Ionic foot baths claim to remove toxins, but science questions the results
Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
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- An ionic foot bath therapy claims to remove toxins from the kidneys, liver, and joints by changing the water's color.
- The therapy uses an ionizing machine to charge water molecules, which proponents say attract and neutralize negative toxins.
- However, academic research has not provided evidence to support these claims, with experts suggesting the color changes are due to impurities in the water.
A therapy known as the ionic foot bath claims to detoxify the body by removing accumulated toxins through the feet. Proponents suggest that the water in the basin changes color, turning yellow, orange, red, black, or brown, to indicate the elimination of impurities from specific organs like the kidneys, liver, and joints.
During the 30-45 minutes that the foot bath lasts, the person submerges their feet in water and salt and the source with electrodes initiates a détox process −not instantaneous, it clarifies− that generates an ionization of the liquid.
The process involves submerging feet in salt water while an ionizing machine emits a low-voltage electrical current. This process, according to practitioners, charges water molecules, enabling them to attract and neutralize negative toxins from the body, which then appear as impurities in the water. Companies pioneering this technology state the procedure is safe, reliable, and non-invasive.
Experts explain that the color variations are linked to the acidity or pH levels of different organs, leading to unique results for each person. They also suggest that the electrical frequency of pathogens is low, making them easily eliminable through the feet. The equipment is described not as a detoxifier itself, but as a tool that provides electrons to help the body complete its natural detoxification functions.
The electrical frequency of pathogens or toxins is very low, so it becomes easy to eliminate it via the feet.
Despite these assertions, academic research has yet to substantiate the purported benefits. A 2012 study published in the Journal of Environmental and Public Health found no reduction in body toxin levels. Experts from the Cleveland Clinic suggest the color changes observed are simply a result of impurities already present in the water, rather than a reflection of toxins being removed from the body.
The impurity levels in the body were not reduced.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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