I walked into the Santa Cruz room at the Embassy Suites Hotel in North Phoenix just in time to catch the beginning of Dr. Jeff Ulery's lecture on joint mobility. Dr. Jeff, a chiropractor, works out of Dr. Bruce Shelton's office, and was one of the presenters at the May, 2002 HEEL seminar. A few minutes into his lecture, Jeff introduced Bob Moroney, who was standing next to him with a small tub of water. Bob proceeded to place Egon Langraf's feet in the water that contained a plastic module attached to a power supply. While Jeff talked and cameras rolled, the water around Egon's feet turned a bright yellow-green, then orange, then brown, with prodigious quantities of fatty material floating on top.

Jeff interrupted his lecture to allow Bob to explain the strange transformation of ordinary tap water into a tub of Technicolor sludge. Bob explained that the water module utilizes low voltage direct current to separate the water molecule into positive and negative ions. The ions travel through the body, attaching to and neutralizing oppositely charged particles, and osmosis pulls the neutralized particles out through whatever surfaces are exposed to the water. I can regulate the ion mix according to the pH of the body by changing the direction (polarity) of the electrical flow. The positive polarity produces more negative ions, and the negative polarity more positive ions. Actually, I determine what ion mix the body wants through muscle testing, but there seems to be a strong correlation between saliva pH and what the body tests for. In 25 tests, we have determined that an alkaline saliva will muscle test for a predominantly negative polarity, and vise versa for an acid saliva.¹ Keep in mind that positive and negative are electrical terms that refer to the poles that the current flows to; not the predominant ion charge. The colors and the sludge in the water are produced by the ionization interaction of the current flow, the metal in the module and the toxins in the water and body.

Bob was asked if he could explain the chemistry of what's happening in the water.

"I'll try. The process of separating oxygen and hydrogen is known as decomposition, which means oxidation-reduction reaction. Oxidation means giving up electrons and reduction means gaining electrons. Water is oxidized at the anode. The reaction is 2H2O --- O2 + 4H+ + 4e- where 4e- stands for 4 negatively charged electrons that are given up in the oxidation process.²

Water is reduced at the cathode. The reaction is 4H2O + 4e- --- 2H2 + 4OH- where the 4e- stands for the electrons that are gained in the reduction process.³ In the overall decomposition reaction, the volume of H2 produced is twice the volume of O2: 2H2O --- 2H2 + O2.⁴ What we have, therefore, are free negative and positive ions circulating in a water solution (the physical body is a water solution), and occasionally combining to form H2O2, other known as hydrogen peroxide."⁵

So are we dealing with free hydrogen, free oxygen and various combinations of both, and what are the effects of these combinations on the human body?

"Majid Ali, M.D., author of Oxygen and Aging,⁶ states that when functional, oxygen provides the basic drive from human metabolism, is the quarterback detox molecule of the body, and is nature's most potent a ntimicrobial agent. Thus, it is the guardian angel of human health. When dysfunctional, oxygen is oxidizing, acidifying and dysoxygenative.⁷ In chapter seven, he presents extensive research linking several chronic disorders including fibromyalgia, CFS, environmental sensitivity syndrome and Gulf War syndrome, to pleomorphic forms and faulty oxygen metobolism.⁸

I don't claim that the IonCleanse cures these conditions, but several doctors have told me that patients report feeling better after a series of treatments. Obviously, a periodic infusion of oxygen makes it more difficult for these microorganisms to proliferate, especially if the oxygen was accompanied by a pH change."

"What do you mean by pH change," I asked.

"As I said earlier, the H+ and OH- ions produced in the water can be regulated, according to what the body needs. Since we individually muscle test for positive and negative polarity preference, I can only assume that the body decides preference, based on how it wants blood pH to be balanced, a conclusion which is supported by Dr. McLain's saliva tests in Dallas. An acid pH provides an ideal breeding ground for worms, parasites, microorganisms, and other critters that lower body function and cause disease.

I recently read about the work of Dr. Charles Farr in a book by Nathaniel Altman, called Axygen Healing Therapies.⁹ Apparently, Farr was the major researcher of oxygen healing therapies which included hyperbaric, ozone and hydrogen peroxide. These therapies accomplish the same result -- increasing the amount of oxygen available to the body -- and are therefore interchangeable. Hyperbaric is expensive because of the capital investment required, but ozone and hydrogen peroxide are cheap and easy to administer. Farr reported excellent results with a host of conditions too numerous to list here. It appears from his research that oxygen deficiency is endemic to Humankind, and lack of oxygen underlies most of the diseases that plague us. I see ionization technology as a way to help people avoid disease, and live more energetic lives."

