The change is color is from the reaction of the metal plates to the salt and water. The colors vary by the amount of salt used and the type of water. Those foot baths have no health benefit whatsoever. It is a cheap science trick. The bubbles and flakes of stuff are a chemical reaction also. You are wasting your money. I had one of those treatments too at a street fair. The water changed colors, etc. They then informed me that I had yellow-green color from reproductive organ cleansing. . . funny thing is, I don't have any reproductive organs. Gotcha! The whole thing is a bunch of krap. It's a rip off. Do some research and you will find out that you have been had.

This makes a lot of sense after reading how much better the last poster felt after having these treatments. It's not just about the color of the water, it's about how a person feels after the treatments - whether or not they feel better.

I decided to try an experiment with foot detox , I had read about the foot detox pads and how they work and purchased some of the dr shols activated charcoal shoe pads that claimed that they would absorb 110 % of there weight in sweat ,I was wondering if they would work the same way as the detox foot pads for a fraction of the cost ,pulling toxins from the feet though the sweat ,and have to say that I did notice that my symtoms did get a little better after wearing them for a couple of days .hmmmmmm, maybe there is something to this whole foot detox thing

Personal experience will win out over science 80% of the time. I'm a science major and the more I learn, the more I realize that personal experience is the most valueable knowledge you can have.

I think testing the water after a footbath is a sidetrack. Look at the effects it has on people, ask them how they feel. Ask them how they feel after 10. Analysis of homeopathic medicine has showed, time and time again, that there is "nothing" in it. Does this stop it from working? No. Our testing methods are limited to our understanding of chemistry and physics and how they effect the human being. There is a force of nature that is greater than science, it is intuition, it is god, call it what you like. Sorry for getting so deep haha.

-Colin

The problem with just trying things and seeing if they work fro me is the cost. I have tried so many things and spent so much money only to find that most of them have made no difference, these footbaths included.

I think the point of testing the water is to prove the manufacturers claims. Which they have since changed. They admit now that it does not pull toxins out and that the color has no meaning whatsoever.

The effect and benefit is merely therapeutic. IMO I would sooner opt for a massage. Therepeutic and also beneficial in many other ways.

Same goes for the clay baths, they claim it pulls out metals, there should be metals and toxins in the water, I've yet to see any tests though. Instead they do tests of people before and after. There are far too many variables for that sort of comparison to mean anything at all.

I'm not here to argue with anything you said but I have gotten rid of all of my mercury with clay, its all gone. I think tests on water are prone to error because the testing methods may not detect things that are present. I think if mercury (Hg 2+) is tightly bonded to an electronegative clay particle than it is probably harder to detect.

Doing chemical tests of any sort is problematic when we are dealing with mercury. You are probably aware that someone with high tissue Hg levels may have zero mercury in their hair mineral analysis. This result would lead us to believe that mercury certainly isn't a problem with theis person. The same sort of shifty results are probably seen when doing an analysis of bath water after a clay bath, for example.

I don't know much about ionic foot baths but I swear by clay baths.

-Colin

I'm not saying the clay bath doesn't work, just that they manufacturers could prove their claims in a much better way. I have tried them myself and it definately does something....though I don't know what. The claybath I could actually feel my body reacting to it...what that reaction was too, or what it acomplished I don't know.

I was wondering where you purchased your ionic foot bath and how much did it cost. email gulfcoastF@aol.com

EL

I’m new in town, but what a cool post this is. Russ you are the man!

I have just read this post top to bottom and I have two comments to prompt discussion about the heath benefits some people are undoubtedly getting from these footbaths:

Why has no one mentioned Hulda R Clark and her famous ZAPPER? From what I’ve read here, there is an electrical current put through the water in the foot bath which is turned ON when the person’s feet are in the footbath. Surely this is the same principle Hulda Clark talks about in her book “The cure for all diseases” and uses with her “ZAPPER”? The Zapper puts an electrical charge through your body. The electrical current kills viruses, bacteria’s & parasites in the body. She says you need to zap 3 times for 7 minutes each, with a 20 minute break in-between each zap.
“it takes 3 treatments to kill everything, why? The 1st to kill viruses, bacteria and parasites. But a few minutes later, bacteria and viruses (different ones) often reoccur. I conclude they had been infecting the parasites, and killing the parasites releases them. The 2nd zapping kills the released viruses and bacterial, but soon a few viruses appear again. They must have been infecting some of the last bactreria. After a third zapping I never find any viruses, bacteria or parasites, even hours later.” (Page 15)
Then she goes on in much detail about the whys, the hows and whatnots of its workings and why you will feel better. Was a pretty good read, lots of people swear by these zappers, and lots of people it doesn’t work either, but….importantly it DOES work for some people, much like the footbath?????????

