As U.S. interest in the use of foot detox patches begins to grow, many individuals, companies, and web-based store fronts are beginning to market detox foot patches. While most patch distributors are honest and ethical, some sites present dubious or outright incorrect claims and information.

Here are some TIPS for choosing a good detox patch. First, let us examine some marketing gimmicks that some companies use:

1. BEWARE OF SITES THAT CLAIM THAT PATCHES FROM CERTAIN COUNTRIES MAKE BETTER PATCHES. Not true. The country of origin doesn't matter so much as a) the quality of the tree vinegar used and a rigorous distillation process, b) the purity, choice of, and ratios of the ingredients, c) the quality of the patch materials, including the adhesive, and d) the overall integrity of the manufacturing process. You will find superior patches are manufactured in many countries. Currently, patches are manufactured in China, Malaysia, Singapore, Korea, Japan and other countries, and each country will have manufacturers of varying integrity and quality.

2. BEWARE OF SITES THAT CLAIM THAT ONE TYPE OF VINEGAR POWDER IS BETTER THAN OTHERS. Not true. Various wood vinegar powders, including oak, bamboo, eucalyptus, and cypress are utilized for their drawing abilities. It is not so much the type of wood vinegar, as the quality and purity of the tree sap and the distillation process.

3. BEWARE OF COMPANIES THAT ADD SUPPLEMENTS, VITAMINS, FRAGRANCES, OR FRUIT ESSENCES INTO THEIR PATCHES. There is no evidence to prove that these extra materials actually make a difference in the detoxing ability of the patch. You may end up paying good money for fillers that only serve a marketing function, but offer no real physiological benefit. Since the detox patch is comprised of dried ingredients that do not have direct contact with your foot tissue, there is little likelihood of patch ingredients being absorbed into your body and migrating into targeted organs, with uptake into certain body processes. Sure, some absorption may take place into local foot tissue in contact with the patch. But remember, foot skin is some of the toughest skin on your body, with low permeability rate. So, basically, the jury is still out on whether added cosmetic ingredients make any difference. You will probably get more benefit by taking some of these supplements and fruits in liquid or pill or food form.

4. BEWARE OF TOO HIGH A DEXTRIN OR STARCH CONTENT. One patch on the market is composed of 60% starch! That means 60% of your purchase price is being spent on an inactive filler. Dextrin can be a useful ingredient to absorb the drawn off sweat but only small amounts of dextrin are needed. Check the ingredient list to make sure your active ingredients are your largest percentage ingredients.

5. BEWARE OF PATCHES WITH A HIGH TOURMALINE CONTENT. Tourmaline is an important ingredient. Through its far infra red radiation, the tourmaline helps warm the foot so the sweat pores open and the vinegar can then draw out the impurities, but the question is: how much tourmaline does a patch really need? 10-20% seems an adequate amount to warm the foot, and get the blood flowing so that the sweat pores are coaxed open. In addition, large amounts of tourmaline may have your patch turning hard and lumpy in a short amount of time (as the lymph fluid and stone powder mix). So, check the percentage to see how much is added into a particular patch.

6. BEWARE OF A PRICE OFFER THAT LOOKS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT PROBABLY IS. Remember the adage, you get what you pay for. If you find someone selling below the competitive range for detox patches, you may be looking at an undercutter looking to make a quick sale or unload lesser grade product. What is lesser grade product? Patches with low grade, poorly distilled vinegar powders (you can smell a strong, rancid aroma); patches with inferior ingredients or patches that are loaded with fillers, including too much starch; patches with poor adhesive quality; or patches that simply have been sitting on shelves too long.

I recently spoke with a gentleman who thought he would cut corners and save some money by buying a cheaper detox patch. Well, his low cost patches arrived in the mail, and he used them on his feet that night. In the morning when he went to pull them off, he found that the patches were stuck on his feet and he could not pull them off by himself. He had to call his wife to help him yank the patches off his feet. He quickly went back to the higher grade patches he had been using.

Here are some quick tests to determine overall patch quality:

--The Sniff Test: If your unused patches exude a strong vinegary smell just out of the package, you may be dealing with a lower grade product.

--The Patch Cover Test: If your patches have a cover made of paper rather than a cotton or natural fiber, you may be dealing with a lower grade product.

--The Filler Test: If your patches use additives such as vitamins, fragrances, fruit products or essences, you may be paying for ingredients that have no useful purpose.

--The Starch Test: If your patches are comprised of more than 25-30% dextrin (starch), then you are paying good money for a cheap filler, and that means there is less vinegar powder - the "active" ingredient that does the actual work of drawing out the toxins stored in your foot tissue.

--The Sticky Foot Test: If the patch does not have the perfect balance of liquid-absorbing ingredients or has a lower-grade vinegar powder, you may have the above-mentioned sticky foot experience when you take off your patches. With most high-quality foot patches, when you wash or wipe your foot, the residue will come off easily. But the Sticky Foot experience is a stronger and stickier residue that you may have to scrub diligently to remove. Again, though it is unusual for this to occur with most patches, you may experience this with some of the patch choices out on the market.

Many have found detox foot patches to be an innovative, easy to use effective detox method that doesn't interfere with one's lifestyle or cause inconvenient side effects. In Japan alone, one of the world's healthiest nations, over $18 million USD of foot patches have been sold on a monthly basis since December 2002. In both Asia and many European countries, detox patches are used as a regular support for lymph system health.

By taking info consideration the above tips, you'll be able to make an informed decision when examining the wide range of available detox patches.