Detox Foot Baths And Why It's So Important
Foot detoxes are becoming more and more popular as a way to rid the body of any harmful toxins. I purchased one and have been using it since 2006 and since its popularity and patients asking about it I purchased one for the office now as well! Potential toxins can range from using aluminum foil , impurities in the air, to chemicals in your home and beauty products. If you're curious about what a detox foot bath is and if it can help you, here's what you need to know.
A detox foot bath is a specific machine that helps to pull toxins out of the body through the feet by putting ions in the water of which your feet are soaking in. These ions have a positive charge. The positive charge attracts the negatively charged toxins in your body. The ions in the foot bath water hold a charge that enables them to bind to any heavy metals and toxins in your body, similar to how a magnet works. This allows the toxins to be pulled out through the bottoms of your feet.
As one goes through a detox foot bath the water will change color depending on the toxins being pulled out. Water will change color even without your feet in the water due to the impurities in water but it will change differently. I have seen successive foot baths done on a number of people with the water all looking different as an end result. When you do a detox foot bath take a photo when you are finished so I can see what came out. It's helpful in determining other aspects of your detox program. Colors and effects of the water that one may see depends on what is being detoxed from the body:
Black or blue flecks - heavy metals
white flecks - fungus/yeast
color changing orange - toxins from joints
oily bubbles - toxins from lymphatic system
Most everyone, except for pregnant women and those with open sores or an infection on their feet, can benefit from doing a foot detox bath. Besides detoxing, it can be beneficial if you are experiencing athlete's foot, arthritis, allergies, chronic pain, chemical sensitivities, autoimmune disease, edema, inflammation and psoriasis. The number and frequency of foot detox baths varies for everyone and will be determined with your practitioner at Healing Arts.
There are quite a few detox foot bath machines. After all my research there are only two machines I have experience with and know get good results, KiScience Advanced Hydrogen Detox Foot Spa and EB Pro Foot Bath. They now have foot detox pads which I don't have experience with but if you do please share!
We now have a monthly membership for detox foot baths if you want to come in for an unlimited amount of times or you can pay per foot bath.
The Most Powerful Anti-oxidant to Keep You Young.
Oxidation is where oxygen will easily snatch electrons from molecules. The molecules that give up their electrons to oxygen are called free radicals. Everything exposed to oxygen oxidizes. To give you a good example of this process, just think about a hunk of iron left out in the back yard. Over a period of a few weeks, that iron will have a thin coating of rust on its surface. How did that happen? Essentially the electrons in the molecules of iron freely gave themselves up to the oxygen around them.
We breathe oxygen. And over time we oxidize - or you could say we rust. Though we don't necessarily turn brown with actual rust, we do get age spots, gray hair, wrinkles, aches and pains and are subject to various disease processes. This is evidence of oxidation - part of the aging process.
Electrons like to be in pairs. If something comes along (like oxygen) and strips an electron off this molecule, that molecule now has a free, unpaired electron. Now this makes for a very unhappy little electron because it is missing its partner. It now behaves very radical-hence the name free radical. When this happens in the body, that free radical will look to find an electron anywhere it can. Unfortunately when it snatches an electron from a cell it damages it in the process creating another free radical. This process is repeated continuously until the free radical meets up with a molecule that has an extra electron that it can donate to the equation to stop the reaction. In the body this donor electron might come from something like Vitamin C that has the extra electrons. This is why Vitamin C is called and "anti-oxidant". It is a substance that helps there be less oxidation or less rust in the body. For more on Anti-oxidant Foods.
The most powerful free radical fighter you have is your lymphatic system. The body's lymphatic system holds 80% of your body's anti-oxidant capacity. The liver is filled with lymph and the liver produces enzymes which are very powerful free radical fighters. Your lymphatic system is your body's second circulatory system. Wherever your blood stream goes, the lymphatic system is right next to it. In fact, the lymphatic stream parallels the blood stream. In between the blood stream and the lymphatic stream are all the cells of your body. The blood stream brings oxygen and nutrients to your cells and the lymphatic stream carries out the waste and the garbage.
Lymphatic Drainage Therapy at the Healing Arts Wellness Center
The lymphatic stream moves in one direction. From the ends of your toes, and the ends of your fingertips, and the tiptop of your head, the lymphatics move along slowly going towards the thoracic duct. This is the pump for the lymphatic stream and it sits inside your body just in front of the spine and runs from about the level of your collarbone down to your diaphragm.
As you know, the heart pumps and circulates the blood the thoracic duct also pumps, but not by itself. The way it pumps is through breathing, particularly deep breathing. The entire lymphatic system moves by the movement of this pump and by your own physical movement - like exercise. Along the lymphatic stream are tiny nodes called lymph nodes. These are like tiny purification plants that help clean up the lymph as it passes through.
One of the most important goals for optimum health is to move the lymphatic system. The objective is to release the garbage stored in the cells, kick it into the lymphatic stream and get the stream moving. Sometimes, often due to lack of exercise, poor diets and toxic burdens, the lymphatics don't move very well, the cells clog up with garbage, and disease happens. This can take many shapes and forms from localized areas of disturbance to systemic health problems and even obesity and the inability to lose weight. So that’s why exercise is important but I also do recommend monthly lymphatic drainage therapy to make sure your lymph is moving optimally. It could be more than once a month too depending on what toxins you are working on to move out of the body. John does an amazing job at the office and he is able to tell how backed up your lymph system is or not and if more treatments are needed. One way you can tell if your lymph is backed up is if you wake up with puffy eyes or face. I know I do when I feel sick or haven’t had a good night sleep. Also, if you have swollen ankles at the end of the day it is because your lymphatic system is too toxic and needs helps. To keep your body healthy and slow down the aging process keep your lymphatic system free of toxins.