--not literally, but because that became a shorthand slang for rip-off substances, sold with great hype, that were supposed to effect medical "cures".

In the old American West, one of the numerous ingredients that were supposed to be in these "tonics" and other formulations was snake oil, hence the term. Over time it came to be used to mean any substance that purported to give relief or cure that was just an unscrupulous attempt to prey on the vulnerable and which has nothing in it that could actually help.

Well, one of us has to be a guinea pig.

Alan is looking for a part time job. He is out there right now for his second interview. If he gets it, he said the first thing he is going to do is get these patches. If the darn thing works, YOU'LL KNOW YOU'LL HEAR FROM ME,

Well, you'll hear either way.

So cross your fingers that Alan gets the job. It's only a part time job on the weekends because all his appointments are during the week.

I give the guy credit. He's turning 60 in two months and he still wants to work.

Gotta love him!!!

Mel

is still my current impression:

There is something in the patches that oxidizes in the air when mixed with sweat, changes color, and
hence fools you into thinking they are sucking out toxins.


I wonder if people who have severe neuropathy who don't sweat would have the same reaction? Why the soles of the feet? Notice the patch does not cover the whole foot?

Here are some articles to consider:
http://health.howstuffworks.com/sweat1.htm
http://www.indiadiets.com/myths/Myth...ids_toxins.htm

Because feet stink, people think that toxins are there, but in reality it is bacteria making the "smell"..
from http://health.howstuffworks.com/question514.htm

I think that those patches (very high price is a give-away sign) are playing on simple chemical facts.

What is tourmaline?
from http://www.gemstoneeducation.com/Tourmaline_2.htm So this patch contains heavy metals?

The vinegar content is important, because skin is normally acidic. In fact we have medical ointments designed to work with skin, when it is irritated or damaged... this base (which often has medications added to it) is called
Acid Mantle cream, named after the acid mantle found on healthy skin:
http://www.smartskincare.com/skinbiology/sebum.html

I don't think these patches are removing "toxins"... I would like to know WHAT toxins, wouldn't you? Has anyone analyzed these patches AFTER they turn dark?

At this point I am thinking--bunkum... expensive bunkum.

If Alan does try these ultimately, I'd be interested. To see if they worked or did anything. Nothing in them seems expensive enough to warrant that high price.

They did a story on the local news here about those foot baths that were supposed to remove toxins. It was proven to be a rip off. They did the test by using whatever it is they use in the water and just watched it turn black without anybody putting their feet in. There was a company here putting white lab coats on people and they were having these parties where you paid somewhere around 40 bucks to get the "toxins" removed.

http://kvbc.com/global/video/popup/p...geAdTag=Search Results&activePane=info&playerVersion=1&hostPageUr l=http%3A//kvbc.com/Global/SearchResults.asp%3FRecordNum%3D21%26vendor%3Dwss% 26qu%3Dfoot+baths&rnd=29585303


Here is the link to the video...Sue

And here is the link to the video about the "miracle water" amazing that people can sell this stuff with a straight face. Even more amazing that people believe a scam like these. Buyer beware...Sue

http://kvbc.com/global/video/popup/p...geAdTag=Search Results&activePane=info&playerVersion=1&hostPageUr l=http%3A//kvbc.com/Global/SearchResults.asp%3FRecordNum%3D1%26vendor%3Dwss%2 6qu%3Dfoot+baths&rnd=17026025

Hi,My Dr. keeps telling me there was no reason for my Pn other than a mutant gene.I go in with a list each time.. could it been exposure to to some chemical,could it been x-rays,could it been a drug reaction of some kind...I go CRAZY with trying to figure out the why and how,i wish it something easy as like vitamins,or lack of vitamins.It be a great comfort to me to be able to pin these disease on something.Why did this happen?What caused my body to start destroying the Peripheral nerves?Why did it progress so fast?..Every night i have this dream someday dr. will pour a dark purple liiquid into a beaker and red smoke curls upward...he will shout EUREKA...I'v found the answer to periphereral neuropathy..Other Drs. gather around and shake there heads and say..Darn,is that all it was? Why didn't we think of that!! My son tells me i need more sleep his wife a Psychiatrist saids it can't hurt or just maybe someday my dream will come true....If it sounds good and doesn't give you a rash try it Sue

Those 2 women have to be the stupidest people I have ever seen. All dressed up in white lab coats!!

Well those ionic baths are in every chinese massage place in Sydney with big posters showing the "removal of toxins". I have never tried it but have always wanted to. I have been afraid of the electric current to be honest.

The chinese massage places are peddling cure all herbs and ionic cleanse and whatever else under the sun you can imagine. Just to share something, I had gone in for a simple massage one day,and the massage guy said to me ,"what's wrong with your kidney? I replied, nothing at all! He then asked why does it hurt when I presses my back? I said," probably because I have a bad back!"

He then said," I have some ancient chinese herbs that can help you." I said," I don't buy herbs that aren't approved by my GP as I have a medical condition." He then said "you really need these herbs". I said," I don't want your damn herbs ok... so don't ask me again!"

Anything for money sometimes. It's so disgusting. Also about 2 weeks ago, my husband and I saw a man in a shopping centre with a stall selling Goji juice by the box full. He had a piece of paper that listed all the conditions that it cures. My husband approached him,and asked me if he can spend $280.00 on a box of Goji juice. I told the man, I watched a news clip of the owner of Goji juice basically being reduced to a fraudster, and laboratory studies had shown that Goji juice had almost no nutrition at all!! Then I looked at my husband and said "its all a scam"!

The man selling the Goji juice looked at me with contempt in his eyes.

Oh my, it' a scam!!!

I'm going to check out the links that you guys posted. Sounds like a lot of snakeoil salesman are still operating on poor unsuspecting people!!!

That's why I ask you guys everything first.

Maybe someday.......
---------------------------------------------
Okay, I'm back, just saw the videos with the two ladies in the white coats. I was actually embarassed for them. They looked like they were caught red handed and they didn't know what to say.
Snakeoil salesmen.....you're not gonna get my husband.

It might illustrate why I am so skeptical.

When I was a teen, I had a chemistry set (no surprise there )

My brother who is 11 yrs younger than I, was a little boy. These sets were
very common in those days, but not so much now because of safety rules we now have. There were many little
experiments in oxidation/reduction reactions.

One would take a clear liquid of an iron compound, and add a few drops of
another clear solution, like sodium thiosulfate, and bingo, get a fancy precipitate. Same for copper, and other metallic ions. Same with acetic acid.

Now, 45+yrs later, I don't remember them all. But they were MAGIC for my brother! My parents used this fascination to control his behavior..you know...if you behave..she will do the magic for you!

I think the moisture from sweat reacts with the heavy metals (the ones I bolded in the post above) and changes their state to a precipitate, which is non soluble and colored. The vinegar is in there to provide the acidic format in
case the person does not have acidic skin.

Always, *always* remember: If it sounds too good to be true - it is.

I've seen those commercials for the patches too. I so wished there was something that simple and relatively cheap that would 'fix' my PN. For good. But it doesn't work that way, sadly. I figured they had found some kind of chemical reaction to make it appear that the patches were doing what they claim they will do. If it worked that well wouldn't there be...I don't know...a major news headline story at least?

to Shiney sue-hi, I just saw this post.... I would like to compare your symptoms, age, etc. My husband has per neuropathy and has had several toe amputations. I'm new to this site so if I've screwed up replying,,, sorry! Rozzie