Congratulations!
So you’ve taken the plunge and bought an IonCleanse by AMD footbath – woohoo and welcome to a new part of your wellbeing journey! No doubt you’ve got a lot of questions to start with, the most important of which are: what should I look out for and how often should I cleanse?
General guidelines for using the IonCleanse
Your IonCleanse comes with information and suggested cleansing protocols, depending on your situation and age. Make sure to read through the paperwork that’s included with your system and refer to it as needed. When we’re chatting with a new customer, we generally suggest the following:
Start slow and build up
Most of us are pretty toxic and if you detox too fast, your body has to work really hard. That can lead to some not-so-nice side effects (also called Herx or Herxheimer reactions) that you might want to avoid. Side effects can include: extreme tiredness / lethargy, dizziness, headaches, itching or rash, mood swings, ‘flu-like’ symptoms, constipation or diarrhea and ‘brain fog’. By starting slow, you will lessen your chances of experiencing those.
Support your body while it’s detoxing
Toxins can be removed from your body through your lymph, liver, kidneys, digestive tract and your skin. In order to help your body do its job, stay well hydrated, eat nutritious foods regularly and get adequate amounts of sleep. Some people like to take supportive supplements and we recommend that you consult with your health care practitioner as to what would be suitable for you. Be wary of ‘stacking’ too many detox protocols at the same time – for example, doing Epsom Salt baths, Infra-Red Saunas, supplement-specific detox protocols and the IonCleanse. This increases the load on your body and you may need to adjust your schedules accordingly.
Monitor side-effects
Keep track of what changes you notice (good and bad) while you’re doing your footbaths. You can use this Toxicity Assessment Form produced by AMD, or for Autism you might like to use the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist. Complete the checklist prior to starting your footbath or any other protocol, and then monitor on a regular basis. It can be surprising to go back through previous lists and see the symptoms that you no longer have!
Experiment with the best time to cleanse
A lot of people find that the IonCleanse relaxes them and helps them to sleep better, so they will cleanse in the evening. Others have noticed that they or their children might become more active, so they prefer to cleanse earlier in the day. If you’re experiencing any effects related to sleep, experiment to see which time of day suits you best.
What cleansing schedule should I follow?
The best cleansing schedule for you depends on your age, underlying health conditions, and personal experiences while using the IonCleanse. Your practitioner may be able to help you in this regard, and you can also ask on the IonCleanse facebook groups (see below).
Children over the age of two
We suggest starting off slowly with this age group and closely monitoring any side-effects. Do a 10-15 minute session for the first time and then wait for at least three or four days to see if they have tolerated this well. We do not recommend doing less than 10 minutes, as this can stir up toxins but not start the process of moving them out. You may then see negative effects such as rapid mood swings.
Your next session, repeat the same length of time and wait three days. If you’ve done 10-15 minutes at a time and had four footbaths without any negative effects, then start to increase the time gradually. You want to aim for 20 minutes for younger children, and up to 30 minutes for primary school aged children. This is a good starting point for most children.
Teenagers and adults
Follow the same guidelines as above, but start off with 15-20 minutes. Aim to increase to 30 minute sessions, three times a week. Some people find it beneficial to have longer footbaths as their relaxation response takes longer to ‘kick in’. In this case, you might like to gradually work up to 45 minute sessions, depending upon your progress.
Elderly and those with severe health issues
Those who have underlying health issues such as Lyme, or are elderly, can often find the footbath makes them very tired. We recommend following the same protocol as for young children, but space your footbaths out further – you may wish to do one a week to start with. We also strongly encourage you to work with a practitioner to find a suitable schedule, and monitor your progress.
Resources to help you
We highly recommend making use of the Facebook groups that are specifically for the IonCleanse by AMD footbaths. You can ask questions here whether or not you already own a footbath, and search the forums for issues that have been discussed. Many of the participants have been using the IonCleanse for several years and can help answer simple questions. There are two main groups:
One group supports families using the IonCleanse by AMD detox system for Autism.
Autism with a large dose of Chocolate 