Foot bath detox: scam

[Sylph]

Any healer using a foot bath for 'detox' is suspect.
https://www.chem1.com/CQ/FootBathBunk.html

[sharingwisdom]

It really doesn't matter what the opinion of this article seems to be for me. The proof is in the pudding. I've personally owned and used my machine for over a year. Prior, I went to a spa for 3 years in Windsor (CCI) that used the IonCleanse®. I'm so happy with the results in what I've experienced and seen come out of my body through my feet including parasites (yes, those crawly things that live in the blood and intestines... and then move in the water when they come out through my feet pores), liver seeds, yeast, gaseous toxins, heavy metals, and more. I've even smelled the toxins that have come out of other peoples' feet into the water when I had sessions at the spa. (that's why it's nice to have my own unit in my own space)

When I broke my toe and ankle, the unit I bought, Ioninfra, pulled inflammation out. And soaking in warm water isn't recommended for swelling so I know it wasn't a placebo effect.

At the Windsor spa, they reported clients whose over the top Hg and lead levels, dropped significantly (tested by labs before and after) and great improvement with autism (due to Hg toxicity from thimersol in childhood immunization), arthritis, fibromyalgia and much more.

There are hundreds of health practitioners all over the world, including naturopaths, chiropractors and MD's, who can attest to the changes they've seen with their patients. Alternative Health Research Foundation conducted a study investigating the use of the IonCleanse® Vitality Enhancement System in conjunction with relaxation techniques and mineral supplementation. The results can be found at https://www.ahrfoundation.org/ and https://www.ahrfoundation.org/dlfiles/study_results.pdf Other studies include https://hummingbirdhorizons.com/ioncleanse/ionstudy.pdf, and https://hummingbirdhorizons.com/ionc...canStudy_2.pdf

Not all machines are made equally as far as safety or efficiency...that I know from experimenting before I bought my own. It's important that the machines are FCC approved since putting electrical equipment in water could be more than hazardous. Using a dual polarity that is able to switch between negative and positive ions helps to balance the system. Minerals are pulled from the body so supplementation is important.

Sometimes it takes a series of sessions to feel the difference over an extended period of time. I have continued to detox this way due to how our environment is overloaded with toxins from what we breath, drink, touch, wear, live in etc. I also support my body's health through cleanses and supplementation. I have alot to do this lifetime, and I want my vehicle to run efficiently. So far, it's doing a great job!

Any healer using a foot bath for 'detox' is suspect.
https://www.chem1.com/CQ/FootBathBunk.html

[Sylph]

Thanks for sharing, Sharingwisdom!

There is no plausible way by any process known to medical science that a foot bath can remove parasites or lead.
Our livers and kidneys are constantly removing toxins... detoxing. Here is some more info on 'detox' :
On Detox in General from Harriet Hall, M.D.:
https://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_kmske/is_1_14/ai_n29436623/pg_1?tag=artBody;col1

It's been shown that when you plug the machine in and let it run, the water will change color. You can try it at home.
This process may actually cause you to ‘absorb’ toxic metals through the sweat glands, as the color produced is from oxidized metal! There is no mechanism for chemicals, worms or anything to be 'drawn out' of your feet.
I'm glad you feel better, though!
https://www.wikihow.com/Test-a-Detox-Foot-Bath

[metimeesthetics]

My chiropractor offered this a couple years ago, and I tried it. I was amazed! I thought it was great. I decided to buy one for my skincare practice. I did a TON of research and found out that it was BS. "toxins" cannot be pulled out of the bottoms of your feet. One of the company's I called (to purchase the device) offer three different sets of plates for the device. These offered a different color spectrum and different levels of electric intensity. Every time I see these things at wellness fairs, state fairs, in practioners offices, I just want to shout out that it is all hokum. And it doesn't reflect well on the person offering the service either. They either didn't do adequate research so are unaware that the service is useless, or they are willingly offering your a treatment that doesn't work, lying about its effectiveness, and just after your money. It's discouraging really.
Thanks for the post!

