Whenever I hear about a detoxifying treatment I am both intrigued and skeptical. One of the newest “detox” treatments some refer to s an ion cleanse. It requires one to immerse their feet in a basin of water for 30 minutes. The claim is that countless toxins will be released through the feet.
I was told the water in the basin may change color and consistency due to the release of toxic substances through the pores on the sole of each foot. I was told when the water is changing colors, each color represents the part of the body that is being detoxified.
I thought I would give this a try and experienced a demonstration myself.
MB and I both elected to have treatments. We sat side by side as our treatments started. We placed our feet in basins of warm, clear water. An electrical device that looked like a filter (but clearly was NOT a filter) was placed in the basin. This device powered the machine. Within minutes, the water began changing color. . The water was also bubbly. It looked like sewage. The woman providing the demonstration analyzed the water in the basins. We were told we were releasing toxins through our feet. The colors, according to her, indicated we both were releasing a lot of toxins and a lot of metals. Both Mari Beth and I had the same gunk in the water. How interesting. We were both healthy and felt great, we really didn’t feel toxic. We work out, we have very clean diets, yet we were oh, so toxic. Yellow, orange, green, black. What a surprise that the water looked the same (and according to the rep meant the same toxins were being released) for both of us. Mari Beth is 4’11”. I’m 5″10. I’m 13 years older than MariBeth, I’ve had 2 children recently and just finished breast feeding. I’m nearly a foot taller than she is yet we seem to be releasing the same toxins. The water looks exactly the same. the rep said something about toxins from our gallbladder being released. She also stated that she noticed “lymph” in the water.
I asked about evidence. There were no published medical studies available. And, the person providing the demonstration could not give me the name of even one physician who uses this device in their practice. What I was told is how much money spas, chiropractors and others were making by offering this treatment.
The demonstation ended when I asked what would happen if we performed a treatment but did not submerge my feet in water. The rep was clearly not comfortable with the question but when I asked to try this method, she told mely, the water would turn colors and bubble up whether an individual’s feet were immersed in the water or not. Hmmmm. I thought the colors in the water were based on toxins being released.
Maybe this treatment really does something. There are several manufacturers of these devices and it is possible that there are significant differences between the systems. Maybe somewhere, evidence does exist that this treatment really does work. All I know personally is that when I asked for evidence it was not available to me.
After the treatment, I felt dirty. After all, I allowed my feet to soak in filthy water. I also felt foolish. I didn’t do my homework on this device because I thought it couldn’t possibly cause a problem. I was skeptical about the efficacy of the treatment. But, I didn’t think there could be any danger associated with a treatment. Perhaps it is perfectly safe.. But after the treatment I felt like I had soaked my feet in sewage. I have no idea what was in that water. I have no idea what, if anything in that water could penetrate the skin.
In my opinion, this treatment may provide a deep cleaning of one’s pocketbook. The only real evidence presented about this device was the amount of money practitioners were making by providing this treatment to consumers. This device claims to help from everything from arthritis to cancer. The woman providing the demonstration mentioned a several times the positive effects this treatment can have on children with autism. Of course, I was presented no evidence available about how this treatment could possibly treat autism or any other disease. I was sickened by the thought of practitioners purchasing this system and promoting it to people who are desperately looking for anything available that might help a child with a health concern
I am blessed with healthy children. However, I imagine if the health of my children was compromised that I would try absolutely anything and spend anything on a treatment that promised a cure or an improvement.
The public needs to ask for evidence of safety and efficacy of products and devices that make claims about improving health or well being. Sadly, there will always be some unscrupulous business owners and healthcare providers who evaluate treatments based on the revenue they can generate rather than the safety and efficacy of a procedure or device.
