ionunit MK6 Iontophoresis Kit User Guide

ionunit MK6 Iontophoresis Kit

What’s inside your kit:

1. Ionunit controller
2. Connector cables x 2
3. Cloth separators x 2
4. Stainless steel plates x 2
5. USB charger
6. USB charging cable
7. Remote switch
8. Quick-Start Guide

A durable carry case that doubles as treatment trays

Setting up

• Set up the opened case on a level surface.
• Place the stainless steel plates into the treatment trays formed by the case.
• Cover the plates with a cloth or paper separators.
• Connect a blue connector cable from each plate to each of the sockets on the controller.
• Plugin the remote switch, if required.
• Clean and rinse the areas to be treated.
• Cover any cuts or abrasions with a barrier cream, such as petroleum jelly in order to avoid concentrated current areas that could result in a stinging sensation.
• Fill each tray with warm tap water, to a level that covers the areas to be treated (typically, to a level halfway up the sides of the hands or feet).
• In some cases, the local tap water may be too “soft” or may not contain sufficient minerals to provide adequate conduction. Add a couple of teaspoons of non-iodized salt and/or bicarbonate of soda to each tray.
• More extreme cases of problematic tap water might require the use of standard saline solution instead.

Operating instructions

• Press “ON” to power up the control unit (Figure 1).
• Select the treatment profile using the “HOME” button or the up (+)/down (-) arrows (Figure 2) once the select pointer appears.
• Press “ENTER” to open the selected profile (Figure 3).
• Press “ENTER” again to transition to the RUN page (Figure 4).
• The battery indicator shows the state of charge.
• Place hands/feet into the trays to commence treatment.
• When ready, press “ENTER” to start the treatment.
• If alone and treating hands, place one hand into the water and use the other hand to press “ENTER”.The voltage (V) will rise, searching for the user to complete the circuit. Place the other hand into the water when the voltage is moving through its lower values.
• The current (mA) will ramp up to the pre-set value and the timer indicators (minutes, seconds) and the progress bar will appear. The voltage (V) will settle at the value needed to produce the required current (mA).
• If the treatment does not commence, remove the hands/feet and add salt and/or bicarbonate of soda to the water (about one to two teaspoons each tray) and try again.
• Treatment commences in the FWD direction (polarity one).
• Pressing the “ENTER” button (directly under STOP) will pause the treatment and the current will ramp down. To continue the treatment from where it was paused, press the “ENTER” button again.
• Pressing the “HOME” button will cause the current to ramp down and return to the treatment profile selection page (Figure 2).
• After the pre-set time has elapsed, the current will ramp down, the polarity will reverse and the current will ramp up again, in the other direction (REV).
• After the pre-set time elapses a second time, the current will ramp down, completing the treatment session.
• Remove hands/feet (or under-arms kit) before turning the unit off.
• Turn off the control unit by pressing “OFF”.
• Disconnect the plates.
• Empty the trays, then rinse the trays, plates, and cloths.
• The stainless steel plates (and under-arm paddles) can be cleaned using conventional dishwashing detergent and a gentle pot scourer. Rinse well and buff with a clean towel or cloth.
• The cloth separators and under-arm socks can be laundered using a gentle wash. Do not add fabric softener. Rinse well.
• Allow drying completely if packing away.
• The current level can be increased or decreased during treatment as required, by pressing the “+” or “-” keys on the remote switch or the up/down arrows on the control unit. The user may wish to increase the treatment currently, if still comfortable.
• A high setting (above 10 mA) is not necessarily more effective.
• Decrease the default setting if any discomfort is experienced.
• Too low a setting (below 2 mA) will probably be less effective.
• If necessary, the user may pause the treatment for a short while by pressing “ENTER” (STOP). The current can be decreased while treatment is taking place prior to stopping treatment. To resume treatment, press “ENTER” (RUN). The current will ramp up to where it left off. Increase current back to treatment level if reduced prior to pausing.
• Avoid direct contact with the metal electrodes during treatment. Make sure that they are covered by the separators. If treating the underarms, make sure that the paddles are fully wrapped and thoroughly soaked.
• The control unit ceases treatment if the battery level is allowed to drop to one bar (red). It is best to keep the control unit charged to around 4 bars when storing long term.
• Hands and feet can be treated simultaneously by separating the trays. Place one tray on the floor to accommodate both feet. Place both hands into the other tray. Profile 2 (feet) may be used as the default setting. Generally, it has been found to be more effective to treat hands and feet separately.
• Profile 4 provides user-defined settings of current and treatment time, which are then stored in memory.