Next thing no one has talked about:

I quote from Andreas Moritz excellent book “Timeless Secrets of Health & rejuvenation.” Page 185.

“sipping hot ionized water has a deep cleaning effect on all the tissues of the body. It helps reduce overall toxicity, improves circulatory functions and balances bile. Boiling water for 15-20 mins results in it becoming charged and saturated with negative ions. When u take frequent sips of this water throughout the day, it begins to systematically cleanse the tissues of the body and help rid it of certain positively charged ions (those associated with high acidity and toxins.)
Toxins and waste carry a positive charge and thus, naturally tend to attach themselves to the body, which is negatively charged overall. As the negative oxygen ions enter the body with the ingested water, they are drawn towards the positively charged toxic material. This turns waste into neutral fluid matter which is easily discharged by the body.”

Now, I am not a technical man, but I assume putting your feet in the ionic water and drinking the stuff is gonna have a similar effect???????????

Sunshine

This is not an advertizement but hopefully some simple usefull info.We manufacture ionic foot baths and have done allot of research, We have found that telling our customers to use
ph test strips under the tongue before and after a foot bath session to measure their improved PH level works very well.
Steveh@ionicoasis.com

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> This is not an advertizement but hopefully some simple usefull info.We manufacture ionic foot baths and have done allot of research, We have found that telling our customers to use
ph test strips under the tongue before and after a foot bath session to measure their improved PH level works very well.
Steveh@ionicoasis.com

Hi Russ,

Have you checed out the company Platinum Energy Systems? (www.platinumenergysystems.ca)
They have done a similar study - very small - with four people and one control. They had the water tested for a few heavy metals, and there was a significant (I believe) difference between the various subjects, and the control - i.e. higher heavy metals in the test subjects water. I would have liked another control as well - with the feet in the water, but the machine not turned on - just to make sure the metals were not from dirty feet!
I haven't done enough research yet, but some systems must be superior - given the price range between companies...
Thanks for doing the test - and posting the pictures!

I personally don't think it's a matter of some systems being superior or not. I think it's a matter of whether or not these types of devices are capable of removing heavy metals from the feet or not, but I remain open-minded.

It's good that this company did a study. Now, I'd like to see it repeated by a disinterested third party. I'll tell you right now, I would love to find out that they really remove heavy metals. If I believed that, I would manufacture them myself (with my embedded systems background) and become a millionaire in a few years.

(Actually, I just checked and did not find any study on their website. Do you know where I can find it?)

Unfortunately, we have done our own study:

http://herballure.com/Studies/IonicFootSpa.html

and found no significant effect concerning heavy metals. Again, I wish we had.

This site says foot baths are bunk

what do you think http://www.chem1.com/CQ/ionbunk.html


I know I did a couple and felt really crappy after the 3rd one - this tells me it was working - hexemier reaction.............

thanks

Hi everyone. I've enjoy reading your post. I've just learned about the ionic foot baths and I've been doing so research to gain some info.

I wanted to say that I'm very glad the man's foot was saved. I don't know anything about the electrical aspects of the soak. But, I do know the healing properties of "salt". I have used it for treating injuries for years. If I can get it into something to soak, then I soak it and the healing takes place.

Salt is a natural drawing agent. Therefore, drawing out the infection and impurities in the wound and allowing the healing to take place naturally.

Joann [color:"black"] [/color]

Russ, I've read your post on your experiment. One thing that would have made it a true test as to the effectiveness of the soaks would have been to do the test for heavy metals in the test subjects before and after the soaks. Really, that is the only true way that any treatment can be proven to be useful.

I just went for a ion foot detox bath this morning. I thought of the salt, mineral and metal chemistry reaction theory but nevertheless, soak my feet for almost an hour and paid SGD36 (abt Euro18) for that. Cuz I had a bad headache for the past 2 days and wanted to detox by fasting or excercising, so the desire was already there.

I was esp excited when the therapist showed me a small half centimetre of white glob in the murky brownish water, supposedly a parasite, a tapeworm, drawn out of my feet, wow!! And thus I signed for a package of 6 sessions for $90.

But I still have my headache and now tingling feet, so when I came home, I researched on the Internet and found this forum.

