I'll start with how suspicious I am of new products for healthcare. I am a very young but sick person - for 5 years now and doctors don't seem to be able to do anything but try to mask the pain and symptoms - only a couple out of 40+ are actually trying to get me better and only a couple of things have truly helped.. So I have been drawn to trying almost aything and reading any book I can find to get better. Most of what I have tried has been a waste of money with no results but these actually do something.The first few days they came out brown and gunky like everyone else with it oozing all over my socks - nasty. Then it changed and for the next few days had white fuzzy stuff on top of the brown gunk. Out of fear of any unknown ingredients, I only wore them for a few hours each time - not all night like 8+ hours. Then after a few more days, the gunk was less and less but still alot.
I don't care if the gunk is the herbs mixing with your sweat or wet herbs or toxins or whatever. I had a reduction in swelling (visible, measurable) the day after and no aches in my arches and legs. I would like to try them elsewhere on my body but haven't yet. It's worth it for me to try a longer duration and more patches to see if it continues to have a positive effect on a few of my many symptoms.
For skeptics - I'm right with you but keep in mind there are many treatments and many drugs that were not approved by the FDA or the AMA etc. many years ago that are now approved. Everything starts out with "no scientific studies" and "not approved" until there are studies and they are approved. That doesn't mean it doesn't work or the statements aren't true - it means we don't know for a fact yet and it hasn't been "endorsed" yet. In the 80's, someone close to me could not get approval for Tomoxifin for her cancer because it was not scientifically proven to do anything and still experimental - she didn't live to see the day when my grandmother was given Tomoxifin by her doctor, covered by insurance for her cancer and is over five years cancer free. This is just herbs on your feet and I don't have cancer but it will always remind me that experimental or not proven doesn't mean it isn't worth a try to improve your quality of life.
Many approved and endorsed treatments have been worthless to me and a few actually harmful. If lots of people write that it sucks - it probably does but if it works for some and not others - it might work for me and that makes it worth a try.
Off my soapbox now - it helped my swelling and I'm buying more to see if it continues to do so.
Source: Amazon