There are many different types of these machines.
This is an article for readers to make up the own mind on these machines.
Re: How Foot Detox Scam Works
Mark Probert
http://health-alternative.e-banshee.net/030715/724745828.html
They have an after market of selling new electrodes.
More bucks from the gullible.
Anth wrote:
Stupid machine if the electrodes are made out of metals which can be electrolysed.
That means unless they supply new electrodes with the device the machine would rendered useless over a period of time.
Surely they would make them out of carbon or platinum?
Anth wrote in message
Someone at work asked me about the foot detox process.
I looked at the websites offering this product/service.
The following is my conclusion.
I hope that this information will help other people avoid this scam.
This treatment purports to detoxify your body via a foot bath.
The scam vendors advertised these devices as aqua chi machine, bio electrical biofeedback machine, foot spa, energy spa, super detox foot bath .
They also advertise the scam as a service such as bio-detox, aqua detox, aqua spa, emerald detox, platinum detox.
The machines can run upwards of US$2500. The treatments can cost upwards of US$75.
In essence, the foot bath contains a low voltage/amperage AC to DC transformer attached to ferrous electrodes.
The process is basically electrolysis of water, a typical high school experiment, with a twist.
The brown "toxins" you see is from the rust generated by the corrosion of the iron electrodes.
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.
Hydrogen and chlorine gas is given off in this process.
The oxygen atoms from the water combine in the liquid with the salt(added to water to improve conductivity) to form hydroxyl ions.
The chlorine gas is from the chloride in the salt.
The oxygen in the hydroxyl ions stay in the solution.
Given that chlorine gas is poisonous, this process can be potentially be dangerous to your health. And the explosive hazard posed by the hydrogen is another minus.
So next time someone shows you this "miraculous" treatment, run the other way.
For those interested in the proving the fraudulent nature of the scams for yourselves, you can do the following:
You need a direct current source, some copper electrical cables, some steel wool, a plastic container, and some salt.
For DC current source you can use the brick transformer from a walkman or portable electric device.
Read the label on the brick to make sure it is DC output.
The higher the amperage and voltage output the faster the results.
I had good results with 1000mA and 5V.
Make sure the voltage output is less than 30V.
For electrodes, use dish washing steel wool.
There is a lot of surface area and it rusts easily.
Make sure the steel wool is not made from stainless steel or galvanized to prevent rusting.
Roll some steel wool into the approximate shape of a pencil.
Make two. These are the electrodes.
You can either cut off the output plug from the transformer (the easy way) or strip the ends off
some copper wires and attach them to the output plug of the transformer.
Strip off the other end of the wires (from the previous step) and attach to the electrodes.
Wrap the wire around the top of the electrodes.
Fill your container half way up with water and add salt.
Because water is not a good conductor of electricity, you need the salt to make it conductive.
The saltier the better.
Put the electrodes in the water. Make sure the wires coming from the transformer is not in the water.
They can corrode and stop the effect.
Also make sure the electrodes don't touch.
Plug in the transformer and wait about half hour.
Do the experiment in a well ventilated area.
The gases generated are chlorine and hydrogen.
Both can be dangerous.
The water will turn brown from the rust.
Because this experiment involves electricity, explosive and poisonous gases, proceed with care and at your own risk.
I take no responsibility for any problems that may result.
Further Comments by others:-
Dear Ken,
Thank you for this excellent description of what happens with the ‘Chi’- machine.
I was going to post exactly what you described.
A friend of mine bought this device and he showed it to me.
Well, when you have a Ph.D. in physics, you also have covered chemistry, electrochemistry, etc.
The dark brown color that developed stems from the corrosion of the electrodes.
What a joke. Plus you probably release all sorts of metal ions into the water, including nickel, a carcinogen, if the metal alloy that the electrodes are made of contained it.
Yes, the description is accurate and doesn’t need any additional comments!
I can’t see any health benefit that could some from this.
And you might as well buy your own power supply and precious metal electrodes.
By the way, carbon is the most ‘precious’ with regard to its electrochemical properties!
Carbon best withstands electrochemical corrosion.
Stephen.