Are There Health Benefits of Detoxifying Foot Pads?

Medically Reviewed by Shruthi N, MD on June 12, 2024
Written by Stephanie Booth
8 min read

Detox foot pads are over-the-counter products that claim to help flush toxins from your body. You stick these rectangular pads to the soles of your feet at bedtime. When you wake up, you see the pad has become darker or changed color. This is supposed to signal heavy metals, chemicals, and other toxins that have been drawn out.

But there's no scientific evidence that detox foot pads work, or even that they're safe. The Federal Trade Commission has charged at least one manufacturer millions of dollars for making false health claims.

Although detox foot pads are dubious, you do have toxins inside your body. Everyone does, no matter how healthy their lifestyle is. There are two different types of toxins:

Endotoxins are waste products that your body naturally makes. Lactic acid is one example. It's created when your body transforms carbohydrates that you eat into fuel.

Exotoxins are toxins from the world around you. Smog in the air, chemicals in the foods you eat, and lead in drinking water are just a few examples of exotoxins.

It can feel unsettling to think about all the toxins you probably come into contact with daily. But your body has its own natural detoxing process. Your liver, the largest organ in your body, is a powerful filter. It converts toxins into waste that leaves your body when you pee and poop.

Among your liver's many important functions are:

  • Cleaning bacteria from your blood
  • Breaking down harmful substances you ingest, including alcohol and drugs
  • Storing vitamins and minerals
  • Making bile, a fluid that helps you digest fats and flush out waste
  • Removing extra glucose (sugar) from your bloodstream and storing it for later use

Improve liver function

Many products on the market — including detox foot pads — claim to remove toxin buildup in your body. This may sound like an easy solution, especially if you just had a weekend of eating rich foods and drinking heavy amounts of alcohol. But you don't need to cleanse your liver.

An easy way to protect this natural filtration system is not to overdo sugary drinks, fatty or fried food, as well as alcohol. These are harder for your liver to process. And the less it has to break down, the more efficiently it can work.

Overdoing these types of foods and drinks can also turn into a special type of fat in your liver. Once it's there, it doesn't go away and can damage your liver over time.

Foods that help take care of your liver include fruits and vegetables, whole grains (such as whole-grain bread and brown rice), and lean proteins such as chicken or fish.

Understanding detox products

Over-the-counter supplements that claim to detox your body are not approved by the FDA. This means that they haven’t undergone testing or clinical trials to prove or disprove results. Even if you feel better after taking a type of supplement, that doesn’t mean you’ve successfully removed harmful toxins from your body.

Foot detox pads claim to have special ingredients, such as tourmaline crystals, that can emit electromagnetic waves. These are supposed to draw out impurities from your body. After leaving the sticky pads on overnight, you'll probably notice that they change color.

So why do detoxifying foot pads turn black if they aren't from toxins? It's actually a chemical reaction. The pads contain wood vinegar, which darkens when it comes into contact with sweat from your feet.

Some manufacturers claim that foot pads can:

  • Lower your blood pressure
  • Ease headaches
  • Reduce cellulite
  • Ease symptoms of depression
  • Improve your life with diabetes
  • Help you sleep better
  • Increase weight loss 
  • Get rid of parasites
  • Boost your immune system

If that sounds too good to be true, it's because it is. While foot pads are probably not harmful, they also won’t give you the dramatic results you may be looking for.

Ban on detoxifying foot pads

The Federal Trade Commission issued a ban on a foot pad brand for deceptive marketing practices. The company falsely promoted its foot pads as scientifically proven treatments for many different health conditions. The lawsuit ended with the company owing its entire revenue of $14.5 million in a settlement.

The truth is that there are signs of a sluggish liver. If your liver is not working as well as it should be, you could notice:

Yellowing of your skin or eyes. This happens when your liver stops processing bilirubin, a yellow substance in your blood that's made from breaking down old red blood cells. Yellowed skin, also called jaundice, may be harder to notice if you have dark skin.

Upper belly pain. This can be an early sign of liver disease, and it's easy to miss. Often, people who have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease feel pain on the right side of their stomach.

Bloating. Your liver can swell when it's not doing well. Your doctor will probably be able to feel your enlarged liver during a routine physical exam.

Swollen legs and ankles. Besides these areas of excess fluid, you could notice thin, spiderlike blood vessels just under your skin.

Itchy skin. A poorly functioning liver may make you want to scratch due to reasons such as a buildup of bile salts under your skin or higher-than-normal histamine levels. (Histamines are chemicals that cause allergy symptoms.)