[MsTerry]

Let me see if I understand what you just said.
You got the product, you were amazed because it worked great for you and you noticed the difference.
Then you decided to read about your experience, and it said you couldn't be feeling great, then you decided that your experience wasn't great because they all told that it couldn't possibly great.
So now, you are feeling great again by telling others they can't feel great if they use the product, even if they DO feel great.

My chiropractor offered this a couple years ago, and I tried it. I was amazed! I thought it was great. I decided to buy one for my skincare practice. I did a TON of research and found out that it was BS. "toxins" cannot be pulled out of the bottoms of your feet. One of the company's I called (to purchase the device) offer three different sets of plates for the device. These offered a different color spectrum and different levels of electric intensity. Every time I see these things at wellness fairs, state fairs, in practioners offices, I just want to shout out that it is all hokum. And it doesn't reflect well on the person offering the service either. They either didn't do adequate research so are unaware that the service is useless, or they are willingly offering your a treatment that doesn't work, lying about its effectiveness, and just after your money. It's discouraging really.
Thanks for the post!

[sharingwisdom]

I've run my machine w/o my feet, and I know the difference in substance that appears. I had to laugh at the articles you sent. I guess we'll just agree to disagree since other doctors and many health practitioners would differ from the articles you mention. And I did share some studies. Perhaps I'll save you a worm the next time I see it in my bath water.

Thanks for sharing, Sharingwisdom!

There is no plausible way by any process known to medical science that a foot bath can remove parasites or lead.
Our livers and kidneys are constantly removing toxins... detoxing. Here is some more info on 'detox' :
On Detox in General from Harriet Hall, M.D.:
https://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_kmske/is_1_14/ai_n29436623/pg_1?tag=artBody;col1

It's been shown that when you plug the machine in and let it run, the water will change color. You can try it at home.
This process may actually cause you to ‘absorb’ toxic metals through the sweat glands, as the color produced is from oxidized metal! There is no mechanism for chemicals, worms or anything to be 'drawn out' of your feet.
I'm glad you feel better, though!
https://www.wikihow.com/Test-a-Detox-Foot-Bath

[Sylph]

I've run my machine w/o my feet, and I know the difference in substance that appears. I had to laugh at the articles you sent. I guess we'll just agree to disagree since other doctors and many health practitioners would differ from the articles you mention. And I did share some studies. Perhaps I'll save you a worm the next time I see it in my bath water.

Yes, I would love to see the worms!
I did look at the links you sent and they weren't really proper studies with control groups or anything. It would have been easy and much more convincing to include a control group (have half the people bathe their feet without the 'ions') In the first link, people merely had their blood tested before foot baths and then after 12 weeks of the baths... and also drinking lots of water, taking mineral supplements and meditating. One would expect the body might naturally excrete some heavy metals in that time period. The conclusion says 'no cause or conclusion' can be drawn as it wasn't an 'experimental study'. I thought it was interesting that mercury levels went up in females!

Hey, it's great that anyone takes 30 minutes out of their busy day to relax and soak their feet and think healthy thoughts. I am glad I didn't shake your faith!

[Dixon]

[quote=Sylph;76160]

Yes, I would love to see the worms!

Me too! Please, sharingwisdom or somebody, get a worm or two to me so I can find a biologist to identify it. It will be really interesting to figure out where these worms (assuming that's what they are) are coming from. You can tell I'm skeptical about the prospect of worms passing through the skin of your feet non-injuriously, LOL! Of course, everything you say could be true, in which case getting a worm analyzed could straighten me out on this issue. Please call me at (707)527-6163 to arrange worm pickup.

I did look at the links you sent and they weren't really proper studies with control groups or anything. It would have been easy and much more convincing to include a control group (have half the people bathe their feet without the 'ions') In the first link, people merely had their blood tested before foot baths and then after 12 weeks of the baths... and also drinking lots of water, taking mineral supplements and meditating. One would expect the body might naturally excrete some heavy metals in that time period. The conclusion says 'no cause or conclusion' can be drawn as it wasn't an 'experimental study'. I thought it was interesting that mercury levels went up in females!