A question came from the audience: What happens if no feet are in the water?

"The water will change color as the particulate matter in it become neutralized by the ionization process. Phoenix water has a lot of particulate matter in it, but you can still tell the difference between that stuff and what is coming out of the human body. The water matter will easily rinse out of the bucket while the human sludge will require scouring and scrubbing to remove.  A lot of human sludge comes out encased in fat and mucous, which are sticky substances."

I asked if any tests (have) been done to access water contents after a session.

"Yes. We know from a small study done by Dr. Michael Lebowitz in Grand Junction with a first generation unit that showed a hundredfold increase in the excretion of aluminum out of the urine.¹⁰ A feces test would have been more appropriate, but Michael was not up to the task. Dr. David Shiflet conducted a before and after water metal content study, involving 12 patients at an EPA lab in Phoenix in 2001. That study showed impressive increases in water metal balances after treatment with a second generation unit.¹¹ We are presently conducting a much broader study involving four doctors and fifteen patients, doing both 24-hour urine and before and after water metal tests. These results should be available at the end of July, 2002."

Dr. Ulery interjected is personal experiences with the unit into the discussion. "We've been using this technology in Dr. Shelton's office for several months. It has been a tremendous help with virtually all the problems we work on as chiropractors. In accelerates our work with the laser, adjustor and percussor because it speeds the release of toxins out of the body. We also do emotional release work, and it helps to clear the system and minimize patient discomfort. We use it every day with most of our patients."

Bob set up two units in back of the room, and gave treatments to attendees for the remainder of the afternoon and all day Saturday. I had a front row seat, and as the sessions progressed I formulated a few questions of my own.

I notice slight differences in each treatment, but the colors seem to remain the same.  Why?

"Think of everything as water. The air we breathe is water, we are seventy-percent water, the food we eat and of course the water we drink and shower in. The toxins in your body are the same as the toxins in mine, only the proportion and locations are different. My body may have a better functioning lymph system than yours, but your kidneys may function better than mine. You will probably accumulate more lymphatic material, while I will accumulate material that is attracted to the kidney area of the body. The ionized water color is Boise, Idaho is light green because of the kinds of chemicals used in that area. I noticed that many of the people I treated there complained of physical problems relating to the lower abdominal area. In Denver, my hometown, the ionized water color is orange, which related to joints, and I saw a preponderance of joint problems in my practice, compared to kidneys. Chinese physicians are well aware of the relationship between health problems and geographical area."

I noticed that one older lady did not dump anything into the water. Why?

"The stronger you are, the more you release, and the more treatments you do, the more you release. That lady recently recovered from a severe bout of the flu and was still quite weak. She tested for only fifteen minutes in the positive. You need to be careful with weak people. Any form of detoxification requires body energy. Strong people experience an energy increase and their bodies feel lighter, but you can easily overtax a recovering patients."

I had an opportunity to experience an up-close result with our graphic designer, Cristi Terrazas, who was suffering from edema throughout her body. She took a treatment on Saturday and a second on Monday. In that brief span, her body size shrunk noticeably. She reported an increase in energy and her disposition clearly improved. An impressive result. Judging from the doctors' responses to the treatment, she was not the only success. Next issue: Before and after results of bath water tests and 24-hr. urine samples.

¹Unpublished research by William McLain, N.D., Dallas, Tx., 877-603-1090 May, 02. ²www.chem.uiue.edu/demos/elec.html, University of Illinois, Chemistry Department. ³ibid. ⁴ibid. ⁵ibid. ⁶Ali, M., Oxygen And Aging, Chapter Nine, pp 207-255, Aging Healthfully, New York. ⁷ibid. pg. 254. ⁸ibid. Chapter 7, pp 133-175 ⁹Altman, N., Oxygen Healing Therapies, Healing Arts Press, Rochester, Vt., 1998. ¹⁰Michael Lebowitz D.C., Grant Junction, Colorado, June, 2000, 24hr-Urine Analysis on One Patient. ¹¹David Shiflet, D.C., Before and After Water Mineral Content Study of Twelve Patients Conducted At EPA Laboratory in Phoenix, Arizona, July, 2001.