I TRIED ... IONIC DETOX

This treatment is said to work by pulling toxins out of your body through your feet. MiNDFOOD’s columnist dips her toes in (literally) to find out more.

Cat Rodie puts her best foot forward and dips her toes into an intriguing treatment.

I’m sitting on a sofa in an airy, quiet room at Sydney’s Heal It centre wondering how I’ll get through my 40-minute treatment without a book. I didn’t know what to expect when I signed myself up for an Ionic Foot Detox, but now, with my feet in a tub of tepid water, I’m wishing I’d brought something to do.

Five minutes into the treatment I realise that reading material wasn’t necessary after all – I have entertainment right in front of me.

As I watch, the water in the tub starts to turn a rusty shade of orange. Moment by moment the water gets darker, flecks of black and brown starting to circle. I feel queasy (is that stuff coming out of my feet?!) and yet I can’t look away.

When I first read about ionic detox I misread it as ‘ironic detox’ and immediately pictured a health retreat for cynics. But no, ionic detox uses charged particles, known as ions, to create an ionic field that cleanses and purifies the body.

The treatment works by ionising water molecules, separating water (H O) into H+ and OH- ions. The ions then attract and neutralise toxins and heavy metals of the opposite charge, pulling the toxins out through the bottom of the feet. Heal It director, Quentin Strauli sticks his head round the door to see how my treatment is going. He laughs when I indicate the water. “I’ve seen worse,” he tells me.

Strauli, who has been working in the wellness industry for over 20 years, says that ionic detox is becoming increasingly popular. “People are using it more and more,” he says.

“People who have problems with their liver or kidneys, people who have poor circulation. People who haven’t been able to feel anything in their feet for years, use it [the ionic treatment] and suddenly they can feel the carpet.”

The ionic cleanse machine (it looks a bit like a fax machine) has been set to detox my muscle system.

I recently returned to running after a bit of a hiatus and my legs have been aching. But after the 40-minute treatment I don’t feel any different. I’m expecting to feel something – the brochure I’ve been given suggests that I’ll come away feeling ‘light’ – but the only feeling I’m left with is an overwhelming desire to wash my feet – by the end of the session the water is deep murky brown.

I’m not sure what to make of the ionic detox, so I ask Dr Sarah Callister, a GP, what she thinks. “I am a sceptic,” she admits.

“On the positive side, I don’t think it can cause any harm. If you find it a really positive experience and have more energy or feel better in yourself, then that’s great.”

I’m ambivalent about my ionic detox experience. Although there are no obvious benefits, I’m not totally sceptical either. Perhaps there is something ironic about it after all.