Many Lyme disease and chronically ill patients are probably aware that Ionic Foot Baths can be a non-invasive and natural way to help the body remove toxic substances quickly.
For the uninitiated, most typical ionic foot baths consist of a tub of salted, clean water (usually distilled) with two stainless steel plates placed in the foot bath that pass a low-amp electrical current (usually 3-7 amps) through the water to dislodge toxins in the body that are pulled out immediately into the ionized water. You can’t feel the current, but you will notice the water changing colors within minutes when the toxins begin to emerge.
There is plenty of documentation proving that foot baths have a beneficial effect on the body, and there is plenty that proves otherwise, including an “Inside Edition” segment that focused on the fact that foot baths do change color even when you don’t put your feet in the water.
Instead of adding to the argument either way, I will relate my real-world experiences with them and also point out that all foot baths do create a light brown color with some rust particles without any body parts being placed in the water. However, most experienced practitioners understand this and pay attention to the other colors and debris that are always different with each patient. It is also important to point out that, like any other product that is manufactured, foot baths that are available to the public for purchase span a wide range in quality. Both patients and practitioners should stay away from foot baths that consistently generate only the brown color and rust debris when various patients place their feet in the water. This shows that no detoxing is happening and that these baths are simply creating rusty water.
The foot bath unit that I own also has an attachment known as a Zapper that passes an electrical current through stainless steel electrode bars that you can hold in your hands or place on various parts of your body that need healing. The 2500 hz and 7.8 volts are preset to disrupt pathogens, parasites and candida cells. Any toxins generated while holding these bars are pulled out directly into the foot bath water.
I originally purchased the foot bath to help patients of chronic illness (especially Lyme disease) move toxins out of their fat cells in a non-invasive way. However, I’ve noticed that the foot bath is now helping me understand issues within patients as a diagnostic tool. To be clear, I am not diagnosing these patients, but when certain colors arise in the foot bath that are surprising, I bring it to the patient’s attention so they can make a dietary or lifestyle adjustment if they choose.
For instance…
Patient #1: When a patient comes to visit me, I ask them to fill out an intake form so that I can understand their diet, lifestyle, medications and any supplements they are taking. When Patient #1 started her foot bath, she didn’t tell me she smoked cigarettes. At about 15 mins. into the foot bath, the water changed a particular color that was noticeable enough for me to bring it to her attention. The puzzling thing to me was, the color was associated with tobacco. I mentioned out loud that it didn’t make sense, and then she sheepishly confessed that she forgot to put it on her form.
Patient #2: This patient was a young woman in her early ’20s who looked very healthy on the outset. I believe the foot bath was seen as almost a spa gift from someone in her family, and I didn’t expect the bath to change colors very dramatically based on her intake form. However, 15 mins. into the bath I started seeing signs her gallbladder was detoxing heavily. I told her that I thought it was a bit strange because that’s what I see in all my Lyme patients. That’s when she told me she had been diagnosed and treated for Lyme almost 10 years before but she was in remission now. However, she confessed to having some traveling joint pain and some fatigue. I let her know that Lyme bacteria can remain dormant in the body even after effective treatment, and I gave her some information on how she could begin treating it to get to the root of the issue.
Later on in the foot bath at about the 30 min. mark, the water started getting very cloudy and milky-colored. It was a sign she was detoxing a lot of candida or yeast from her gut. When she told me about her diet (which as very vegetarian and healthy-sounding), I said that this didn’t make sense. The yeast could be there because of the presence of Lyme disease, but this amount was off the charts. I asked her how much sugar she ate and she confessed that she worked in an office where they ate candy all day long. I gave her some information about how the removal of sugar from her diet can create an inhospitable environment for both the candida and Lyme.
Patient #3: This patient was very healthy, active and worked out several times per week. She asked for a foot bath to detox some sore joints she had. Most of her joint issues were in her upper body, so I noticed that if I placed her feet in the bath with the Zapper in her hands for the first 15 mins., the toxins began to move. But when we took her feet out and placed her hands in the tub at the 16 min. mark, the water changed colors dramatically, showing that almost all of her joint toxins were in her upper body. She reported that all inflammation in her joints subsided for almost two weeks when she returned again and had similar results.
In general I’m noticing that all Lyme patients exhibit a marked amount of gallbladder detoxing starting in the first 15 mins. and then I start to see signs of candida/yeast detox and joint detox. Also, younger non-Lyme patients tend to have more clear water that shows simply joint and kidney detoxing while older patients tend to have tubs of very dark, sometimes black and chunky water.
If you live in the Connecticut area, you can schedule a foot bath with Gregg Kirk at the Lyme Recovery Clinic & Detox Center in Darien, CT.
The above material is provided for informational purposes only. The material is not nor should be considered a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.