Safety tips:

Three trip conditions are programmed into the Ion unit. If any of these trips are triggered, the unit will cease operation and the voltage will run down to zero. Upon reset, the operation will resume.

Over-voltage

• This trip appears under the voltage (V) gauge and signifies that the voltage increased above the set safety limit of 45 V.
• This trip can occur if the resistance of the circuit is formed by the user and the water is too high and the unit is not able to reach the treatment current (mA) during ramp-up.
• It can also occur during treatment if the treatment current setpoint is increased using the up arrow or remote switch and the voltage rises above 45 V, in an attempt to reach and maintain the treatment current.
• Add non-iodized salt and/or bicarbonate of soda to the water to lower the circuit resistance.
• Make sure that hands/feet are clean and devoid of any moisturizers or oils.
• Use warm water in the treatment trays and soak the hands/feet before treatment.
• Ideally, the voltage during treatment should lie somewhere between 10 V and 30 V.

Over-current

• This trip appears under the current (mA) gauge and signifies that the current has increased above the set safety limit of 20 mA.
• This condition is unlikely to occur during normal operation.
• However, it can arise under a short-circuit condition (touching of plates) or if the current setpoint is set at or near-maximum (20 mA) and the current momentarily rises above 20 mA during a ramp-up.

Open-circuit

• This trip appears under the current (mA) gauge and signifies that the circuit formed by the user and the water has been broken, typically by the removal of a hand or foot.
• For user convenience, if the user wishes to remove hands and there is no one to operate the down arrow and the remote is not plugged in, the unit may be tripped on purpose as follows:
• Roll one hand up onto the fingertips. The voltage will then rise in order to maintain the treatment currently.
• Once the voltage has increased by more than 5 V, the unit will trip on Open-circuit and the voltage ramp down to zero, allowing the user to remove hands without risk of a shock sensation.

To reset the trips

• Press RUN (“ENTER”) once the voltage and current have run down to zero.
• To continue, press RUN (“ENTER”) again. The unit will resume operation.
• Otherwise, press Home (“HOME”) to return to the selection page.

Charging the unit

• Plug the USB cable into the socket at the top of the unit and into the USB charger.
• Plug the charger into a suitable mains outlet.
• The RED LED indicator will illuminate while charging is taking place.
• Charging will be complete once the GREEN LED indicator illuminates.
• As a safety measure, the unit will not be able to operate while plugged into the mains during charging.

Under-arm treatment

• The under-arm kit can be purchased separately (see website).
• Thoroughly soak the double cotton socks, covering the paddles, in warm tap water.
• Connect the paddles to the controller using the blue connector cables.
• Under-arms should be free of deodorants/antiperspirants.
• Select the under-arm profile (Profile 3) or set your own values (Profile 4) and perform the treatment.
• Ensure that the socks remain thoroughly soaked throughout, stopping treatment if necessary to re-soak them.

Methodology

• Users sit with their hands/feet in shallow trays filled with tap water while the control device passes a few milliamps of current through the water.
• The process requires 6 to 8 treatments on average, no more than once per day.
• The treatments can be carried out daily or even every second or third day.
• The user then switches to a maintenance schedule of one treatment every two or so weeks or even months as required to prevent the return of hyperhidrosis.
• In rare, difficult cases, certain prescription drugs may be added to the water.

Treating hyperhidrosis with iontophoresis

• Studies show that close to 100 % of users with excessive sweating have been helped.
• During iontophoresis treatment, a very mild electric current is passed through water and into the affected areas, through the skin’s surface.
• The treatment is non-invasive as it is applied only through intact skin.
• There are no significant side effects, and benefits are long-term with the use of a maintenance schedule.

Please visit our website for more information. www.ionunit.com

References

• Ionunit

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