Hey, brothers and sisters, if you really wanna get to the truth instead of just shoring up your preferred illusions with bogus "evidence", understand that crappily-designed "experiments" with serious flaws such as lack of control group don't really give us any info at all about what's really going on. A few hours learning the basics of critical thinking, especially as regards experimental design, would be a far better investment of your time than reading about another hundred or so crappy invalid "experiments", especially those promulgated by people who make money from the product or service being "tested".

Hey, it's great that anyone takes 30 minutes out of their busy day to relax and soak their feet and think healthy thoughts. I am glad I didn't shake your faith!

Ah, but no one needs to have faith in crackpot treatments, or to waste their money on them, in order to enjoy a good ol' nurturing foot soak!

Soak it to me!

Dixon

[Braggi]

... A few hours learning the basics of critical thinking, especially as regards experimental design, would be a far better investment of your time than reading about another hundred or so crappy invalid "experiments", especially those promulgated by people who make money from the product or service being "tested". ...

While your statement is certainly valid, the fact that a study is done by a company or group that will ultimately profit from sales of the product doesn't discredit a study at all. Especially in the case of new or novel products nobody but the creator is typically willing to invest in a study which could cost a great deal of money. Large scale double-blind clinical trials with controls are usually beyond the ability of small manufacturers to accomplish. It's a bit of a catch-22 for new companies. It would be nice if the US Govt. were willing to invest more in such research. Leaving it all up to private companies and private universities would be a terrible error.

-Jeff

[Sylph]

It would be nice if the US Govt. were willing to invest more in such research. Leaving it all up to private companies and private universities would be a terrible error.

There are a few million dollars offered by NCCAM to researchers in alternative health care. Researchers have to write up a grant application. All sorts of 'fringe' experimenters, (fringe in my book), are being given money. Maybe foot baths have been studied already?
https://nccam.nih.gov/research/strategy/2008.htm#intro
Introduction

NCCAM distributes its resources among many programs and mechanisms. The Center is committed to funding the largest number of meritorious projects possible, while allowing the flexibility needed to support selected program priorities and to respond to emerging scientific opportunities.
The Center establishes general guidelines for funding based on the overall NCCAM appropriation, allowing for necessary adjustments throughout the year to reflect directives from Congress, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as well as emerging program priorities.
Budget Data

Appropriation: The FY 2008 appropriation for NCCAM is $121,577,000. NCCAM's FY 2008 budget is flat, but remains at an historic high for funding of CAM research, research training, and information dissemination.
Success Rate: The success rate represents the number of competing research project grant applications funded as a percentage of the total number of new research project grant applications received.

• NCCAM's success rate in FY 2007 was 11 percent.
• The success rate in FY 2008 is projected to be 11 percent.

Examples of Currently Funded Research

A few examples illustrate the broad array of basic, preclinical, and clinical research projects related to various health conditions and CAM modalities supported by NCCAM:

• Randomized study of tai chi in the management of chronic heart failure
• Clinical trial to test S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe) for the treatment of depression in patients with Parkinson's disease
• Randomized study of the effects of massage on the immune system of preterm infants
• Analysis of U.S. health surveys to examine CAM use among racial and ethnic minorities
• Exploratory study of the effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields on rheumatoid arthritis symptoms
• Study of the neurochemical mechanisms in the placebo response
• Study to measure the effects of Reiki on stress-induced intestinal damage using an animal model
• Research center grants to support basic and clinical research on botanicals
• Research center on the neurobiology of acupuncture
• Developmental center on chiropractic manipulation.

[Dixon]

Of course you're right about all this, Bro'. Please note that I didn't say nor even imply that a financial conflict of interest automatically invalidates a study, but it must be acknowledged that conflict of interest is correlated with positive bias in many many cases. This is true whether we're talking about "alternative healing" or more "mainstream" approaches. For instance, I read once that studies conducted by Big Pharma companies were something like 5 times more likely to get positive results than independent studies. I'm sure you'd agree that that stinks on ice, and is presumably attributable to financial conflict of interest rather than random variation or whatever.

