Categories

Detoxification nonsense spotlighted

Posted 21 March 2023

Two recent articles expose the false notion that popular detoxification regimens are health-enhancing:

  • Jonathan Jarry notes: “Binders are just the latest products to be added to the detox economy. Its end users, already choked by consumerism and trained to see evil lurking in their modern surroundings, are again told they’re not spending enough money keeping themselves healthy.” [Jarry J. You don’t need a binder in your detox kit, and you don’t need a detox kit. McGill Office for Science and Society, Jan 13, 2023]

Source: Consumer Health Digest #23-03, January 15, 2023

Read the rest

Detoxing debunked

Posted 14 January 2019

Vox has published a brief article accompanied by an informative four-minute YouTube video explaining that unless you are a heroin addict or are at risk of alcohol poisoning, you probably don’t need a ‘detox.’

Belluz J, Haubursin C. Products that promise “detox” are a sham. Yes, all of them. Vox. Jan 2, 2019

Read the rest

Detoxing is the health ‘resolution’ you should avoid this year

Posted 08 January 2018

  • Detoxing by drinking  juices, going on cleanses, or using other formulas is unnecessary and may be dangerous.
  • Juicing fresh fruits and vegetables also strips them of some of their most beneficial ingredients.

Ever wished there was an easy, quick way to cleanse your body of all those 2017 toxins?

Turns out you’re already equipped with everything you need. They’re called your liver and kidneys.

Together, these two toxin-bashing organs act as a super-efficient system for filtering out the vast majority of the harmful substances we eat and drink.

In other words, you never need to detox. Not for New Year’s Day. Not after too much Thanksgiving turkey. Not even because you spent most of last year subsisting on greasy take-out from the C-rated “restaurant” next door.

Here’s how it works: While our kidneys filter our blood and remove any waste from our diet, our liver processes Read the rest

Top ten signs your detox may be a scam

Posted 29 December 2017

From Science Based Medicine

As we prepare to welcome 2018, it’s time to start thinking about your New Year’s resolutions. And what better way to start fresh in 2018 than by literally purging yourself of 2017, inside and out? You may already been seeing advertisements for all forms of detox products and services: Your local pharmacy likely has a shelf of supplements and kits that promise a svelte, glowing you within a few days. A Facebook post is promoting lemon juice, cayenne and maple syrup as a cure-all. Or there’s your local naturopathic clinic promoting IV vitamin infusions – not only will a detox make you feel better, you’ll look better too.

Unfortunately, most of the hype around detox is useless at best, and expensive and potentially harmful, at worst. Most detoxes are only successful at cleaning you of your savings, not your toxins. Here are Read the rest

The anatomy of a detox scam

Posted 02 October 2017

It is surprisingly easy to sell snake-oil. I know, because I’ve done it. In 2014, I helped create and sell The Right Detox. This was a bogus detoxification program that purported to improve anyone’s well-being and perhaps, cure disease. I was the face of the scam. I launched The Right Detox at a spring-time women’s health expo in Tucson, Arizona.

This article, written by Britt Hermes, a Naturopath, argues that all forms of detox are scams. We agree.

Read the complete article at Naturopathic Diaries

Read the rest

The detox scam

Posted 05 January 2017

An excellent article published on Science Based Medicine explaining why ‘detoxing’ is a scam.

[quote]It seems about once a year we remind our readers that detox is a scam. The basic idea is that modern life results in the accumulation of “toxins” in your body, and every now and then you should have a tune up by flushing those toxins out. The specific toxins are never mentioned. There is also no basic science reason or clinical evidence to support the notion that the methods recommended actually remove any specific toxins from the body.[/quote] [quote]The term “detox,” however, has been hijacked for clever marketing of worthless products and treatments. Like much of what happens under the umbrella of so-called alternative medicine, a successful marketing slogan is more important than science or evidence. “Detox” is now frequently attached to many dubious treatments as a handwaving explanation for… Read the rest

Vaginal ‘detox pearls’: the latest in our toxic obsession with disinfection

Posted 11 February 2016

“One of the most popular disinfectant cleaning products sold today was commonly employed as a post-coital douche in the 1920s. Yes, that’s right. The brave women of yesteryear were routinely douching with Lysol to get rid of unwanted odours and also as a form of birth control.”

“In the intervening years, women have learned that we don’t need Lysol to safeguard our dainty feminine allure. We now know that our vaginas are, for the most part, self-sufficient and self-cleaning, naturally able to regulate pH levels with a spate of healthy bacteria and microorganisms.”

[quote]First it was Gwyneth Paltrow advising us to steam our vaginas; now it’s ‘detox pearls’, little sachets of aromatic herbs inserted into the vagina, that are intended to ‘detox’ a woman’s womb. I am not kidding you with this shit.[/quote]

Read the full article by Madeleine Somerville, published in The Read the rest