Ionic Footbath: Hoax or Helper?

health care Sep 15, 2016

I have come across ionic detox foot baths many times over my years in the health field, and have always been a skeptical. It seemed kinda hokey and I was unsure if it was just a fad or a legitimate tool. I thought maybe any benefit was just a placebo effect. But I have seen enough good results now to be a believer – good results in children, good results in patients who were not responding to any other therapy, not-so-much-fun detox reactions and other indicators that indeed, things are happening. In ionic footbath: hoax or helper? hopefully you’ll get a better understanding of this tool and you may decide to utilize it yourself for your own health care.


The underlying premise of the foot bath is that the anode that sits in the water splits the H2O water molecule into hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O), thus separating the two elements. Those molecules then have a negative charge in terms of their polarity, which attracts and neutralize toxins such as mercury, lead, aluminum and cadmium. During the process, the recipient of the therapy is simply sitting comfortably with their feet in a bucket of water that has the anode in it. Certainly, that water looks pretty nasty by the end of the session – all black and gunky. I have also observed that my sickest patients have the gunkiest water. People report feeling very relaxed at the end of the session.

It definitely works. I have a patient right now who bought a unit for their home, and while she’s only done a handful of sessions, she feels that it is stirring up detox within her. This is a patient who has not responded much to our treatment so far, so to see any shifts at all is promising. I also had a little boy with autism who’s mum got him a series of ionic footbaths at a local spa, and reported that his language improved over the duration of the treatment (and the gains stayed after the series was finished). Another patient of mine can’t tolerate any supplements or herbs at all because of a combination of Lyme, molds, pyrrole issues and methylation issues, and yet she tolerated the foot bath fine, and felt benefit from it. I could go on – but my point is, I do legitimately see it making a difference.

For those of you who are familiar with him, Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt uses ionic foot baths in his practice. In fact, the one I got for our office is the same one he uses – it’s top quality, made in America and he endorses it, which is a good testament to me as he is truly a leader in the field of integrative medicine. We are excited to have it up and running so that we can add another detox tool to our tool kit. Here’s a link to that company and their products. They have a professional model and a home model for those who prefer to de-gunk in privacy. The home model is $1995, so they’re not super cheap, but comparable with infra-red saunas, Biomats etc (both of which I’m also a fan of). In this world we need to be conscious of detoxification, and this is a safe, easy way to do it. Having said that, ionic foot baths should not be used by anyone who is pregnant or nursing, has a pace-maker, organ transplant and a few other stipulations. I also like that the IonCleanse by AMD is the only unit to have CE and FCC safety clearances, and their units are guaranteed not to transmit any harmful electrical frequencies to the body.

So if ever you see this modality, you might consider giving it a try!