We encounter metals and other toxins on a daily basis through our food, water, and environment. Our bodies are designed to handle a certain amount of toxins, but many of us are now exceeding the level of toxins that our bodies can effectively eliminate. If the liver, kidneys, and lymphatic system are overworked and cannot eliminate all of the toxins, those toxins will be rerouted and stored in organs or fatty tissue or somewhere where they can do the least amount of damage (rather than allowing them to circulate in the blood stream). These toxins build up over time and create an easy path to disease in your body.

“Some of the toxins can be seen in the bath water at the end of the foot bath and some are just “shook up” enough to enable your body to eliminate them later through your normal elimination channels.”

An ionic foot bath is one way to assist your body in its detox efforts. You have more pores on the bottom of your feet than anywhere else on your body, and the ionic foot bath utilizes these pores to bring charged ions into your body. Most toxins are positively charged, and the negative ions that enter your body attach to the positively charged toxins, thus neutralizing the toxins and assisting in their elimination from your body. Some of the toxins can be seen in the bath water at the end of the foot bath and some are just “shook up” enough to enable your body to eliminate them later through your normal elimination channels (urine, bowels, and/or skin).

The concept of the ionic foot bath has its roots in Chinese Medicine. Chinese Medicine teaches about the meridians in the body, which are energy channels that provide a pathway for energy to flow to or from a particular organ. The feet are very important because these energy pathways all begin or end at certain points on the feet. According to Chinese Medicine, how well the energy in the body flows through these meridians is an indication of a person’s current state of health. The ionic foot bath increases the body’s energy by rebalancing the amount of positively and negatively charged ions within the body.

“The water at the end of the 23 minute foot bath was so black that I could not see my feet.”

Ionic foot baths played a significant role in my detox protocol while I was recovering from Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW). [I experienced TSW as a result of using topical steroid creams to treat eczema. You can read more about my journey through TSW here.] I did two ionic foot baths per week for the first three months, and the water at the end of the 23 minute bath was so black that I could not see my feet. Black particles in the water is an indication that the body is eliminating heavy metals. After 3 months the color and consistency of the water changed based on which areas of my body were detoxing the most at that time. These foot bath pictures show the dramatic change from Month 1 to Month 9 of my recovery from TSW.

First Ionic Foot Bath

Ionic Foot Bath 9 Months Later

I received ionic foot baths at my chiropractor and functional medicine practitioner’s office. It’s important to find a practitioner near you who understands the science behind the foot bath and can effectively administer it. It is typically recommended to work with a practitioner to make sure your elimination pathways are open and working efficiently when you use an ionic foot bath to assist in your body’s detox efforts. You don’t want to release toxins from your tissues too quickly if your detox pathways are not able to efficiently eliminate those waste materials.

There are numerous ways to assist your body through its detox efforts. Please click here to read about other detox methods. With all of the toxins we are exposed to in our modern world, it’s critically important to assist your body in reducing its toxic load. In many cases the level of toxins have exceeded our body’s ability to effectively eliminate them on its own. Help your body through this important cleansing effort so that these toxins don’t weaken you to the point that disease develops. And if disease has already entered the picture, begin assisting your body through its continual effort to detox. Your body is always trying to heal itself. Help it and it will love you!!

Have you ever had an ionic foot bath?

Please share your experience in the comments below. We can all learn from each other!!