Are Detox Foot Baths a Hoax?

We've all seen the advertisements.  Soak your feet in an Ion / Detox Foot Bath and watch the water turn a bright shade of orange or brown as the nasty gunk leaves your body.   A reader writes:  "Are those Detox Foot Baths really helpful?  The spa I use is now pushing them at $45 for a 30 minute session and guarantees I'll be amazed, but I'm really dubious."

Read Our Response

Comments

[devils advocate]

Just wondering if the foot detox process doesn't work then why has there been less and less output from my detox session (having one twice a week for 3 mons)?
Of course there will be a slight discoloration to the water without feet in the water. But the result is very different with feet in the water. I have to laugh at the comment about Barbie being toxic. Well what is Barbie made of? Plastic, very toxic, no? Also if you use distilled or reverse osmosis water the results are different. Could it be that if you use unpurified water and you are not cleansing the array properly that maybe you are causing a corrosion of the unit through improper handling? You don't need too much salt. I agree that if you use too much you will corrode the array. But if you don't why is mine not corroded?

[Anon]

I used the ion spa but it seems like it doesn't work. I used it once a day. Maybe it had such a small effect that I didn't notice it, but then again spending this much money on something that is barely noticable and doesn't do anything for you is a problem.

[Gail]

I had my first detox soak this week. I found I have noticeable results. I went in with aching all over my body and very very fatigued. I didn't notice much change the first day except that I wasn't as tired as I had been. The next day I noticed that my joints which had been bothering me for months did not ache. I could lift my arms over my head without the ache in my shoulders. I can get out of chair without my hips and knees hurting. I have been able to stay up to 11:00pm where before I was going to bed between 8:00 and 8:30pm. I have more energy and less pain. I can hardly wait for my next soak. My water did not turn brown but orange and it was not immediate but took about 20-25 minutes. My spa recommends one treatment per month for 4-6 months. I do believe that it has made a difference in my over all well being.

[Tricia]

We have a subtle energetic body. Reverse osmosis may affect our subtle energies in a way we cannot detect. I can say that I honestly feel better the next day. As for the water, I doubt if it is the toxins that you see in the water, however I had a footbath right before I had a UTI and the water was white/flakey which it never was before, which I think indicated yeast, and the next day I had a UTI. Interesting.

[Paul]

My experience has been nearly identical to Gail who posted on March 13th. Bright orange water with none of the other colors that the 12 people around me had in their tub. One guy had black foam an inch thick on his. Subsequent complete vanishing of joint pain and significant more energy in the days that followed. Have also seen marked improvement in my ability to see at night which has been a challenge for the past 20 years. Is there a scientist out there with proper test equipment that can substantiate that the water ends up having more than just iron in it so that I can get the skeptics that surround me off my back and into the ion tubs?

[SpaFlyer]

To answer Paul's question: We are confident there are indeed experts who have the proper equipment. For that reason, the absence of resulting tests which reassure or prove the claims of ion bath proponents continues to give us great pause. We will continue to share the thumbs-up from proponents, but have yet to find one valid piece of scientific evidence, or a thumbs up from any scientific or medical professional who doesn't have a monetary interest interest in the device, indicating ion foot baths are anything more than a non-medical non-scientific feel-good device. We will be first in line to share valid test results from any official body, when and if that day ever comes. Wouldn't it be terrific if it does?

[Becky]

I've just read a "Hoax?" article. They kept saying "well maybe the water turns brown just from the metals in the mechanism", and "maybe people just feel good because of the natural soaking of the feet". Where's the data? Has anyone heard of CSI? If you want to prove whether something works or not, and you have samples of goo from different people's bath, take it and test it before you write the article questioning it or bashing it. I'm anxious to have my first one here in the near future. I hope the results are as good as many people say.

[Karyl]

Becky's comment is an example of "I want it to be true, so prove to me it isn't." I don't think legions of medical professionals, regulating agencies, and other science professionals should have to prove it DOESN'T work, until at least ONE -- JUST ONE -- of these so-called wellness providers or manufacturers proves that it DOES.

It's like a kid sticking out a tongue and saying "nah nah nah, you can't prove it doesn't work, you can't prove it doesn't work" without investing any pride or effort into proving it does.

These companies who tout these devices are claiming MEDICAL BENEFITS. Surely they have ONE test result to show the medical benefit -- by other than a "feel good testimonial by people who so desperately want to believe -- but they don't. How is this possible?

If people used some basic common sense and realized that if the peddlers of these foot baths provided an iota of scientific evidence that they actually work, sales would skyrocket. In the absence of this act of monetary self-interest, customers should be suspicous.

