FORTers' consumer reports

[prhoshay]

Not that I've read or heard. I just think that they count on the part of the population that will "fall for anything" and keep charging them an outrageous fee. My sister is one of those.

[Google]

 

[PGM35]

Just found this:

From the website - devicewatch.org
One way to scam people is to diagnose and correct a nonexistent problem. Aqua Detox practitioners do this by claiming to remove toxins and balance cellular energy. During treatment sessions, the customer's feet are bathed for 30 minutes in salt water that is subjected to a low-voltage current transmitted through an electrode assembly called an "array" (the dark cylindrical object to which the wire is attached). Aqua Detox International claims that the apparatus "produces a frequency of positive and negative ions, which gently resonates through the body and stimulates all the cells within it. . . . rebalancing the cellular energy, enabling the cells to perform efficiently and . . . release any toxins that may have built up." [1] During the process, the water typically turns reddish brown. Some marketers refer to the process as "ionic cleansing" or an "ionic foot bath."

Another marketer (Mobile Beauty) further explains that "the system draws toxins out through the soles of the feet" and that the "water changes color due to the release of toxic substances through the 2000 pores of the soles of the feet." It's treatment sessions typically cost £15 to £30. The company's Web site states that "You'll see the excreted toxins in the water. The water will change color and consistency—from orange, brown through to black." Yellow is said to come from the kidneys and bladder; orange/brown from the joints; green/dark brown to black from the liver, gall bladder and/or bowel; and white from the lymphatic system. Grease or fat particles may float on top of the water. According to the company, the process can be used to improve liver and kidney function; circulation; general metabolism; arthritis and joint pain; headaches; fatigue; irritability; menstrual pain; skin problems; mercury and heavy metal toxicity; food allergies, and poor digestion [2].

The above claims are nonsensical. Most of the listed conditions do not have a toxic basis. Positive and negative ions cannot "resonate" throughout the body in response to any such device. And the skin has no ability to excrete toxins. Real detoxification of foreign substances takes place in the liver, which modifies their chemical structure so they can be excreted by the kidneys which filter them from the blood into the urine.

The Aqua Detox is said to have been developed by "Dr." Mary Staggs based on "research" by Royal Rife [3]. Staggs, who is British, obtained two naturopathy degrees from a nonaccredited American correspondence school and appears to do most of her work in Spain [4]. Rife was an American inventor who, during the 1920s, claimed to have developed a powerful microscope that could detect living microbes by the color of auras emitted by their vibratory rates [5]. A survey by science journalist Ray Girvan has identified at least 19 other devices that are similar to the Aqua Detox [6]. Most of the devices sell for about £1,000.

Many skeptics suspected that the color change produced by the Aqua Detox was caused by rust (oxidized iron), rather than toxins. Ben Goldacre, who writes the "bad science" column for Guardian Unlimited (an online British newspaper), investigated by using a car battery to send current through two metal nails that he placed into a bowl of salt water. The water turned brown and developed some sludge on top. Then he sent a colleague to get "detoxed" and collect before-and-after water samples. Laboratory testing showed that in both cases, the change of water color was due to greatly increased iron content [7]. Thus it appears that (a) the color change is due mainly to the precipitation of rust created by corrosion of the electrodes, and (b) the water would change color regardless of whether or not a foot was placed in it.

The Guardian Unlimited article has had some impact on how the Aqua Detox and its imitators are marketed. Some marketers admit that the colors are due entirely to electrode conversion, and there is less emphasis on toxin removal and more emphasis on the "balancing" of "energy" that is not measurable with scientific instruments (and is therefore untestable.) But the bottom line is very simple. All such devices should be considered medically worthless.

[prhoshay]

I smelled this one a mile off!! My sister is highly suggestible, so she would SWEAR that it worked. (There's one in every family, says my Aunt Bunny! ) Always did have my doubts about that girl....

[ElizabethG]

Thanks for that article. I was 95% sure it did nothing but that confirms it for me. Next time I will just get the massage and skip the foot spa.

[Melitta]

I just thought I'd pop in and give my review for the Kangaroo Keeper purse organizer. I was so excited to order this product and have been anticipating it coming in the mail. Ha! I have been waiting for 3 weeks (that's just counting the business days), so I call the company and they tell me, "Oh, we are back ordered on this product, it will be available in 3 weeks." Me: "WHAT?? I have already waited 3 weeks. You have my email, why wasn't I notified that it was backordered? I want to cancel." Them: "Sorry, it is already in the system, you will have to wait 3 weeks." WTH?? First off, when the person answered (yes an actual person answered) it didn't sound like a company line. It sounded like someone answering their home phone. Then to tell me I CAN"T cancel my order? What the heck is up with that? And nothing against anyone who may be on here that speaks another language, but danged if I couldn't understand half of what he was saying! I think I may call my credit card company and see if there is anything I can do on my end to get it stopped. What horrible customer service and I am getting the awful feeling I have been scammed. Another thing is, they didn't even ask for my order number, just my name. OK, I don't have an everyday run of the mill name, but any google search will show I am most definately not the only one...maybe I am the only one fool enough to order the Kangaroo Keeper though. Should have just waited for it to hit the stores.

[Melitta]

I am now on my second bottle of Spray and Wash Bright White with Resolve Power. This stuff is awesome! I am always on the look out for a detergent or a combo of detergents that will do as they say and get my laundry clean, without fading the colors, yellowing the whites or leaving stains behind. I think I have tried just about every detergent out there, either by itself or with a booster. I am now using Cheer Bright, Spray and Wash Bright White and Borax (to help soften our hard water). My colors have never been cleaner or brighter and my whites have never been brighter. I even have some whites that were yellowing and are now returning to their original bright white color. If I have a stain, I just pour it straight on the stain, let it soak for a bit and VOILA! the stain is gone. So far, directly pouring it on rust, car grease and the black grime/greasy stuff you get from a BBQ pit has come out. Let me just say that I have been using Cheer Bright and Borax, with an assortment of different boosters, so I know the improvement in the laundry is directly related to the Spray and Wash....now if they could just come out with a detergent with the Bright White mixed in, I could just use two products (I'm not giving up my Borax, lol). I went to the Spray and Wash site and was able to get a coupon for $1.50 off.

[prhoshay]

What a commercial!

[Columbia, MD]

Originally Posted by Mikesgal

Thank you for the link- very interesting. I decided against the toning shoes and went with a pair of New Balance instead.

Hi -- I just discovered this thread. Easy Spirit shoes are also extremely comfortable and are good if you are going to be on your feet. They are fairly pricey, but there are sales in the stores and in catalogs now and then. I also have a pair of nurses' shoes made by Cushables. I could walk to China in them if I had to. Hope this is helpful.

[prhoshay]

Does anyone have a Dyson Ball vacuum cleaner or know anyone with one? I'm curious as to how well it does/does not perform.

[justCoz]

Originally Posted by prhoshay

Does anyone have a Dyson Ball vacuum cleaner or know anyone with one? I'm curious as to how well it does/does not perform.

I don't know if there are different ball ones or not, but I've used one that was a Dyson Ball, it was much smaller than their regular ones. I don't know if all the ball vacuums are smaller. I really didn't like it at all. I suppose you could get used to it, but compared to their others I found it much more difficult to use. I've used several different Dyson vacuums and this was by far my least favorite. The others I would consider owning, this one I don't know if I'd want someone to pay me to take it. My co-worker isn't a fan of it either.