An independent health journalist interviews Gudrun Jonsson about her experiences with the iolife equipment since 2006.

Therapist and author Gudrun Jonsson says simply of her latest treatment: “It does not matter what is wrong with you, this will always make you feel better.”

A trained biopath and nutritionist with over 22 years experience, she does not make the claim lightly.

At her practice in London, Gudrun has trialled the Iolife machine for more than a year on patients ranging from a 12-year-old boy with a rare syndrome with autistic characteristics to a 90-year-old woman recovering from major abdominal surgery.

Gudrun, whose patients include many actors and actresses, believes the digestive system is at the core of all health problems. She describes it as “our weakest design.”

Her two best-selling books, Gut Reaction and The Gut Reaction Eating Plan, emphasise the importance of reducing toxicity in the body, which benefits not only the body, but also the mind, the emotions and the spirit.

The purpose of Biopathy is to reverse any degenerative process of the body through the reduction of known stress factors and she believes that Iolife treatment helps to speed up that process leaving her patients with more energy.

Gudrun was introduced to the Iolife machine by its Danish inventor John Wetling, who in 1996 treated Crown Prince Henrik of Denmark, consort to Queen Margrethe II, for agonising back pain connected to a slipped disc and an infection in the spinal chord following surgery. Three days after his first treatment the Royal Prince was back in the saddle.

And convinced that Iolife was responsible for his pain relief, he had further treatment for a long-standing frozen shoulder. This also responded well.

Since then, every member of the Danish Royal family has been treated with Iolife for a range of conditions and today, over 1,000 patients in Denmark receive Iolife treatment every day.

Iolife is a non-invasive treatment and works in a similar way to acupuncture but without the use of needles.

With the patients lying or sitting in a comfortable position, the equipment is directed by the therapist on to the area deemed to be most appropriate. It can be the soles of the feet, the face, head, neck or a specific area of the body.

The Iolife machine then creates a concentrated stream of charged ions which release their charge when they make contact with the skin, creating an alkalising effect on the lymphatic system throughout the body.

In turn, the current helps to stimulate the body’s natural energy channels and defence system. The patient often feels a warm sensation.

Gudrun says: “I tell my patients to think of the treatment like a speedboat – it will speed up the necessary changes to the digestive process which can take two to three months, and make them feel better, faster.

“Although the changes can be subtle at first, most people experience more energy and feel more centred after a few treatments. At first, the effects may last for a day or so but gradually they will feel better for two to three weeks before their energy levels may drop again, depending on their original condition.”

She believes it helps to restore a balance in the digestive system, reducing acidity and increasing alkalinity.

“I liken it to looking at fat molecules under a microscope and watching as they disperse in a washing-up liquid-type solution,” she says. “That is the effect Iolife has on the body.”

The treatment itself is relaxing and painless. “It acts like a meditation without my patients having to do anything,” she says. “Some actually fall asleep during the treatment.”

Gudrun has used the treatment, often in conjunction with dietary advice, reflexology o