I don't know the figures for research in SCAM (So-Called Alternative Medicine), but from what I've seen, I'd guess that they're even worse, considering the fact that so many "alternative healer" types have zero understanding of proper experimental design, and are in fact actively hostile to any experimental design that might disconfirm their pet hypothesis--especially when it's the basis for their livelihood.

Example: My buddy Craig told me he saw some practitioners of "applied kinesiology muscle testing" being tested. When they were tested without proper controls, they got positive results. But then somebody wisely pointed out that they needed to do a double-blind test. When they did that, their positive results disappeared. Craig said that he overheard one AK practitioner saying to another "That's why we stopped doing the double-blind studies." LMAO!

Another example, this one a little closer to home: A year or so ago, a woman in the Wacco community posted (on one or both of the Waccos, I don't remember which) that she was going to do a research study to test a healing practice she was developing. I wrote her politely suggesting that she let me look over her research design so I could point out any basic flaws; thus she could correct those problems and actually have the possibility of learning something real from the study, rather than wasting tons of time and energy on a study that would yield no real knowledge because it would be too flawed to have any validity. Not surprisingly, I received a chilly response to my suggestion, and she proceeded with no input from me. Recently, I ran into her, and she told me that--surprise, surprise!--she'd gotten positive results and had written about 1,000 pages about her wonderful treatment modality. She described her experimental design to me and--again, surprise, surprise!--it had no controls! I politely explained to her that such a design cannot possibly yield any real information and that she had in fact wasted all that time and energy (unless her agenda was to fallaciously validate her technique through bogus research). Guess what--she didn't want to hear it. Another shining example of New Age open-mindedness. I suppose her wonderful alternative treatment modality will be coming to an email bulletin board near you soon! And if she calls it "sacred" in addition to touting its supposed scientifically validated effectiveness, she'll sell tons of it to the Wacco crowd, LOL!

Dixon

While your statement is certainly valid, the fact that a study is done by a company or group that will ultimately profit from sales of the product doesn't discredit a study at all. Especially in the case of new or novel products nobody but the creator is typically willing to invest in a study which could cost a great deal of money. Large scale double-blind clinical trials with controls are usually beyond the ability of small manufacturers to accomplish. It's a bit of a catch-22 for new companies. It would be nice if the US Govt. were willing to invest more in such research. Leaving it all up to private companies and private universities would be a terrible error.

[Dynamique]

The December 2008 issue of "Women's Wellness Today" from Susan Lark, M.D. has an article on lymphatic cleansing that mentions the use of an ionic foot spa to improve lymph function. Here's what she had to say about the ionic foot bath:

"Ionic therapy uses a low-intensity electrical current to create a weak electromagnetic field in a salt and mineral bath. According to an adaptation of the Arndt-Schulz law of physiology, if you put your feet into this field, it will stimulate your natural electromagnetic field to boost sluggish lymphatic transport and fluid exchange across the capillary endothelium. I personally prefer the ionSpa brand, but another less expensive brand is IonChi.

I should mention that when you use the mineral bath, it starts out clear and, by the end of the 20-minute session, looks dirty and muddy. Despite what the makers of some unscrupulous products claim, this is not evidence of 'toxins' being drawn into the bath through your feet. Instead, it is a natural color change due to chemical effects on the minerals by the ionization process -- similar to rusting."

It really doesn't matter what the opinion of this article seems to be for me. The proof is in the pudding. I've personally owned and used my machine for over a year. Prior, I went to a spa for 3 years in Windsor (CCI) that used the IonCleanse®. I'm so happy with the results in what I've experienced and seen come out of my body through my feet including parasites (yes, those crawly things that live in the blood and intestines... and then move in the water when they come out through my feet pores), liver seeds, yeast, gaseous toxins, heavy metals, and more. I've even smelled the toxins that have come out of other peoples' feet into the water when I had sessions at the spa. (that's why it's nice to have my own unit in my own space) ...

[Sylph]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arndt-Schulz_rule
Promoters tend to use vague scientific-sounding jargon to convince us that these things work. The yucky water is a powerful placebo, I would imagine!I would suggest a brisk walk to stimulate the flow of the lymphatics! Or a jacuzzi...ahhhh!