Becky says we should test the goo before we bash it. Well guess what? Someone DID test the goo, and guess what? They bashed it. Read about it here:

"With conflicting reports, we knew the proof was in the water. So we took samples from our footbath party to Silver State Lab to be analyzed. Tony Francis is a scientist with a Ph.D. "We did find a high amount of iron which again is a component of rust, iron oxide. So kind of supports the theory that the electric current is just oxidizing the metal rods and not really affecting your feet."

Besides iron, Dr. Francis found no evidence of heavy metals or other toxins in the water."

Here is the story:

http://www.kvbc.com/global/story.asp?s=6095483&ClientType=Printable

I think SpaCast has it right. Anyone at all with a valid, scientific report that can prove this is anything other than a feel good device, please step forward. They've given a lot of space here to people who claim they love it, but why can't a single person offer any evidence that's scientific or medically endorsed? I just see a lot of defensive comments, customers drinking the feel-good Kool-aid, and nothing at all of substance.

PT Barnum is having one heck of a good laugh.

[Kenneth]

What you ought to do is offer a $500,000 reward to the first Ionic outfit that can give you proven, bonafide, scientific results that these things do as they claim. You know why you should do this? Because you'll never, ever, need to pay it out.

Scott Peterson's family is doing the same thing -- offering a huge reward to catch "the real killers" of Laci and Connor Peterson. They'll never have to pay it either, because he's already behind bars, so why not, eh? Hey, let's double it, in fact!

[Gwen Meehan]

My sister was bitten on the outside of her left leg just below the knee by a brown recluse spider. She was very agressively treated by our TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) practitioner. The huge swelling was lanced in several places and suction was applied. Very, very painful, I might add. This was followed immediately by an Ionic foot bath. We watched as the water around her left foot discolored immediately, while the water around the right foot remained more normal-looking. The swelling diminished considerably, the heat disspitated from the swollen area, and my sister was greatly relieved. After that she had one more agressive session with the lancing and suction. I don't remember whether she had the footbath the second time or not. The next visit didn't require either treatment. The swelling disspitated and her leg returned to normal. The scar is minimal (remember this was a brown recluse...not good!).
Our TCM specialist is the first to say that she has no idea how the footbath works, but she has seen many amazing results in her practice. As you say, people "swear by it." I own one at home and use it from time to time with definite help each time.
I'm beginning to wonder if everything isn't the placebo effect: if one believes strongly enough that a certain treatment, vitamin, herb, you-name-it...eastern or western...will be benefical, then it is. As I've watched life through the years I'm beginning to suspect that we create it and we heal it (or not).

[heather]

What I am wondering about is the worms? My mother told me about these foot bath demonstrations in Arizona and the woman giving them swears that after people are done with these foot baths there are worms in the water.

Wouldn't you feel worms coming out of the bottom of your feet? I would like to see some form of study to show that this has actually happened and that this is beneficial, it kind of seems like baloney to me because all I have been able to find are testimonials which to me aren't reliable.

[tfarah]

I would also like to see studies that prove or disprove the efficacy of the ionic foot bath as a detox device. I had two foot baths with an actual Aqua Chi brand foot bath. Within one week I lost 7 pounds. I assumed it was due to improved metabolism, a claim of the foot baths. I purchased a knock-off brand on ebay for a fraction of the cost of the Aqua Chi brand. The electrical unit looks quite a bit different. I have done five foot baths with it so far and the water looks exactly the same every time. I do wonder with this one if in fact I am merely watching the classic science experiment effect mentioned by a number of comment-ers.

[Joyce]

I have fibromyalgia and at one point was unable to work at all for over 3 years before finding alternative healing methods. (I now manage a jewelry store and have had two healthy kids in spite of the fact that several MDs predicted I would never work again.) I have used many methods of detoxifying my body for over 10 years now, with varying results. In addition, I have studied reflexology and massage because of the the help I got from these therapies. Reflexology DOES detoxify the body. When waste crystals and deposits are broken up with a reflexology or a massage treatment, they will often "come out" of the skin and pores.
Last week, I had my first foot detox treatment and was amazed by the results. I watched the waste material COMING FROM MY FEET (not the apparatus). It was interesting because my right leg and foot were broken last year and the waste materials from that foot (which has poor circulation due to scar tissue) came out about 3x heavier than my left (normal) foot. Hmmm- definitely not from the machine.
Personally, I am going to buy one for my friends' and family's health because I could see and feel the difference. It's like alot of things out there, if there is no money behind trying to prove something, it gets debunked by all the scientists who say that it hasn't been "proven" but most of us know when something works anyway.

