Structured, alkaline and hydrogen water machines

Domain XII · Complementary, energy & biofield

What it is

Three overlapping product families sold for drinking at home:

Format

• The therapist's work alongside it: phases. There is no session count; this work is woven into ongoing therapy, usually across one to three sessions when the topic is live, then revisited at review.
• Notice and ask (any session): goal is an accurate, non-judgemental record of what the client uses, why, cost and who recommended it. Move on when use, purpose and any medical involvement are known.

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Who practises it. Distributors, retailers and online sellers; there is no licensed practitioner role. Some distributors present the machines as medical devices used in Japanese hospitals.
• Regulation, by jurisdiction (one line each).
• Japan: a Japanese manufacturer states its alkaline-ion water units are approved as home-use medical devices aimed at improving gastrointestinal symptoms; Enagic states the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare certified its acidic water as an astringent (a skin-care use, not drinking); secondary reporting states Japanese law prohibits claims that the machines treat disease].

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• United States: on 9 December 2021 the FTC sent Enagic USA a cease-and-desist letter over participants' social-media claims that Kangen Water products prevent or treat COVID-19, required it to stop unsubstantiated health claims and cited its MLM guidance on companies' responsibility for…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Does it use a device, heat, cold, water or a physical procedure? Has a medical professional checked that it is safe for you?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• fear of retaliation from a recruiter or relative. Working when the client feels supported in whatever they choose.
• loss of other friendships; fear of being shunned. Working when the client feels free to question and keeps wider connections.
• a client feeling rejected; repeated offers (explore what they mean). Working when the boundary holds and the alliance stays intact.
• defensiveness or shame (slow down, return to 4.3); the client hearing it as an instruction. Working when the client weighs the information and stays engaged.
• secrecy from the medical team; worsening symptoms explained as "detox"; rising debt. Working when risks are named and a plan with the relevant professional is in place.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.