and I'm getting almost the same results with the detox pads, although I just started using them a couple of nights ago. The stuff that draws out of your feet can NOT be done with a wet cloth or anything else mentioned in the other posts. No matter if you like the idea of these or not, they definitely remove some kind of matter from you that nothing else does.

John Stossel investigated the foot pads for 20/20:

"First, he did the obvious and sent used Kinoki pads out for chemical testing. The results? None of the toxins claimed in the commercial to have been detected were found:

'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.
The lab tested for a lot of things, including heavy metals like arsenic and mercury and 23 solvents, including benzene, tolulene and styrene and found none of these on the used pads.'

"I feel like it's a scam," said Sweeney. "It's just the moisture in your feet that are darkening the pad."'...

Stossel then did another obvious test:

'There's no evidence that it's toxins. When I dropped distilled water on the pad, it turns dark in seconds.'"

More on the competing, nonsensical claims of the foot pad manufacturers here.

>> "Furthermore, this is the one spot that would have the least amount of pressure against the foot (on the edges near the tape has the most pressure - also because I did walk a few times to the restroom). The most soiled area is across the arch of the foot right up to the sole, behind the balls of my feet where it is darkest. If you know anything about chi, you will immediately recognize this as significant."

The areas of the foot that make most contact when walking are usually covered in thick calluses, and there is likely to be much less sweat (water, salt, oils) there. So it would not be surprising to see more discoloration there.

I just got my first shipment of kinoki foot pads monday, used them monday night and tuesday night, the 'results' the pad came off not with dark brown residue but dark/thick/creamy looking grey residue....a lot of it....now ive had to have my feet wrapped in the past due to various injuries and none of those wrappings [gauze or ace bandages] ever came off with any kind or residue other than sweat...i do feel more alert in the morning, and like i had a great nights rest, and my urge to snack on bad carbs is down slightly, and i do have an overall feeling of 'feeling better in general, i heard the 'hoax story' from a coworker yesterday but i have always been a person to see whats what on my own and make up my own opinion, so right now i consider this testing phase and lets wait and see if and what comes of it...

I have started seeing these sold at Rite Aid pharmacies in our area. They have a little section for "As seen on TV." You don't get the "..call now and get a 2nd set FREE" offer but at least you have a receipt in case you need to bring them back. I have been very curious to try them myself.

Don't hurt to try these products if you want. just be a sceptical enquirer.

The only crooks worse than the seen only on tvers is the FDA in the last 8 years since they've lost so many employees and been told what to say and not say by the White House.

I tried them for the first time a few weeks ago. I slept great, and woke up early feeling energized... Totally not me.

Being unsure whether or not I was imposing the feelings on myself, since I had read all the "claims", I used my husband as a guinea pig the other night. Not knowing anything about the pads, or the claims they make, He also woke up feeling great and very rested.
I think they work.

Try putting a little distilled water on a pad. It will turn brown.!! There is a powder in the pad that will turn it brown when wet.!!! It is a joke, a scam. Save your money.!!

Wood vinegar on the pad turns it brown.

The foot bath runs electrolysis with iron electrodes dumping Fe2O3 into the water, try running them with out your feet and you will see how well they detoxify when there are no toxins around; answer, exactly just as well.

That's a new wrinkle - combining "detoxification", acupuncture and reflexology!

Just when I think it can't get any nuttier, there are statements like these:

"Our Detox foot pads emit far infrared rays and healthful negative ions...Our pads are contained in Mylar bags to protect the ingredients from harmful radiation."

Hmm...Mylar bags to keep radiation away from the pads, which then send "far infrared rays" into your feet.

Next they'll be suggesting that customers wrap their feet in Mylar while using the pads (that'll go along with the traditional tinfoil hat :)

After much deliberation I decided to try this product. I put them on for one night and the next morning was very surprised at the outcome. I am a person who in the past several years has become a heavy sweater while I sleep. It doesn't matter what the tempreture is I sweat. Also during the past six days or so I have been suffering from a bit of a cold. I have been waking up not able to breath and my sinuses have been completely clogged. Well, after just one night of trying the foot pads, I woke up with my head a little clearer and for the first time in a long time I didn't have night sweats. My wife was very insistant on pulling them off of my feet to see what they looked like and as skeptical as she can be she was very surprised at the out come. For some reason only known to her she decided to see what they smelled like. Her statement was that they smelled like smoked meat. I found this very interesting, because if you travel abroad to most orientel countries the residense of those countries will tell you that Americans smell like cows. This is due to the fact that we as a nation consume so much more beef than any other on the planet.
Making the connection? These pads may not be drawing out all the things that they claim to, but they are deffinately pulling something out of the body.

The pads pull some skin off of the bottom of your feet and collect sweat that comes out of your feet, they may even induce a little more just like wrapping your self in saran wrap will induce more sweating. After a week of having a cold would you be surprised to wake up with your head a little clearer? As I understand it that is the normal course of action for the cold, so there is no earthly reason to ascribe that at all to the foot pad.

"I am a person who in the past several years has become a heavy sweater while I sleep. "

This sounds like a yarn to me.

Please note that nearly all the people (except one) on this thread who had positive things to say about the pads signed up as members near or on the date of posting.

Also please note that all those same people made only this posting and no others. Scam.

these KInoki really work, I bought to boxes 4 yrs ago and follow the directions. I work a job that kept me on my feet all day and we had to do mandatory overtime at this job I was jumping in and out of my bus all day in any kind of weather was not getting proper rest my feet became torn up I could barley walk any more and my feet constancly hurt. THESE KINOKI DETOX FOOT PADS SAVE MY LIFE.I first bought these pads in 2007 it is now 2011 I have more toxins in my body again and I am looking for these boxes.This Kinoki works with your whole body people love to disprove anything well something was wrong with my feet and I will always buy this product when I can find it in Denver and looking for Kinoki it work it work it work.

It may be difficult to find this particular product, seeing as the company was found by the Federal Trade Commission to have made false claims and was ordered last year to stop selling it:

"At the request of the Federal Trade Commission, a federal judge has banned marketers of Kinoki "Detox" Foot Pads that would purportedly remove toxins from the body through a person's feet from selling a wide variety of products. The FTC charged that the marketers falsely claimed the pads could treat numerous illnesses and medical conditions. In a settlement announced today, the judge banned the marketers from promoting or selling any dietary supplement, food, drug, or medical device, and from assisting others in doing the same... The defendants Yehuda Levin and his company, Xacta 3000, Inc. sold a two-week supply of Kinoki Foot Pads for $19.95, plus $9.95 for shipping and handling.

The defendants falsely claimed to have scientific proof that the foot pads removed toxic materials from the body, according to the FTC complaint. The defendants also advertised that when applied to the soles of consumers feet at night, the food pads could remove toxins, metabolic wastes, heavy metals, and chemicals from the body; treat headaches, depression, parasites, fatigue, insomnia, diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure, cellulite, and a weakened immune system; and cause weight loss...The defendants agreed to a judgment of $14.5 million, which represents the total revenues from the sale of Kinoki Foot Pads. The entire judgment is suspended based on the defendants inability to pay, but will become due if they are found to have misrepresented their financial condition."

Never fear - there are still companies out there promoting similar foot pad quackery. The supply of gullible consumers is apparently endless.

Here is a link that might be useful: FTC cracks down on toxic quackery