[Sarah]

I've started the foot spa detox about 2 weeks ago. I've noticed amazing results in just two visits. I do feel lighter after I'm done and more energized. I feel alot better, I'm sleeping better at night and waking up feeling refreshed (that hasn't happened in a long time), my skin looks brighter (with no change in diet or facial products), I have more energy. Both treatments have resulted in diffrent water outcomes. My husbands water looks totally different than mine. I'm on my way to my next session and dispite all the controversy I'm going to keep going. I'm convinced it works.

[jennifer]

My sister told me some of her friends at work were doing this it sounded outragious. I thought she had gone crazy to even believe this. I agreed to go as well as our mom. I have been suffering from fibromyalgia and poss. lupus. for those of you that do not know what fibromyalgia is it is very painful everywhere mainly joints hands and feet. I also makes you very tired. I did not think I would be able to do anything with my kids. I can't believe the way I feel. It has changed my life. I took my two year old to the Zoo! I walked around the zoo all day. Today I feel fine.Fibromyalgia usually makes you feel bad ( for days)if you over do it. I dont know if this works for everyone but it has worked for me. I got my life back. Detox footbath worked for me and my family!

[Wendy]

Give me a break. Commenter Joyce think scientists debunk it because there is no money in proving it? Are you freaking kidding me with this argument? If ANYONE, scientist or not, could prove this bullshit works, you don't think the devices would flood every available medical office, store, massage center, dentist office, chiropractor, and more?

You're kidding me, right? You couldn't turn a corner without Detox Stations available. Oh wait ... you can. Every corner Linens 'n Things or Bed Bath and Beyond has these crappy Detox Foot Pads. Bingo --- problem solved for everyone. Let the rejoicing and healing begin, and pick up some towels while you're there.

It's a hoax people. The only thing that works is your belief system -- it's called a Placebo. You want it to work, so you think it does.

[marianne]

I had the soaking done yesterday. The water was orange and bubbly with loads of floaters. I was thinking about the way I felt. No difference. Then it came to me. The water in the foot bath looks like the water in my jacuzzi when we neglect to put the bromide in. The ph get all screwed up. I was thinking about basic chemistry with acids and bases and figured out that the water, combined with my body's own acidity, and the sea salt along with the ion action, caused the same kind of reaction in my jacuzzi. HUMMMMMMMM

[Karen]

I have just purchased my first unit as a result of watching the water turn different colors with each individual. It was apparent to me that this does what it's supposed to do as I told my husband his water would be dark and mine wouldn't. It happened! We gave this treatment to our sons and the water was very dark. We plan on using it for us and others.

[Marco]

I have done some testing with several salts and array materials.

If you use RVS 316L as material and Natriumbicarbonate, you won't see any discolloration from the "treatment." This proves that the water's discoloration is a product of the materials in the array, and not the result of detoxification.

The explanation for any therapeutic influence has to be found in the electromagnetic changes of the water. My personal belief is that there is no benefit to the waste products cast off by the array and the treatment is only for psychological and economical use.

[Dr. B (DC)]

Many of you have commented on just what you see in the water. I too was very scepticle of such a device. I was first exposed to this technology at a health seminar and thought "you have to be crazy to try that". To my surprise the first treatment I had there at the seminar my knee pain that had plagued me for 2 years was diminished by more than 80%. It was then that I tried to figure out how. The company I support has studies to back it up. They have studies that look at mineral and metal content of the water pre and post ionic cleanse, as well as ph chang of blood. If you are a skeptic as I was, there is good information you just need to look in the right places to get a better understanding. As a doctor in a wellness clinic where people depend on my information to help them heal I don't take to scams lightly. So all those who are nay sayers and think it is crazy, there are good brands and bad brands of this technology and the bad brands are staking their claim to the studies and information put out by the products that do work. As far as the color change in the water is concerned that is an ionization of the array and the elements that are inherent to the water. The depth of color howerver is a product of you and your cellular debrits. But the color of the water is not as important as the effect the the ionic environment has on your cells and removing inflammation and balancing body ph. This has a whole body effect which for some can be life changing. As a side note, please understand that minerals are pulled from your system when you do this kind of cleanse, make sure you take a total veggie supplement or a multi-vit. after because you don't want to rob Peter to pay Paul when you do this cleansing.

[Peter, Robbed by Paul]

Why is it that the commenters who most favor and extoll the virtues of the Ionic bath, are those who are the least able to write clearly, spell correctly, and punctuate properly? That post was written by a "doctor" in a wellness clinic? Is that verbatim, no editing? If so, that's somewhat frightening. If there are patients who depend on his or her expertise for advice and care, I hope they make certain any prescriptions, treatment plans, and more, are legible or better yet, done so by an educated third party, so as not to cause confusion and harm. And where are these "studies" he/she claims to have? Where are they? Was a link provided?

[SpaFlyer]

We were careful not to edit (other than to remove an unauthorized reference to the one-word brand), correct or change the comment by "Dr. B (DC)."

