Ionic Foot Baths: Does the Water Color Mean Anything? | Mark Axelson & Dr. Sharee Sessions, ND
What actually happens in an ionic foot bath, and does the water color mean anything? Mark Axelson, founder of HEALTHandMED, and Dr. Sharee Sessions, ND, of Natural Essence in Howell, Michigan, walk through the device from the inside on Integrative Thoughts Ep190.
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Guest links
HEALTHandMED (Mark Axelson, ionic foot bath systems): use code ithoughts10 for 10% off. Affiliate link: I may earn a commission.
Dr. Sharee Sessions, ND, Natural Essence, Howell, MI · Instagram · Facebook
Summary
What actually happens in an ionic foot bath? In this episode, Mark Axelson of HEALTHandMED and Dr. Sharee Sessions, ND, a naturopathic doctor who has offered foot baths in her Howell, Michigan practice for 14 years, walk through the device from the inside: warm water, a little salt, a stainless-steel array and a low-voltage current that turns electrical energy into chemical activity. Mark is candid about the science. As he puts it, researchers "only have theories, not explanations," and he explains why he doesn't trust studies that test only the foot bath water, since the array itself wears down into it.
We also take on the most-asked question: does the color of the water mean anything? Matthew ran his machine with no feet in it, and Mark explains why the water changes color anyway and why how you feel matters more than the color. Dr. Sharee Sessions, ND shares how she paces new clients (come hydrated, start on a low setting, adjust over visits) and her own once-a-week routine, and Matthew compares notes from his HTMA mineral-balancing work on why a single test, whether blood or hair, only shows one excretion route.
Meet the guests
Mark Axelson founded HEALTHandMED.com in 2007; the company makes the IonizeMe Maxx Series ionic foot bath systems and sells light therapy, whole-body vibration and nutritional products. He holds a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Iowa (1992) and an MBA from Brigham Young University (1997). Mark is not a doctor.
Dr. Sharee Sessions, ND is a naturopathic doctor and owner of Natural Essence in Howell, Michigan, where she has helped clients take a natural, proactive approach to wellness since 2008 (CNHP 2009, Traditional Naturopath 2015). Her services include ionic foot baths, dry blood analysis, Bio Link wellness scans and Itera Care wanding.
What we discuss
How an ionic foot bath works: electrolysis, salt, the stainless array and DC current
What scientists know and don't know yet, in Mark's words
Dr. Gerald Pollack's EZ water ("fourth phase of water") hypothesis
Why Mark discounts studies that only measure the water
Water color: Matthew's no-feet test and what the color can and can't tell you
Volts, amps and watts: how to read a machine's specs
Matthew's HTMA perspective: blood, hair and the body's excretion routes
Starting low: hydration, settings and session frequency
Infrared belts and clinic use; the foot bath as a patient-education tool
Chapters
0:04:02 Meet Mark Axelson and Dr. Sharee Sessions, ND, and how they got into ionic foot baths
0:07:16 Matthew's question: how does an ionic foot bath actually work?
0:09:13 Inside the tub: the ionizing array, salt and DC current
0:11:15 What science knows and doesn't: theories, EZ water, and the skin
0:17:54 Why the feet? Pores, reflex points and hands vs. feet
0:22:15 Testing the water vs. testing the body
0:23:37 What the research does and doesn't show yet, in Mark's words
0:30:54 Blood labs, hair tests and excretion routes: Matthew's HTMA perspective
0:33:40 Volts, amps and watts: reading a machine's specs
0:42:43 Dr. Sharee Sessions, ND's own routine
0:45:51 Does the water color mean anything?
0:59:16 Using a foot bath at home: setup, minerals, hydration and pacing
1:02:39 Binders and gentler settings for sensitive people
1:12:11 Infrared belts and clinic use
1:18:14 Where to find Mark Axelson and Dr. Sharee Sessions, ND
Key takeaways
An ionic foot bath is a small electrolysis setup: warm water, a little salt, a stainless-steel array and a low-voltage current.
By Mark's own account, how it may affect the body is still being studied; scientists "only have theories."
The water changes color even with no feet in it (array, salt, minerals, skin oils), so Mark says to focus on how you feel, not the color.
Studies that only test the water also measure metal from the array, which is why Mark discounts them.
Dr. Sharee Sessions, ND starts new clients on a low setting, asks them to come hydrated and adjusts over visits.
Matthew's view: any single test (blood, hair) shows only one excretion route.
Check a machine's real output (volts × amps) rather than trusting the label.
Mentioned episodes
Sam Belyea, "Foot Reflexology Explained: How Reflexology Works": Apple
Freddie Kimmel, "Lyme, Mold & Cancer Recovery Using Frequency Tech": Apple · Show notes
Jeff Hoyt, "Zeolite Detox & Binders: Higher-Dose Theory": Apple · Spotify · Show notes
Jeff Hoyt, "Low Ferritin? Try Lactoferrin Before Iron" (Ep188): Apple · Spotify · Show notes
Resources
HEALTHandMED (code ithoughts10, 10% off). Affiliate link: I may earn a commission.
Natural Essence (Dr. Sharee Sessions, ND), 734 S Michigan Ave Suite 5, Howell, MI
Dr. Gerald Pollack lab, University of Washington, The Fourth Phase of Water (EZ water)
ZeoCharge / Zeolite Labs (code ITP). Affiliate link: I may earn a commission.
Quotes
"I'm sorry to say, but scientists are still figuring that out. They only have theories, not explanations." (Mark Axelson)
"So I wouldn't put too much trust in studies that measure what's in the water." (Mark Axelson)
"You can detox too much too fast." (Dr. Sharee Sessions, ND)
FAQ
Do ionic foot baths work? The guests share their experience and theories. Mark says scientists are still studying how they might affect the body. Ionic foot baths are not FDA-approved medical devices.
Does the water color show what's leaving your body? In Matthew's test, the water changed color with no feet in it. Mark says to focus on how you feel, not the color.
How often do the guests use one? Dr. Sharee Sessions, ND does about one session a week and starts new clients on a low setting.
Disclaimer: Ionic foot baths are not FDA-approved medical devices and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Guests share their own views and experiences, which vary. This episode is educational and not medical advice; talk to your doctor. Mark Axelson is not a doctor. Dr. Sharee Sessions, ND is a naturopathic doctor (Natural Essence, Howell, MI), not a medical doctor (MD).
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