The Ionic Foot Bath – Effective, Hoax or Something Else

When embarking on a supporting protocol for healing, such as the GAPS Protocol, Paleo, Autoimmune Paleo or the like, detoxing the body is a main focus. It has been proven time and time again that the deeper the illness, the more chemicals, pesticides, fungus, bacteria and viruses we find in the body. Supporting the body to eliminate the toxic load can come in many forms, can be a full time job and should be thoroughly researched. 

Cover each toxin and what it does to the body would be exhaustive. Stating things like, EMBO Reports says polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) negatively impact the central nervous system, is one fact in a bowl of millions. It’s exhausting keeping track of the pollution soup we call home. Finding practitioners who believe the issue is serious is often done in the Naturopathic world, as other fields become current. 

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The Scientific World Journal says, “As the impact of toxic chemicals can include health afflictions involving many varied specialties, we also anticipate a need for clinicians from the spectrum of medical disciplines to become aware of this problem and to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to intervene to diminish toxicant body burdens. As more clinical scientists become apprised of the reality of toxicant bioaccumulation and impacts on health, it is likely that elimination of toxicants or ‘clinical detoxification’ will gain status as a foremost aspect of mainstream medical practice.”

In fact, Sick Building Syndrome and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity are both common terms used for the onslaught of toxicity overload, medical diagnoses are made.

Cleansing through the feet is not a new practice. Countless methods exist including cleansing foot pads, foot baths, ionic foot baths, essential oil on the feet, sliced onions placed on the bottoms of the feet, spraying magnesium oil or magahol on the feet, and many, many more. The ionic foot bath, used in accompaniment with the GAPS Protocol shows amazing results. 

The Ionic Foot Bath is possibly one of these “clinical detoxification” routes that can change your health, but saying what it can do has received a great deal of legal blasting. The method is simple. Feet are placed into a foot soaking tub, with a dash of salt and an ionic array is placed in the water, covered with warm tap water and a wristband is placed on the wrist, “To form a circulating current between your body and machine.” As the feet sit in the water, with the machine working, the water color changes and different particulate appears on top of the water or in the water. A common misconception is the water color is indicative of things pulled out of the feet. 

The Journal of Environmental and Public Health reported a thorough study testing water from the foot bath which had feet soaking in the water, from a foot bath which had no feet soaking in the water and from urine and hair samples before, during and after testing. While analyzing the six study participants, after 4 foot bath sessions, they found, “No evidence to suggest that ionic foot baths help promote the elimination of toxic elements from the body through the feet, urine, or hair.”

Meanwhile the Center for Research Strategies studied Ionic Foot Baths in the Evaluation of Heavy Metal Levels in Relation to Ionic Foot Bath Sessions with the IonCleanse® and found whole blood levels of heavy metals declined for the 31 study subjects using the foot baths over 12 weeks time. They stated, “Significant differences were found for both Aluminum and Arsenic with measured levels declining from the pre-test to the post-test period.”

Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt found, “The excretion of toxic metals was dramatically up, after a treatment. The peak of metal excretion from the kidneys is at day three after one single 30-minute-session. The Ionic Foot Bath, in my teaching in Germany, has replaced EDTA chelation therapy, has replaced DMPS, has replaced Glutathione (and) all the other things we were using.”

People often look at the discoloration of the water and think it is a result of toxins pulled out of the body. As encouraging as it looks, the issue of what is happening inside the body is the focus. 

“There is no such thing as drawing toxins down through your body and out your feet. It doesn’t exist. The tiny bit that we get out of the skin was already there. Most of the color in the water comes from the oxidation of the metal that’s in the water. This entire process really has almost nothing to do with the water,” says Wayne Pitter of Alimtox Corporation, one of the most prominent ion clean foot bath companies. (American Naturopathic Medical Association Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada. August 2018).

“We’re trying to get your blood clean and we’re using reverse osmosis to get that to happen, This is basically a reverse osmosis device, it’s almost identical to the one my mom has under her sink, almost identical in function. This fluctuating output is going to cause whatever is stuck inside of you to dislodge. Some people can taste it in their mouth,” Pitter says. 

He further adds, the negative current breaks up blood cells, reorganizing them so they function properly. When showing slides of the cells he says, “What happened here was the negative current broke everything up and the ions collected it together and it’s processed out. It takes about 48 hours for your body to process everything out that we get loose from one treatment,” he says. Pitter’s step brother is autistic and asks for treatments.

He goes on to say, “It came from the mining industry. The first people using it were mining plutonium. It became popular around 1935, it’s been used as farming safety equipment for decades. It’s still considered safety equipment, it’s not considered a medical device at all.”

Different discolorations are reflective of different processes. The Better Health Company says:

Orange color – acids and possibly detoxifying from the joints

Black flecks – metals

Brown color – detoxification from the liver, cellular debris, tobacco

Black color – liver

Green foam – mucous, bile

White cheesy particles- yeast

Yellow green – kidneys, bladder, urinary tract system, prostate region

Red flecks – blood clot material

White foam- detoxifying from the lymphatic system

Since it takes days to process everything out, the maximum usage should not exceed three times per week. 

This foot bath from Alimtox is one of the highest ranking machines, is very popular with practitioners and has done incredible work determining what is actually happening with the foot bath. 

This foot bath by Zinger is economical for home use.

The foot soaking tub and extra arrays (for Zinger) will be needed. 

To recap a quick discussion regarding Ionic Foot Baths between myself and Dr. Natasha (Certified GAPS Practitioner Q&A, Weston A. Price Foundation Conference lunch, November 2017, Minneapolis, Minnesota).

Becky: What about ionic foot baths?

Dr. Natasah:  Good.  Foot baths are great, all kinds of foot baths.

Becky: The ionic foot bath does metals.

Dr.Natasha: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I recommend people do all kinds of foot baths. While they watch TV, because TV is an hour and a half, two hours. Put a tub there with hot water, half a cup of mustard, great, salt, bicarbonate of soda, cider vinegar, your fermented vegetables, iodine.

*Nourishing Plot is written by Becky Plotner, ND, traditional naturopath, CGP, D.PSc. who sees clients in Rossville, Georgia. She works as a Certified GAPS Practitioner who sees clients in her office, Skype and phone. She has been published in Wise Traditions, spoken at two Weston A. Price Conferences, Certified GAPS Practitioner Trainings, has been on many radio shows, television shows and writes for Nourishing Plot. Since her son was delivered from the effects of autism (Asperger’s syndrome), ADHD, bipolar disorder/manic depression, hypoglycemia and dyslexia, through food, she continued her education specializing in Leaky Gut and parasitology through Duke University, finishing with distinction. She is a Chapter Leader for The Weston A. Price Foundation. becky.nourishingplot@hotmail.com

“GAPS™ and Gut and Psychology Syndrome™ are the trademark and copyright of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. The right of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Patent and Designs Act 1988.