No link or URL was provided or included regarding further reading of the referenced reports or studies. We removed the one-word brand name simply because we are sensitive to brand-pimping on our site.

We would prefer, and would publish, links to scientific data by panels or medical experts, if any are made known to us, rather than linking to additional unsupported "results" published by a manufacturer which has a financial interest in the sale of the device -- but no link was provided or included in either case.

[Terry Skrinjar]

Well, ‘Ive read most of this forum and not once has anyone offered up anything more than either their opinion, heckles or some anecdotal dribble.
You want to know the real story on all of this? Check out http://www.footbathtruth.com. The whole story is going up there... the good, the bad and definitely the ugly parts!!.....
There are 2 types of units out there. Those that work (only 2, Aquachi and Q Energy Spa) and those that are ionizers such as the Ioncleanse, aqua detox, ion spa, ion edge, cell spa, peditox, etc (hundreds).
There is definitely a difference between the 2 types. One is NOT the other. The difference might be akin to chocolate and poo.... they may look the same to an untrained eye, but they are entirely different in nearly every way.
Let’s start with the color of the water, shall we. The ionizer type products push the color of the water as toxins being drawn from your feet. This is medical and physiological hogwash. Toxins or in fact any foreign organic material does not expel from your feet. Most toxic material that is not wrapped in fatty tissue and stored around the body is disposed of through your breath, urine, feces, sweat and tears (probably in that order too).
People's assumption that "the stuff in the water after a treatment comes from them" is pure vanity which makes for an easy meal for a good salesman.
The cold hard fact is that the technology does NOT pull toxins from the body and never did. I designed it as a "human battery charger". It is the first technology to convert normal electricity from your household wall socket into a similar form of biologic electricity to that which makes organic material function. The removal of waste is obviously high on the priority list for your body, so that is what generally occurs first. Once your body has the right raw materials, the main reason it does not go ahead and repair itself is due to the absence or lack of oomph (technical word for power.. lol) to make the system do what it needs to do.
Now, the “phased array” that is mentioned is, by far, the most important part of the equation and you are right to assume that it is akin to a phased RF antenna because it is one. Not your average run of the mill phased array though. It is an antenna system designed to emit a combined signal into water rather than the conventional air based systems. The size, shape, alignment and materials of the array are specific to generate a magnetic field that interacts with water instead of travelling through it as a medium. The power flow to the array has to contain specific frequencies in order to interact with the array correctly (Same principle as making a crystal wine glass sing. If the friction and speed of your finger are wrong, you get nothing). This interaction excites the water generating the right type of radiant friction to cause an increase in the electrical value of the water (measurable with any volt meter). This electrical value is represented in the water as motion and viscosity (there is an increase in it).
To cut a long story short, your body is mostly made up of liquid and so is directly affected by the enhanced water. It then uses the increase in bio-charge to conduct its standard operations, but with more efficiency.
Toxin removal is a simple and primary operation of the body and is done on a regular basis without the aid of supplements or technology. Thinking you can govern and control this procedure is pure naivety. Your body will undergo this function in a limited capacity simply to be able to continue its basic operation and allow itself to function properly.
Simply put, if you put crap in then its going to clog up the works sooner or later. The garbage only gets taken out in respect to how well the whole system is running.
Here’s a link to the patent so you can have a look.
http://www.google.com/patents?id=yagNAAAAEBAJ&dq=terrence+skrinjar
I could rattle on forever about the base science involved, but I’d better leave it for another time.
Come on guys!! I've been out of the industry for a little while and this is what you have done with it! You actually believe your own waffle and are trying to peddle it. I agree with the scam posts, but even the hecklers need to wake up and smell their own BS occasionally.
Yours sincerely
Terry Skrinjar (Inventor of the BEFE Technology)
and
Steve Walker (Co-founder of the Footbath Industry)

[Vinnie Heffernan]

Yes it is a hoax!!!
Anyone can prove it! If you set the machine running in clear water, very little happens. However if you add some plane old table salt to the water a huge difference in the water can be observed. How this relates to the whole operation is that everyone excretes salts from their body. Especially their feet. Some produce more than others hence the difference in the colour of the water from one person to another. These salts are produced regardless of whether they are in the foot bath or not. If the water is warm one will produce more salts than if the water is cold. Electrolisis on water and salt...Well you've all seen the results by the sounds of it even if you didn't realise what was really taking place! Thats all is to it!!

[Sunday Brown]

The water will turn a caramel color with feet or without. That is your basic color. All of you skeptics out there should try it. It will pull some of the know it all bs out of you! I gave a treatment to my friend the skeptic who has a bad knee that kept him awake for weeks. After one session he slept through the night pain free and I didn't hear him complain about it again for 6 months!