Darker pee than normal. Bile can turn your pee the color of maple syrup. Orange-colored pee can also be a sign that something's up with your liver.

Pale stool. Bile salts are what make your poop naturally brown. If it's clay-colored, your liver isn't making enough bile or it's not being released in your body like it should be.

Feeling sick to your stomach. An upset stomach and not wanting to eat can be early signs of liver disease. These symptoms happen because not all toxins are being filtered out by your liver before they reach your gastrointestinal tract.

Feeling tired all the time. This could happen because symptoms such as itchy skin and fluid in your belly are keeping you up at night. Or because you're not eating enough to keep up your strength.

Bruising easily. Your liver may not be making enough of a certain protein that's needed to clot your blood.

Keep in mind that if you do have liver disease, a product such as detoxifying foot pads won't improve or cure your condition.

To help your liver do its job well, try to:

Drink plenty of water. One of the best ways to boost your body’s natural detoxification is to stay hydrated. Water helps in many ways, one of which is to get rid of waste in your body through sweat, pee, and poop. When you don’t get enough water, your body isn’t working at its prime.

Aim to eat more healthy foods. Some nutrient-rich foods that have been found to be good for your liver include berries, leafy green vegetables, olive oil, and healthy lean proteins such as nuts, tofu, and chicken. Studies also show that drinking black coffee could help improve your liver function.

Get regular exercise. Physical activity increases blood flow to your liver, reducing inflammation. Find a type of exercise you enjoy — it will help you do it more often. If you haven't worked out in a while, check with your doctor to find out which types could be a good fit for you.

Watch your alcohol intake. Drinking can damage your liver, so save it for a special occasion, or try not to drink at all.

Try to get to or stay at a healthy weight. Extra pounds put you at risk for a fatty liver or more severe liver disease. If you need help getting motivated or changing your lifestyle, talk with your doctor.

Protect yourself from hepatitis. When your liver becomes inflamed, you have a condition called hepatitis. This can happen for several different reasons. One is that you've been exposed to more toxins than your liver can break down at once. For instance, if you:

  • Are exposed to industrial chemicals
  • Take large doses of herbs, supplements, or over-the-counter drugs
  • Take some types of prescription medications, including antibiotics and cholesterol-lowering drugs
  • Use some types of drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy (MDMA, molly)

Toxic hepatitis can be short-term and often gets better when you're no longer exposed to the toxin. But sometimes, it can cause long-term damage to your liver cells, especially when you don't notice any symptoms and don't make changes to adjust your lifestyle. Chronic (ongoing) hepatitis can lead to more severe issues.

Your liver can also stop working the way it should if you catch a hepatitis virus. There are several types, including:

  • Hepatitis A, which you get through spoiled food or contaminated water
  • Hepatitis B, which is spread through body fluids including blood
  • Hepatitis C, which is only spread through the blood of an infected person

You can protect yourself from toxic and viral hepatitis by:

Taking medications only as prescribed. If you use over-the-counter medications, ask your doctor how often you can safely take them.

Treating any substance use disorders

Practicing safe sex

Getting vaccinated. Before you travel overseas, check with your doctor. They may suggest you get shots that will protect you against Hepatitis A and B, as well as other diseases, such as malaria, that can damage your liver.

Getting screened for hepatitis C. Half of all people infected with hepatitis C don't know they have it. If you have any of these risk factors, ask your doctor for a screening:

  • You had a blood transfusion before 1992
  • You have HIV
  • You get dialysis
  • You inject street drugs or have done so in the past
  • You've come into contact with contaminated blood (for instance, been stuck with needles from someone who may have hepatitis C)
  • You've had a tattoo in an unsafe setting

Remember that most people don’t need to detox. Before you decide to try any detoxing product, talk to your doctor. They may be able to address your underlying worries or treat symptoms that you're having.

Safety concerns. Detoxifying foot pads may not be harmful, but other types of detoxes can be. For instance, some oral detoxes such as pills or tea cause diarrhea. You may think you’re ridding your body of toxins, but in reality, you may only be losing nutrients and water.

Supplements may cause harm. Some supplements may actually harm your liver instead of healing it. Since herbs and other supplements aren’t FDA-approved, it's crucial to talk to your doctor before taking anything new. For example, activated charcoal is sometimes used to absorb ingested poison, but it can also interfere with medication.

There's no proof that any type of detoxifying foot pads do what they claim. Your body has a natural detox system that works well if you stay healthy — for instance, drinking plenty of water, watching your weight, and paying attention to the foods you eat. If you notice any early signs of liver disease or have questions about toxins you've been exposed to, see your doctor.