The first time I came across the detox footpads I had a whacked thryroid and had been on meds for almost a year and went off them thinking there was no point if it was not going to cure anything and I would rather find a natural way back to health.  I was extremely tired with low energy and I would get little skin eruptions common with heavy metal poisoning....not usually on the face but arms, head etc.  Well, within a week my energy level was easily 5x what it had been and the pads were black as night.  I continued using them off and on for several months, my skin cleared completely and they did lighten noticeably with regular use, and I have used them on occassion (before finding oil pulling) ever since.  I know they work with heavy metals, this was my biggest problem at the time and after a good round on them I had lost weight, my thyroid kicked up a notch and felt human again.  I also always notice I drop a few pounds when I have used them for a few weeks running.  Mostly, I was using them around my menstrual cycle to stave off PMS *and it works for that too*

I DO think you can get older, stale pads that are overpriced and do not work so well.  I went through several distributors before I found some that were very fresh and reasonably priced and consistent.

I also used this on one of my sons who was having terrible acne breakouts at the time....besides just being able to sleep better (he got very addicted to them and would show up nightly for his "fix") by day six his skin cleared noticeably and by day ten it was completely clear for the first time in over a year.  I also gave some to a five year old boy who had SEVERE arsenic poisoning and had basically been bedridden for over a year.  He had been on some major drugs to detox for over a year and could still barely walk.  Within a week I got a call from his father and he was running around the house driving him crazy.  The father, who was also a welder (yikes!) has such a strong detox reaction to using them the first few times that his eye would swell shut and his glands would become the size of golf balls.  He had to go with a pad that was not specifically for the heavy metals but would allow him a gentler detox and work his way up to the gold pads once he had gotten some of that out of his system.

Lastly, I gave some to my UPS guy whose daughter is autistic.  He only has her 3-4 nights a week and so was only able to use them that long at a time.  I only talked to him after the first week he tried them on her but he said by night three she slept through the night the first time SINCE SHE WAS TWO AND A HALF.  This may not sound like much to others, but to him it was HUGE.

So I definitely believe they work for heavy metal detox *I use only the gold* and I think the way they work is a fairly simple theory -- they have a number of properties *including some kind of tree sap that was found to draw out toxins* that specifically work to aid the body to detox through the feet, which are natural eliminators anyway and this just kicks it up a good notch.  I think according to one of the health honchos on here I read - the feet naturally best detoxify at night.  This simply aids in the process. 

Also, worth noting, the first time I ever wore them, long before I really researched heavy metal cleansing I woke up with the distinct taste of metal in my mouth.  This has happened again when I have gone a few months or longer without using them (although since oil pulling I never notice this effect anymore).  I have had lymph glands swell the same after using them at night in the beginning as often happens when I have begun other detox methods and there is still much in the lymphatic system that has been stirred up and not completely expelled.

There has not been a person who has tried them I have given some to or recommended who has not had SOME kind of positive reaction to them.  My girlfriend said she lost her hot flashes at night when using them.  I know I sure sleep better when I use them. 

Also, keep in mind if you have a sluggish circulatory system it can take over a week just for your body to get used to detoxing in this way.  Older people with poor circulation may not notice results as quickly.

My two cents.  I think oil pulling is a much CHEAPER detox, but I do love the pads.  They really saved me at one point in my life.

So hooey?  I don't think so.