Judging from the claims about the pads, you'd think they were medical devices, but they are not regulated as such. FDA spokeswoman Rita Chappelle said she could not disclose the details of the investigation, but noted that the agency often opens cases because of suspicion about whether a firm has violated rules on making false and misleading claims. Doctors interviewed for the AP story are skeptical about the pads' claims because the skin only excretes water and salt, not toxins. They also questioned the vagueness of the ingredient list on the Kinoki Web site. One indicator that the product may not be legitimate: If you do a Google search for "Kinoki Foot Pads," you get several sites charging that the pads are a scam before you get to the actual Kinoki site. Â
