Aqua Detox
Encyclopedia
Aqua Detox is an alternative medicine treatment
promoted as a form of detoxification
. Aqua Detox involves soaking an individual's feet in a salt water
bath through which an electrical current is passed. The water turns brown as current is applied; the device is typically promoted with the claim that the brown discoloration represents "toxins" extracted from the body. The device is marketed under a wide variety of names.
Aqua Detox has been described as a scam by a number of reviewers. Ben Goldacre
found that the brown discoloration resulting from Aqua Detox treatment was simply rust
produced by the metal electrodes, rather than any sort of toxin removed from the body. As a result of Goldacre's report, some marketers have admitted that the discoloration is simply rust rather than toxins, and altered their sales pitches to emphasize Aqua Detox's effect on "energy balance". Stephen Barrett
of Quackwatch
described Aqua Detox devices as "medically worthless" and a scam lacking any scientific basis. Aqua Detox machines have been the subject of false advertising
complaints based on testimonial
s suggesting it had cured brain tumor
s, hypertension
, and hammer toe
s; such claims were withdrawn by the advertiser.
s, that "resonate through the body and stimulates the cells within it", claiming that this 'rebalances' cellular energy, allowing efficient performance and excretion of toxin
s that have accumulated within the tissues and that 20 – 35 minutes of usage every second or third day causes toxins from throughout the body to be excreted from the 2000 pores of the feet The manufacturer currently lacks evidence to demonstrate any detoxifying effect, but claims it is conducting a clinical trial to establish proof.
adjudication for April 6, 2005, specifically challenging the use of user testimonials which implied efficacy in serious disease, and challenges to the general efficacy of the device; both complaints were upheld, with the advertiser not addressing the efficacy of the device but promising to remove the misleading testimonials from their advertisements.
The marketer Miracle Beauty claims that the color of the bath indicates which areas have allegedly been cleansed of toxins: black for liver, orange for joints, green for gall bladder. Aqua detox machines have iron electrodes that corrode to generate rust and tint the water brown when used to electrolyze saline in the footbath. 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. An experiment with salt water and a car battery showed that the water will change color regardless, whether there are feet in the water or not, and that the composition of the analysed water was the same in both cases. This suggests that the change in color is nothing more than electrolysis
, or rusting of the electrodes in the case of iron, and this is being used by the manufacturers to mislead the consumers.
Aqua Detox has not been evaluated by the US Food and Drug Administration, and marketing materials related to the product carry a disclaimer to the effect that "it is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease."
Alternative medicine
Alternative medicine is any healing practice, "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine." It is based on historical or cultural traditions, rather than on scientific evidence....
promoted as a form of detoxification
Body cleansing
Detoxification is an alternative medicine approach that proponents claim rids the body of "toxins", accumulated harmful substances that are alleged to exert undesirable effects on individual health...
. Aqua Detox involves soaking an individual's feet in a salt water
Saline water
Saline water is a general term for water that contains a significant concentration of dissolved salts . The concentration is usually expressed in parts per million of salt....
bath through which an electrical current is passed. The water turns brown as current is applied; the device is typically promoted with the claim that the brown discoloration represents "toxins" extracted from the body. The device is marketed under a wide variety of names.
Aqua Detox has been described as a scam by a number of reviewers. Ben Goldacre
Ben Goldacre
Ben Michael Goldacre born 1974 is a British science writer, doctor and psychiatrist. He is the author of The Guardian newspaper's weekly Bad Science column and a book of the same title, published by Fourth Estate in September 2008....
found that the brown discoloration resulting from Aqua Detox treatment was simply rust
Rust
Rust is a general term for a series of iron oxides. In colloquial usage, the term is applied to red oxides, formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the presence of water or air moisture...
produced by the metal electrodes, rather than any sort of toxin removed from the body. As a result of Goldacre's report, some marketers have admitted that the discoloration is simply rust rather than toxins, and altered their sales pitches to emphasize Aqua Detox's effect on "energy balance". Stephen Barrett
Stephen Barrett
Stephen Joel Barrett is a retired American psychiatrist, author, co-founder of the National Council Against Health Fraud , and the webmaster of Quackwatch. He runs a number of websites dealing with quackery and health fraud. He focuses on consumer protection, medical ethics, and scientific...
of Quackwatch
Quackwatch
Quackwatch is an American non-profit organization founded by Stephen Barrett with the stated aim being to "combat health-related frauds, myths, fads, fallacies, and misconduct" and with a primary focus on providing "quackery-related information that is difficult or impossible to get elsewhere."...
described Aqua Detox devices as "medically worthless" and a scam lacking any scientific basis. Aqua Detox machines have been the subject of false advertising
False advertising
False advertising or deceptive advertising is the use of false or misleading statements in advertising. As advertising has the potential to persuade people into commercial transactions that they might otherwise avoid, many governments around the world use regulations to control false, deceptive or...
complaints based on testimonial
Testimonial
In promotion and of advertising, a testimonial or show consists of a written or spoken statement, sometimes from a person figure, sometimes from a private citizen, extolling the virtue of some product. The term "testimonial" most commonly applies to the sales-pitches attributed to ordinary...
s suggesting it had cured brain tumor
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
s, hypertension
Hypertension
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a cardiac chronic medical condition in which the systemic arterial blood pressure is elevated. What that means is that the heart is having to work harder than it should to pump the blood around the body. Blood pressure involves two measurements, systolic and...
, and hammer toe
Hammer toe
A hammer toe or contracted toe is a deformity of the proximal interphalangeal joint of the second, third, or fourth toe causing it to be permanently bent, resembling a hammer...
s; such claims were withdrawn by the advertiser.
Manufacturer claims
According to its manufacturer, the Aqua Detox system produces positive and negative ionIon
An ion is an atom or molecule in which the total number of electrons is not equal to the total number of protons, giving it a net positive or negative electrical charge. The name was given by physicist Michael Faraday for the substances that allow a current to pass between electrodes in a...
s, that "resonate through the body and stimulates the cells within it", claiming that this 'rebalances' cellular energy, allowing efficient performance and excretion of toxin
Toxin
A toxin is a poisonous substance produced within living cells or organisms; man-made substances created by artificial processes are thus excluded...
s that have accumulated within the tissues and that 20 – 35 minutes of usage every second or third day causes toxins from throughout the body to be excreted from the 2000 pores of the feet The manufacturer currently lacks evidence to demonstrate any detoxifying effect, but claims it is conducting a clinical trial to establish proof.
Criticisms
Although the manufacturer does not make direct claims for Aqua Detox in the treatment or cure of disease, the Aqua Detox International was the subject of a British Advertising Standards AuthorityAdvertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom)
The Advertising Standards Authority is the self-regulatory organisation of the advertising industry in the United Kingdom. The ASA is a non-statutory organisation and so cannot interpret or enforce legislation. However, its code of advertising practice broadly reflects legislation in many instances...
adjudication for April 6, 2005, specifically challenging the use of user testimonials which implied efficacy in serious disease, and challenges to the general efficacy of the device; both complaints were upheld, with the advertiser not addressing the efficacy of the device but promising to remove the misleading testimonials from their advertisements.
Electrolysis
In chemistry and manufacturing, electrolysis is a method of using a direct electric current to drive an otherwise non-spontaneous chemical reaction...
, or rusting of the electrodes in the case of iron, and this is being used by the manufacturers to mislead the consumers.
Aqua Detox has not been evaluated by the US Food and Drug Administration, and marketing materials related to the product carry a disclaimer to the effect that "it is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease."