Detoxify with ions

Alternative healing and medicine have grown in mainstream popularity over the past decade. Detoxification of the body is one of the methods used in alternative medicine and is said to clear the body of its toxins.

Local salons, holistic businesses and even natural food stores are offering ionic detoxification, and one of the more popular methods is the ionic foot bath.

Ionic detoxification is the process of rebalancing the body's energy through a bio-charge, according to Bio-Cleanse, manufacturer of the Ionic Detox Foot Bath. The complex energy fields of the unit permeate the water, realigning the body's energy field. This realignment, according to Bio-Cleanse, releases the cellular-level toxins through the body's pores.

There is some skepticism surrounding the ionic detoxification process. The results are not measured in as an exact science but are based on people "feeling better," say skeptics, who include Dr. Andrew Weil, founder and director of the Program in Integrative Medicine, who on his Web site calls the concept of ionic detoxification "complete nonsense."
But Joni Saber of Lancaster firmly believes in its effectiveness.

Saber, who was raised by health-conscious parents, began an ionic detoxification business after she was diagnosed with Graves' disease. The thyroid condition left Saber always feeling tired.
This exhaustion prompted Saber to look into alternative health treatments, and she began her detoxification business, Joni's Health and Wellness Emporium, to help others and herself.
"The foot bath is one way to help yourself cleanse your body of toxins," Saber said. "There are toxins affecting your body all of the time from the environment, diet and even medicines."

The bottom of the foot contains 2,000 pores, according to Saber, and traditional Chinese medicine subscribes to the thought that every pore is connected to some part of your body. The ion detoxification process borrows from this idea, and advocates claim the body is cleansing itself through the feet.

Throughout the ion bath process, the water will change colors, which are said to directly relate to different areas of the body, according to Saber. If the water turns a yellow/green, the kidney, bladder, urinary tract and prostate are being detoxified. A black or dark color can mean the liver is being cleansed by the treatment, Saber said.

The cleansing is not always accomplished in one treatment, Saber said. It may take several to work on a certain area of the body, and those who perform the treatment suggest 10 to 14 visits to maintain the results of the foot baths. Saber charges $25 per session.

There are people who can not have ionic foot baths, including people with electronic devices in their bodies or who have open diabetic sores on their feet, chemo patients and pregnant women.
The foot bath is not meant to diagnose any medical problems, it is used to cleanse the system. Saber and those who give the foot baths cannot make any medical recommendations, but they do work with a client's doctor if necessary.

At the first ionic detoxification visit, Saber will ask for the person's background information, including health history and doctor's information.

During a recent foot bath at Saber's home, Saber prepared the plastic foot bath tub with a new liner and bottled water. As she poured the water in she explained that any kind of water can be used for the machine — tap, purified or spring. She does not suggest using well water because it is not filtered in any way.

The Bio-Cleanse machine reads the salt level on the person's skin and determines whether salt should be added to the water.

"The salt is needed to cause a reaction," explained Jason Wheary, who was receiving the foot bath and has had several of them performed.

Throughout the foot bath, Saber encourages clients to drink water. This helps to "move the toxins through the system," Saber explained.

The purging of the toxins happened gradually over the 30-minute session, and the water slowly took on a yellow/green tint and acquired a cloudy, milky appearance.

"That's the lymphatic system," Wheary said as he read the classifications of color for the foot bath.

Saber allows clients to read their own results then compares her findings with theirs.
"This allows them to see how the system works and evaluate the results themselves," Saber said.

The results are different with each bath, Wheary said. His last foot bath yielded orange-tinted water, Wheary said. This represents a detoxification of the joints, according to the Bio-Cleanse literature.

To Wheary this made sense, because he had worked out twice the day before and was sore and stiff on detox day. After that foot bath, he said, he felt "rejuvenated."
"My legs were not so tired; they felt refreshed."

Vital: Celebs And Their Weird Remedies

Why Stars Swear By Some Of The Strangest Alternative Therapies

HAVING blood-sucking leeches attached to your body in an attempt to boost your health and well-being is just the latest celebrity craze to hit the headlines.
Actress Demi Moore revealed she recently had 45 leeches gorge themselves on her blood.
The strange "leech therapy" treatment, which she had carried out in Austria, aimed to purify and detoxify her blood by releasing an enzyme as the blood-suckers bite down.
If you think Demi's alternative therapy treatment is a step too far, here are a few more weird remedies celebrities swear by that will either leave you in disbelief or reaching for the sick bag.

CUPPING:
Back in 2004, A-lister Gwyneth Paltrow set tongues wagging when she turned up to a New York film premiere in a low-cut top that revealed circular bruises on her back.
The marks were the aftermath of abeauty treatment called "cupping", which is a type of acupuncture.
Aiming to relieve stress, cupping involves placing heated glass cups on the body as the area is treated.

TRUFFLES AND CAVIAR HAIR TREATMENT:
Ex-Darling Buds of May actress Catherine Zeta-Jones rarely washes her flowing locks using traditional shampoo and conditioner.
Instead, the Welsh stunner splashes out on a expensive treatment consisting of truffles and caviar. She claims the truffle-based shampoo and the fish eggs -which are smeared in to her hair and cost £200 a time - give her tresses an unbeatable shine.
Rumour has it, Beluga caviar is flown in from Iran five days before Zeta-Jones attends her appointment at her beauty salon.

URINE THERAPY
Perhaps the most disgusting in the list, urine therapy involves applying human urine for medicinal or cosmetic purposes.
Usually administered by drinking or rubbing into the skin, uropathy, as it is also known, is an ancient treatment believed to be a tonic for anumber of ailments.
Among modern celebrities, British actress Sarah Miles has drunk her own urine for more than 30 years, claiming it immunises against allergies, among other health benefits.
Rehab singer Amy Winehouse is also rumoured to have tested a "urine ointment" -mixed with her own urine - to help clear up her skin problem.

AURICULAR ACUPUNCTURE:
Sticking needles into your ears doesn't seem a very pleasant way to boost well-being but it's a fashionable procedure that has its celebrity fans sporting a tell-tale ear pin.
Cherie Blair was reported to have "ear acupuncture" - an ancient Chinese medicine - to relieve stress, while Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich was pictured with a needle in his ear, reportedly to help him to lose weight.
Experts claim the treatment can help everything from addictions to insomnia and joint pain to fertility.

CRYSTAL HEALING:
Princess Diana swore by the healing power of crystals and Cherie Blair always sported a crystal pendant around her neck to ward off harmful rays from computers and mobile phones. Actress Shirley MacLaine and Latino singer Ricky Martin are also reported to have worn one. Experts claim the human conscious and subconscious can benefit from crystals.

ESKIMO DIET:
While fighting breast cancer, singer Sheryl Crow chose to dramatically alter her diet and opted for the Eskimo Diet.
The traditional Eskimo diet consists largely of meat and fish, fruit, vegetables and carbohydrates.
During the strict regime Sheryl ate a lot of fish, particularly salmon. Studies have shown that fish-eaters - such as Eskimos - have lower rates of cancer.

BIO-ENERGY HEALING:
This was the alternative therapy that pop princess Kylie Minogue tried out after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
The Aussie singer contacted a bio-energy healer before she was about to begin her radiotherapy course. During her sessions, positive energy was beamed into Kylie's body with one hand and negative energy was removed with the other.

ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE:
Multi-millionaire Paul McCartney is a fan of this alternative therapy, which teaches the skillful "use of the self" - how we move, how we stay still, how we breathe, how we learn, how we organise our awareness and focus our attention.
The Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique claim this "subtle and thoughtful discipline" works by "re-establishing the natural relationship between the head, the neck and the back - the 'core' of the body supporting the strength of the limbs and which provides the structural environment for breathing and internal organs".

KLAMATH LAKE ALGAE:
This blue-green algae is dubbed a "miracle superfood". The slimy substance is a herbal medicine bursting with nutrients and anti-oxidants.
As well as her leech therapy, Demi Moore also indulges in this. She claims that stresses in her life are combated by injesting Klamath Lake algae, which is found in the volcano bed of Lake Klamath, in Oregon, USA. It boosts mental clarity, helps cell regeneration and strengthens the immune system.

BUDDHIST CHANTING:
Olivia Newton-John used buddhist chanting to help her overcome her battle with breast cancer. Rocker Courtney Love and Pirates Of The Caribbean actor Orlando Bloom are also fans. Love claimed chanting helped her with her battle for sobriety.
It's a form of musical verse that exists in just about every part of the Buddhist world. Chanting is the traditional means of preparing the mind for meditation.

eczema: herbally treated

Chinese herbal remedies could combat eczema, reports the Daily Mail. A “pentaherb formulation”, a combination of five herbs, “reduced sufferers' need for conventional medicines and improved the quality of life for those being treated for atopic eczema,” the newspaper says.
The findings that the report is based on follow a study carried out last year by the same researchers. The 2007 study found that the pentaherb formulation improved “quality of life” and reduced steroid use in children compared with placebo. However, the herbs were no better than placebo at reducing the symptoms of eczema. The news reports have mixed up the methods of these two different studies.

This latest study, which was carried out in the laboratory and in 28 Chinese patients with eczema, found that the herbs had no effect on steroid use. The results of this study and the earlier one are not conclusive. Herbal medicines, if they are being suggested as treatments for skin conditions, should have their safety and efficacy tested in the same way as other medicines. More randomised controlled trials are needed in this area, particularly studies that compare tested treatments (such as steroid creams and emollients) with herbal medicines.

Where did the story come from? Dr Tin Fan Leung and colleagues from the Department of Paediatrics and Chemical Pathology and the Institute of Chinese Medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong carried out this study. The research was funded by the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau and by the Chinese University. It was published in the British Journal of Dermatology, a peer-reviewed medical journal.

What kind of scientific study was this? Researchers created capsules of a “pentaherbs formulation”, a common traditional Chinese mixture of five herbs. The capsules contained Japanese honeysuckle, root bark of tree peony, peppermint, the underground stem of the atractylodes herb and bark from an Amur cork tree. This herbal formulation was tested in two ways.

First, the researchers carried out a laboratory study. They isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (which are part of the immune system and are known to have abnormal responses in people with eczema) from anonymous blood samples sourced through the Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service. These human immune cells were exposed in the laboratory to a steroid used to treat eczema (dexamethasone) or to the pentaherbs formulation. The researchers compared the effects on cell growth and the production of inflammatory mediators (chemicals released by the cells as part of their immune response). They determined how toxic the chemicals were to the cells.

In the second part of their experiment, 28 Chinese patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (i.e. eczema) who were aged five to 21 years were given three capsules of the pentaherb formulation twice a day for three months. Blood samples were taken at the beginning of this period and at the end so that researchers could determine the response of the immune system and perform other tests to show how safe the formulation was.

What were the results of the study? The researchers looked at the effects of the herbs on the human immune cells in the laboratory. They found that the steroid treatment suppressed the release of all the inflammatory chemicals from these cells. The herbal concoction reduced only some of these chemicals, and the concentration of the immune activating chemical ENA-78 was increased.

In their study of 28 Chinese patients, most of who were already being treated with a steroid (mometasone furoate), they found no change in the amount of steroid used over the three months. They also found that levels of two chemicals involved in inflammation (BDNF and TARC) reduced over the three months.

What interpretations did the researchers draw from these results? The researchers conclude that their laboratory studies suggest that the pentaherbs formulation has some “immunomodulatory” properties (i.e. that it has an effect on the complex reactions that occur when immune cells respond).

The effects of the herbs on inflammatory agents that have been linked to eczema suggest that the herbs may have value in treatment. The researchers call for more research into the effects of ENA-78, to help understand why the herbs apparently increased circulating levels.