The spicy dried fish that costs one yuan a pack, are they the retired fish from the foot massage shop?!

When you are savoring the spicy dried fish in your hand with gusto...staring at the delicious fish in your hand, why do you suddenly feel that it looks familiar... ?

Oh no! How come this looks exactly like the little fish that ate my feet in the foot massage parlor I went to last weekend? !

Source: A shopping website

Because dried fish are often mistaken for retired "waiters" in foot massage shops, the owner of a dried fish shop simply joked: "Yes, and it tastes better."

Source: Internet

So what kind of fish are those in foot massage parlors? Do they really burn their last moments of life and become delicious (smelly feet) fish after retirement?

1

What kind of fish is the foot massage fish?

Hot spring fish therapy originated in Türkiye. It refers to putting small fish that can withstand the hot water of the hot spring into the hot spring and letting the small fish peck at the dead skin on people's bodies to achieve a relaxing and health-care effect.

The "fish doctors" placed in the hot spring water are mostly reddish garra (Garra rufa) and big-mouthed carp (Cyprinion macrostomus). These "fish doctors" called "kiss fish" by the "fish" in the rivers and lakes have no teeth and will not bite people. They are usually 2 to 6 cm long and live in warm water at 20 to 43 degrees Celsius. They will eat the aging keratin on human skin, excrement in pores, bacteria and some microorganisms that are invisible to the naked eye.

Pink garfish

Source: Wikipedia

However, the rosy garfish was listed on the Red List of Endangered Species by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) as early as 2018. In addition, due to the cost of transporting the small fish from afar and the mortality problem during the breeding process, it is difficult for us to see the "fish doctor" native to Turkey in foot massage shops.

Small fish nibbling on legs

Source: Wikipedia

In fact, in many foot massage shops, the small fish used to gnaw on the legs are not the above-mentioned light reddish garfish and big-mouthed carp, but the cheaper, more durable, and more heat-resistant tilapia (fry). Compared with the former two, tilapia is cheaper and has lower breeding costs, so it has become a "substitute" for the genuine "fish doctor" in many foot massage shops.

As for the dried fish snacks that everyone likes, most of the dried fish used are regular edible species such as anchovies, whitebait or sandfish, which have larger yields and are more convenient to process. Under normal circumstances, the small fish that retired from foot massage shops will not appear in snack packaging.

2

Can fish therapy really improve health?

Tilapia gnawing on feet

Source: Internet

When you go to a fish therapy shop, the merchants usually claim that hot spring fish therapy can remove dead skin, treat athlete's foot, beautify the skin, treat diseases and detoxify, etc. According to the store, the secretions in the mouth of the "kissing fish" seem to have an anti-inflammatory and bactericidal effect, which is beneficial for the human body to fully absorb the minerals in the water. Secondly, fish therapy can also relieve fatigue. When the small fish "kisses" your feet, it stimulates the foot's nervous system, promotes blood circulation throughout the body, keeps the body's pores unobstructed, and promotes the discharge of toxins from the feet. When the small fish sucks your feet, stimulating the epidermal nerves is equivalent to a painless fitness session.

So, do the magical effects advertised by merchants really exist?

Source: Wikipedia

The small fish suck and eat only a very small amount of shed keratin, nothing more. The fungus that causes athlete's foot does not grow in the stratum corneum, but in the dermis. Therefore, no matter what, the fish cannot eat the fungus, and it is impossible to "cure athlete's foot" . So far, there is no clear research to prove that fish therapy is effective in treating fungal infections.

If we say that hot spring fish therapy really has health benefits, it is also the effect of the hot spring itself. It contains rich trace elements and minerals, which can indeed improve physical fitness through regular soaking, especially for rheumatoid arthritis, obesity, gout, etc.

3

How many feet have the fish in the fish spa kissed?

Since businesses usually don't actively feed them, the little fish are usually in a state of hunger and will eat anything, so they will not refuse anyone's feet, no matter if they smell good or not. They regard customers as "food" and will flock to them as long as there are feet.

However, this has also caused some problems. For cost considerations, fish spas cannot use fish that eat dead skin as a one-time product. Also, because they are living creatures, it is difficult to directly carry out chemical disinfection. Therefore, when providing services, sellers provide the same group of "waiters" to different customers, which undoubtedly increases the potential risks of fish spas.

People often have difficulty noticing tiny wounds on their bodies, and there are indeed unhygienic customers who put their dirty feet directly into the pool. So if a person with skin infection or wounds is "kissed" by a fish, the fish's mouth may be contaminated with harmful microorganisms such as bacteria or fungi. When another group of customers comes, the "indirect kiss" of the small fish is likely to cause cross infection.

Plantar warts pictures

Source: Wikipedia

Skin diseases including plantar warts, common warts, flat warts, etc. may be indirectly transmitted through biting fish. This is not an exaggeration. According to the US Department of Health and Marine Fisheries Bureau, through a study of nearly 100 cases from the United States, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and Singapore, it is believed that fish bites on patients with bacterial infections may be infected with bacteria, and then bite others, which will cause cross infection. Therefore, the "fish therapy" pool where the case occurred was closed, and a warning was issued to the public.

Therefore, for those who have wounds or skin diseases, it is recommended not to do fish therapy. In addition, healthy people are not recommended to do fish therapy frequently. From a practical point of view, the health care effect of fish therapy is not as claimed. The seemingly clear water may cause infection risks. Even if you want to experience the "novelty" of fish therapy, you must pay attention to the hygiene of the fish therapy shop and choose a fish therapy shop with better hygiene conditions!