** Now I am going to get the rest of my money back this evening! Esp after reading the article you recommended on http://www.chem1.com/CQ/ionbunk.html.

I conclude it's just an expensive foot scrub --> Now I have a never-before nice smooth feet now due to the "lye" removing my dead cells. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Thank you for all of your tips. I also heard of plain yogurt in the vagina area helps with the itching.

So in other words, the benefits of ionic foot baths are nothing more than placebo effect?

Thank you. I will never be using one again.

Live and learn. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Oops, the forum messed up the link. http://www.chem1.com/CQ/ionbunk.html should work, for those of you actually interested in reading.

I had my first Ionic foot bath today. Mainly out of curiosity. It cost 25.00 for 25 minutes. The water turned the same color as all the others I have read about or seen photos of. I was grossed out at having my feet in such nasty tap water. My theory is: In the busy society we live in, taking 25 minutes of a quiet, hot foot bath is so relaxing that we feel better. In doing so...we have slowed down from the busy rat race of life; we have enjoyed doing something nice for ourself; we have bought a service where someone tends to us kindly and possibly have a mind set that it is healing to us. What better way to have a 'mind over matter' personal treatment? Does the ionic footbath work? yes, because it slows you down from your busy lifestyle. I have personally done the day spa treatment, had massages and the results are all the same. TAKING time for yourself is a good thing! I will probably not return to the ionic foot bath, I would much rather go and have a pedicure. For the same amount of money, a common pedicure gives you a whirlpool footbath, a sea salt scrub, a toe and leg massage and you also have your toenails cleaned, clipped and /or painted pretty. The results of the 'clean feeling' and relaxation gives you more bang for your buck. The massage chair that you also receive with a pedicure is well worth the 25.00. I'll do a pedicure over a ionic footbath in the future. It smells better, is cleaner feeling and I'd rather take vitamins and eat my veggies for a healthy lifestyle. Using Epsom salts in a long, hot, soaking bath at home is alot cheaper also or I'll let Calgon TAKE ME AWAY. The important thing is to pamper yourself, however you chose to do it.

Negative Ions for the Brain
Source:
The Owner's Manual for the Brain, Everyday Applications from Mind-Brain Research
The atmosphere we breathe normally is full of positive and negative ions. Air conditioning, lack of ventilation, and long dry spells remove negative ions, which usually serve to latch onto airborne dirt particles and wrestle them to the floor, rendering the air purer. Roughly one-third of the population seems to be particularly sensitive to negative-ion depletion. The proportion of negative ions is highest around moving water (storms, oceans, rivers, waterfalls)?It's no wonder that we feel so energized at the beach. The best ratios of negative to positive ions are associated with waterfalls and the time before, during, and after storms. The worst are found in windowless rooms and closed, moving vehicles. Air purifiers typically work by emitting negative ions, which purify room air by attaching to impurities and sinking them.

High concentrations of negative ions are essential for high energy and positive mood (Thayer, 1996)[1]. In fact, Marian Diamond, a professor of neuroanatomy at the University of California, Berkeley, has found that levels of negative ions are inversely related to levels of serotonin in the brain. Negative ions suppress serotonin levels in much the same way that natural sunlight suppresses melatonin. Hence the invigorating effect of fresh air and sunshine and the correspondingly depressed feelings associated with being closed in and dark. If you deplete the air of negative ions, you experience an increase in serotonin and its attendant drowsiness and relaxation?not what you want when mental agility is demanded. Diamond's research (1988)[2], along with other information on ions, is summarized in Yepsen (1987).[3]

In an interesting twist, Josh Backon, a member of the Department of Cardiology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, writes in an Internet posting (his E-mail address is [email]backon@vms.huji.ac.il)[/email] that in order to increase left-hemisphere activity (linear, language, logical), one can block the left nostril and engage in "forced unilateral nostril breathing." Likewise, to increase right-hemisphere activity (creative, holistic, emotional), the right nostril should be blocked. This practice increases the supply of negative ions to a specific hemisphere.
So with that information in mind I made my own foot bath using epsoms salts and rosemay oil and a bubbling type home foot spa. My foot spa has the nubs on the bottom so I massage the feet while in the water kind of a Reflexology with Aromatherapy(rosemary oil) while the foot spa creates negative ions. Cost $30 home foot spa $6.00 rosemary oil $2.00 epsom salts. I make sure and sit up and over the foot spa and breathe the air, while massaging all areas of the feet on the bottom of the foot spa. results... I sleep great and feel better <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />