Using the feet to clear toxins from the body sounds simple and easy. Specialized foot baths claim to detoxify the body and rejuvenate energy levels. Soaking feet in a soothing bath relaxes the body and relieves stress. The question of whether the foot baths actually remove toxins from the body can be answered by scientific investigations of the process. Naturopathic medicine promotes a holistic approach to health, with minimal use of surgeries and drugs. Please make sure to consult your physician before attempting naturopathic remedies at home.
Theory
Soaking feet in a special detox foot bath rebalances the energy in the body, explains Aundrea Adams, a naturopathic nutrition consultant with the International Institute of Holistic Healing in Dallas. The soles of the feet are the natural path the body uses to eliminate toxins and chemicals. The body stores bio-energy, or the vital force, as electromagnetic energy, which is then used by cells, says Adams. Diseases and toxins disrupt the electromagnetic balance and prevent cells from functioning optimally. By realigning the bio-energy field, detox or ionic foot baths increase the amount of energy available to cells. Allegedly, oxygen levels improve, and stamina increases when balance is restored.
Process
The detox foot bath process takes about 30 minutes, says Dr. Stephen Barrett on his website Device Watch. The bath is filled with salt water, and a low voltage current passes through an electrode assembly set in the bath. The electric current produces positive and negative ions that resonate through the body and rejuvenate cells. As the electric vibrations rebalance energy levels, the efficiency of the cells increases, and they release toxins through the feet into the water. The water in the bath typically changes color during the process, turning a reddish brown color that is supposed evidence of the eliminated toxins. Adams recommends that adults undergo the process every other day for 14 sessions, wait a week, then repeat.
Benefits
Detox foot baths remove toxins, radiation, pollutions, synthetics and other chemicals trapped in the skin and pores, says Adams. Foot baths detoxify the liver and remove parasites, and the process theoretically improves memory and immune function and relieves pain. Foot baths are also used to improve circulation and metabolism, relieve pain related to arthritis and headaches, and reduce fatigue, irritability and menstrual pain, says Barrett in Device Watch. Skin rashes, food allergies and digestive ailments are also believed to be alleviated, says Barrett.
Scientific Proof
The conditions believed to be treated by detox foot baths have no toxic component, notes Barrett. Furthermore, the skin has no mechanism for eliminating toxins. Detoxification occurs only in the liver. Positive and negative ions cannot vibrate through the body as claimed. The color change of the water results from corrosion and rust from the electrodes, not released toxins. The electrodes produce the same color changes even when no feet are immersed in the bath, says Stephen Lower, a retired professor of chemistry from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada, on his website Foot Bath Quackery.
Safety
The foot bath process is painless, with no side effects, says Adams. However, the electrolysis process produces dangerous byproducts, warns Lower. Bubbles of hydrogen and chlorine gases form, which are dangerous in enclosed spaces. Sodium hydroxide, or lye, is another byproduct of the process. The lye causes skin to flake off the feet, resulting in the smooth skin that is another of the claimed benefits of the process.
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