You Can’t Detox Your Body. It’s A Myth.

Whether it’s cucumbers splashing into water or models sitting smugly next to a pile of vegetables, it’s tough not to be sucked in by the detox industry. The idea that you can wash away your calorific sins is the perfect antidote to our fast-food lifestyles and alcohol-lubricated social lives. But before you dust off that juicer or take the first tentative steps towards a colonic irrigation clinic, there’s something you should know: detoxing – the idea that you can flush your system of impurities and leave your organs squeaky clean and raring to go – is a scam. It’s a pseudo-medical concept designed to sell you things.

“Let’s be clear,” says Edzard Ernst, emeritus professor of complementary medicine at Exeter University, “there are two types of detox: one is respectable and the other isn’t.” The respectable one, he says, is the medical treatment of people with life-threatening drug addictions. “The other is the word being hijacked by entrepreneurs, quacks and charlatans to sell a bogus treatment that allegedly detoxifies your body of toxins you’re supposed to have accumulated.”

If toxins did build up in a way your body couldn't excrete, he says, you'd likely be dead or in need of serious medical intervention. “The healthy body has kidneys, a liver, skin, even lungs that are detoxifying as we speak,” he says. “There is no known way – certainly not through detox treatments – to make something that works perfectly well in a healthy body work better.”

Much of the sales patter revolves around “toxins”: poisonous substances that you ingest or inhale. But it’s not clear exactly what these toxins are. If they were named they could be measured before and after treatment to test effectiveness.

Well this may upset some people that swear by the cleanse method. Personally I am glad this bit of information came my way because the process seems very unpleasant. I was looking into doing it when I stumbled on to this article. Now it is off the table for me because I don't see any benefit from trying it. I am sure there will be those who completely disagree with the findings they may even have some personal testimonies but I will have to go with science on this. If it did work as claimed then the companies selling them should be able to name the toxins. Right?

However...

When the scientists asked for evidence behind the claims, not one of the manufacturers could define what they meant by detoxification, let alone name the toxins. www.theguardian.com...

If you are on the fence about a expensive detox regimen like I was then this should be of interest to you.

I already knew this as I had researched this topic in reference to drug testing for... reasons. The quick acting ones are just masks that mask your pee and the long acting ones take about a month to work (which, coincidently, is the standard time that it takes for your body to normally process the impurities in your body).

a reply to: Grimpachi

Great I was planning on having burgers and water to detox after, now I can skip the water

a reply to: PsychoEmperor

Add cheesy fries dipped in motor oil and a nice thick plastic melt milk shake and you got yourself a meal!

ive always figured it was a scam.
all the detox drink BS
youre gonna get a load of people coming into this thread with their personal success stories of a body cleanse with vinegar and ceyanne pepper and how broccoli cures cancer
its coming

I've tried to explain this to my wife, but, she will buy those friggin' products after listening to her crony girlfriends who talk about "detoxing the body". now she will just walk away from me when I bring it up, so, to keep peace in the family, I ignore it

The air is toxic, the water is toxic, plastics, treated leathers, surfaces, chemical-based materials, etc, etc, etc. I don't consider anything truly organic. Plus who knows what cooking utensils and pots and pans release into food? Plus, no matter what you do the body will always have impurities.

a reply to: Grimpachi

Wow wow wow something i was just thinking about getting into i feel like i need a good detox daammm

a reply to: Krazysh0t

I was considering doing it but kept putting it off and I am glad I did. Now I will not waste my time, money, or taste buds on the process.

If there is no medical benefit then there is no point in torturing myself with them.

a reply to: Grimpachi

Best detox you can take has existed harmoniously with humans since, well forever. Good ole dihydrogen monoxide.

originally posted by: Grovit
ive always figured it was a scam.
all the detox drink BS
youre gonna get a load of people coming into this thread with their personal success stories of a body cleanse with vinegar and ceyanne pepper and how broccoli cures cancer
its coming

Yeah I figured that will probably happen but for those like myself who were on the fence/considering the torture test hopefully this will help them.

I know a woman thats into that crap. She also sells weight loss wraps. If those worked honey why the hell are you so fat?!?! Hopefully she's wraps one around her head so I don't have to here her talk anymore...

It depends on what you mean by detox. There are scientifically proven substances that help liver and other organs. One of these is Milk Thistle which has been scientifically proven to cleanse and repair the liver.

I don't believe in the cleanses, but I'm still a believer that good real food, home cooked, and real salads, home made, will go a long way in "detoxifying"

If people keep eating frankenfoods, and sugary crap, bad health will follow.

Eat your veggies, and real foods without massive amounts of chemical preservatives, and the bad health will be replaced by better health.

a reply to: Thebel

I don't know about detoxing effects of Milk Thistle but it is supposed to help repair the liver which the liver will detox your body that is what is supposed to do.

Bottle of Milk Thistle at the health food store is about $6 and you only take a few drops a day. I wouldn't even put that into the category of detox regimens.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

I haven't seen that brought up in a long time. Yeah water does wonders.

originally posted by: Thebel
It depends on what you mean by detox. There are scientifically proven substances that help liver and other organs. One of these is Milk Thistle which has been scientifically proven to cleanse and repair the liver.

Nope.

There is no causal evidence of Milk Thistle helping the liver. No mechanism for the supposed health claims have ever been found.

originally posted by: Grimpachi
a reply to: Krazysh0t

I haven't seen that brought up in a long time. Yeah water does wonders.

Yep, you just have to be careful with using it. Too much can kill you.

a reply to: Grimpachi

You make it seem like toxification is trivial and detoxification is a worthless pursuit.

Those implications are both false.

Water can and will detoxify your body. There are innumerable chemical toxins that enter your body. Your body has evolved ways to eliminate many these through the organs. Any substance that supports organ health is a detox treatment.

If you want to support intellectual honestly, you should address specific toxins and specific treatments. Why don't you start with chlorella? There are a number of field studies published that are readily available showing clear reduction is the action of heavy metals in organic systems and reduced mortality in humans by ingesting chlorophyll/chlorella.

My point is.. be smart, be specific. If you don't, someone reading this will resolve the ambiguity by inserting what they already thought. Maybe you already knew that?

Since most of the cleanses seem to include a laxative, it's basically the excessive pooping that makes people think they're being cleansed.

When I heard about the laxative, I responded that I was going to do the "Taco Bell Cleanse." Just as effective without drinking spicy lemonade for 2 weeks.