Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
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Debbie Dujanovic reporting Produced by Kelly JustEveryone gets sick. Whether it is a winter cold or something more serious, we all look for ways to feel better. One Utah health club claims to have the answer -- special foot baths it says can help a bunch of different health problems, in a matter of minutes.
Detoxifying foot baths are becoming more of a trend at health fairs and spas nationwide. The flyer for a Riverton gym calls the foot baths a natural way to heal. The cost is $39. The concern: what customers are being told while their feet soak. We take a hidden camera inside.
It all sounds so relaxing. Stick your feet in a tub of warm salt water for 30 minutes. An employee of the business adds something called an ionizer, an electrode that can do amazing things.
According to the employee, "It produces a form of energy which comes out through your body, through your fat cells. And it absorbs into your blood cells and pulls the toxins out."
Why focus on the feet?
"Our feet have 2,000 pores in them," said the employee. "A perfect conduit for the toxins to come out," she added.
Our producer's water starts out clear then turns dark green. What does that mean? A color chart on the wall suggests the toxins are coming out of her gall bladder. During the session, we learn what aqua detox has done for some customers.
"We have a lady that comes in that has fibromyalgia," said the employee. "…She called the next morning and said ‘I just have to tell you I woke up this morning with no pain and I have not done that in years.'"
We're told that someone with arthritis can now straighten out a finger pain-free; a customer with chronic fatigue syndrome feels energized.
"There's a lot of benefit for a lot of people," said the employee.
The stories include a cancer patient in the middle of chemotherapy.
"The third time she came in on her own, without a walker or a wheelchair," said the employee.
We took our hidden camera video to two doctors.
Dermatologist and internist, Dr. Paul Harrison said, "There's no medical basis for this being any help."
Podiatrist Dr. Scott Soulier agreed. "It's ludicrous," he said.
Both doctors say this detoxification method is not even possible.
"Our skin is actually sealed off with fat and protein to make us waterproof," explained Dr. Harrison.
"Our body does, does remove toxins through liver and kidney, etc.," said Dr. Soulier, "but not through the feet."
So what is making the water change color and texture? The doctors say it is not toxins.
"The electrodes are just simply giving off iron," said Dr. Soulier.
"The brown color is rust," said Dr. Harrison. "It's nothing from out of the person's body."
So we go back to the business to ask some questions. Turns out, no one at "A New You Holistic Health and Fitness Center" is bothered by the doctors' comments. Owner Jeneall Collings believes the foot therapy really works.
"We've had so many people with cancer, with lupus that have come in," said Collings. "They're feeling better and able to live their lives."
Collings bought the place last fall, mainly for the gym. The aqua detox machines were included. That part of the business is booming. We asked to speak with some of Collings' customers.
Alex Carvalho says the foot bath helped his fractured foot.
"Three days later, I noticed - wait a second. It doesn't hurt anymore," he said.
Carvalho's wife, Rebecca, says the treatment has made the whites of her eyes clearer.
Will this couple keep coming back?
"Absolutely, absolutely," said Rebecca. "And we recommend it to everybody that we come across and that we talk to," she added.
Customer Becky Brady says the treatment makes her feel better.
"What do you think when you look down in that water?" we asked.
"I'm glad it's coming out," said Brady, "coming out in there and just out of my body."
Everyone here is convinced that what is happening to the water proves something is happening to them. What about the critics?
"They have their beliefs and we have ours," said Collings.
Some of those customers may indeed feel better. The question here -- is it really just a placebo effect? Science has proven that if you believe something is working, you can feel better. The concern for doctors - that feeling better may delay people who are really sick from seeking proper medical care.
We forwarded a bunch of information about aqua detox to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last fall. On Friday, we learned the FDA has opened an investigation into the claims surrounding this foot bath therapy.
