Yes, it’s that time of the year again. January seems to have become the official detox month over the past few years. As each January rolls around there seems to be new detox products on the market. I normally scoff loudly and laugh in the face of detox products because I believe that drinking a bit of extra water and getting an extra hour of sleep at night can go a long way to helping your body get over the excesses of Christmas. But this year it’s different, my sister has introduced me to a detox product that I haven’t scoffed at and that has actually intrigued me. In the run up to my sister’s wedding (I believe we are roughly at T-10 ½ weeks), there has been a bit of a ramp up in her beauty regime. She mentioned last week that she had read an article in one of the newspaper supplements about detoxing foot pads and then a couple of days later she arrived home with a box of detoxing foot pads. So what is the story with these special foot pads that claim to detox your body as you sleep?According to the blurb on the Toxic Twins website ‘For thousands of years, Eastern medics have held the view that toxins go downwards in the body during the day and accumulate from the tips of the toes to the ankles. The Chinese believe our feet are reflective of the rest of our organs; hence they’re the focus of treatments such as reflexology and acupuncture. For example, according to Chinese medical knowledge, more than 60 acupuncture points are found on the sole of the foot alone.’The foot pads contain the following natural ingredients: Agarikus mushroom, Eucalyptus Tree Vine, Bamboo Vinegar, Tourmaline Bio Stone (FIR + Minus Ions), Chitosan, Caururus Chinensis Baill, Houttuynia Cordata, Oak Vinegar and natural starch. These dehydrated tree saps sterilize, detoxify, absorb and infiltrate. This is the foundation of their ability to assist reduce your body’s toxicity and so assist in disease prevention. The product is easy to use with just four simple steps to follow –
Step 1: Remove the sachet from the plastic and remove the backing from the adhesive pad
Step 2: Place the sachet sliver side down on the adhesive pad
Step 3: Stick to the soles of your feet (have a good night's sleep)
Step 4: Remove in the morning and clean your feet

Apparently there are no side affects to these detoxing foot pads. The list of their benefits is amazing – they are ‘great for relieving localised pain, relaxing muscles, as well as improving sleep and generally making you feel more energetic.’ The pads help the body achieve its optimum state of wellness (homeostasis), by supporting improved blood circulation, enhancing your metabolism and immune system and by activating red blood cells. If your body is overloaded from toxins then you may be suffering from some of the following complaints:
• Fatigue
• Bloating
• Constipation
• Poor digestion
• Weight gain
• Poor concentration
• Headaches
• Poor skin
• Body odour
• Bad breath
• Poor memory
The list goes on but it seems that toxins are definitely not good for the old body! If the detoxing foot pads work then they should have changed colour when you peel them off in the morning.

Being a good sister (not to mention being filled with overwhelming curiosity) I agreed to try the foot pads on the same night as my sister so that we could compare results in the morning. I duly followed the four simple steps as outlined in the instructions and went off to bed happy in the knowledge that I would be detoxing my body as I slept peacefully. In the morning I peeled off the foot pads and found that they had changed colour. Parts of the pads had changed to an awful sludge green colour which I’m assuming represents the toxins that have been removed from my body. My sister finished off the rest of the box of foot pads and then bought another one so I think she was fairly impressed with the results. I’m planning on buying a box and giving it a go for five nights to see if I can rid my body of the many toxics that seem to reside in my feet!