By James Vicker
The use of Garra Rufa fish to aide in the perfect pedicure is a fairly new concept in the United States, but it has been around in the eastern world for years. More than 100 years ago in Kangal, Turkey the Garra Rufa fish, and its unique healing abilities were discovered by accident. Travelers came upon a hot spring and found it soothing to bathe in before continuing on their journey. These travelers noticed swarms of tiny, toothless fish would nibble on various parts of their bodies, and when they got out their skin was smoother and healthier looking. It was subsequently discovered that the fish were eating the dead skin cells and leaving the live cells untouched. Thus, the fish massage, and more particularly the fish pedicure was discovered.
The first fish pedicure in the US using the Garra Rufa fish appeared in Virginia in 2008, and has popped up in many other states since then. However, there are about a dozen states that have banned the procedure on the basis of a statute that says all instruments used in pedicures must be discarded after each use, or sterilized before being used again on another client. This is so typical of the way government officials let their authority go to their head.
To consider a live Garra Rufa fish as an instrument in a procedure is laughable in itself, and to ignore decades of successful use in the eastern world as evidence of its safety is typical of the small minded approach so many "authority figures" in our government tend to use. This banning would be comparable to making it illegal to dangle your feet in a lake or pond because the little fishes in there could give you a disease. It also demonstrates the way government takes more stock in "mans way" than the natural way. Isn't this risk up to each of us? Where will this end? Lets face it, there is risk in everything, and we didn't form our government to tell us which risks we can or cannot take.
At the very most spas and salons offering the Garra Rufa fish treatments should be made to follow sanitation guidelines with regard to changing the water and cleaning the basin between uses (and they do) and post a disclaimer, or possibly even require the client to sign a waiver of liability, but to ban the procedure is purely dictatorial, and demonstrates the way government has transformed "of the people, by the people, and for the people" to "suppress the people."
Our country is based on a principle of freedom, and that principle should be applied to the Garra Rufa fish treatment both in terms of salons and spas being allowed to offer it, and people being allowed to make their own decisions as to whether to try it or not. It would be different if there were ANY documented cases of this treatment causing a health problem of any kind, but that is clearly not the case.
To learn more about the Garra Rufa fish treatments please visit http://www.canadianspaimports.com.
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