Go to a detox spa to rid your body of toxins

No doubt the stress of modern living, coupled with an increasingly deteriorating quality of life (pollution, junk food), can wreak havoc on one's body. The body has its own natural way of eliminating toxins, from sweating to our daily pilgrimage to the lavatory. But every now and then it does not perform as optimally as it should. So the idea of ridding my internal organs of accumulated toxins seems like a good, sensible idea. Some spas offer lymphatic drainage massage, but I felt a sleep-inducing two-hour massage probably excreted as many toxins as a short trip to the ladies' room. I'm not too keen on week- long juice fasts or high colonics, either, but then I read an article on foot detoxification.

It sounded too good to be true. It promises a quick process (just 30 minutes of your time, thank you, no drugs and no pain). You simply put your feet into energized water, ankle deep, and toxins from your body will be released through your feet. Different colors, smells and particles indicate toxins from different organs. Foot detoxification claims it will improve sleep, circulation and skin, enhance the immune system, reduce heavy metals (aluminum and mercury, not the musical variety with the bad hair), increase energy and help with general body balance. Making it even more attractive, the price is relatively cheaper than other methods of detoxification.

After feigning illness at work (migraine, as per my friend's suggestion), I took the day off and went to the nearest detox center. After filling in a questionnaire, the therapist brought out a white basin for the feet covered with a plastic sheet and filled it with purified water (the minerals in mineral water will obscure the results).

She then put a black device -- called the "array" -- into the water to energize it. This attracts positive and negative ions from both the body and the water, so the water in the footbath becomes an extension of the water in the body, from which it is separated by nothing more than a thin membrane. It makes use of the 2,000 pores in the existing membrane of the sebaceous and eccrine glands in each foot to remove by-products of excretion, which include toxins. Since it takes 30 minutes for our blood to do a round-trip journey through the body, the toxins released will come from all of your vital organs.

Almost immediately, bubbles appeared in the water. My therapist told me this meant I had gas in my gastrointestinal tract. As my water started to turn a bright yellow, my therapist showed me the detox book. In it, there are pictures of different toxins and suggestions on how to improve your condition. Ammonia comes from the kidney, chlorine comes from the entire body, black flecks mean heavy metals, red flecks blood clot materials, white cheese-like particles are most likely yeast, foam is mucous from the lymph system, an oily surface indicates fatty/lactic/oxalid/uric acid, bubbles mean the aforementioned gas. After the 30 minutes is up, the color of the water specifies the origin of the toxins. Black comes from the liver, brown from the liver, tobacco, cellular debris. Green is from the gall bladder, orange from the joints, yellow-green from the kidney, bladder, urinary tract, female/prostate area.

After ooh-ing and aah-ing over the pictures of feet soaking in their own toxins, I eagerly stared at my own water, pointing out things that began to appear in it. "Look, mbak! Cheese-like particles!" "Foam! Is that foam?" My therapist patiently explained that she could not judge before the session was completed, then quietly slipped back to her desk. My feet felt slightly prickly. My eyes were fixated on the increasingly murky water, but after 15 minutes, I started to get bored. Note to self: bring a book next time.

By minute 30, the array automatically shut down. My therapist examined the disgusting foamy dark orange water in front of us, then concluded that I have yeast, mucous from my lymph system, heavy metals, gas. Ironically, the dark orange color of the water means either I suffer from migraines or have toxins in my joints. Since I only suffer from imaginary migraines, that means I have the latter. It's advisable not to drink cold water within one hour after the treatment.

I didn't feel weak after the process, but two hours afterward I did feel as if my head was being pricked by pins and needles, but no big deal. This morning, though, I woke up with no trace of the usual fatigue. Book me for the next session!

(Please note that this process is not suitable for children under the age of five or for adults with certain medical conditions)

Krabbe K. Piting