Are you the one who thinks that on a cheat day your detox drink or diet will flush out the toxins from your body? Hold on and read...
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Well, I have been a detox fan for ages. I thought my detox drink and diet could wash off my calories-loaded dietary sins. Splashing cucumber, mint and lemon has been my go-to after days of galloping junk food I crave.
So if you are the one who thinks that on a cheat day your detox drink or diet will flush out the toxins from your body, check this out. This article published in The Guardian, say: “You can’t detox your body - It’s a myth[1]”.
What the hell?
It means all those detoxifying tablets and capsules, detox tea, face masks, extracts scrub, bath salts, body wash and shampoos claiming to detoxify is nothing but a marketing gimmick - A way to lighten my wallet and increasing their sales.
Does that mean I was being sucked in by the detox industry?
The idea that I can flush my system of impurities and leave my organs squeaky clean and raring to go is a misconception. I have tried detox for clear skin, weight loss, healthy lever and what not. Oh my God! It is a scam.
Because in a healthy person, the flushing and cleaning impurities job is easily done by the organs. Yes, our liver, kidney, lungs and skin. And these body organs do not need any additional supplement to aid them.
I thought I could just lighten the burden of my organs by giving fancy supplements, luxury retreats, or a deep massage. (I thought I could use my money).
Ye! Hear to Edzard Ernst, emeritus professor of complementary medicine at Exeter University, who says that “there are two types of detox: one is respectable and the other isn’t.”
He says that, “the respectable one, 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.”
“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.”
It means the toxins and benefits of detox, which bloggers to pharmaceuticals rave about have no scientific evidence.
What are toxins?
I believed that toxins are mischievous plaques, which sit inside our gut, lurk in our colon for months or years, and pump disease-causing toxins back into my body. I assumed these toxins to be poisonous substance which build over the period of time due to our lifestyle.
Surprisingly, there is no such thing – no doctor has ever seen one of these mythical plaques, and many doctors warn against having the procedure done, saying that it can puncture bowel.
But,
What about the colon cleaning results?
Isn’t there are certain colon-cleansing tablets which clearly show the results? You look at the poo next morning and see the change.
Actually, these tablets contain a polymerising agent that turns our poo into something like a plastic with a colour change, making us believe that our system is cleaned.
What toxins are we talking about?
We have always heard a generic term ‘toxins’. Is there any name of the toxins?
Do we have a parameter to check if these toxins are cleaned from the system?
What is the scientific process of detoxification?
“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.
If they named the toxins, then it could be measured before and after treatment to test the effectiveness.”
Yes! Now it makes sense to me.
Can we detoxify alcohol and smoking?
So If you are the one who thinks that your alcohol-lubricated gut could be cleaned with the bottle of a detox drink. You would be disappointed. When you want to detox from alcohol, it means abstain.
Catherine Collins, an NHS dietician at St George’s Hospital, says, "give yourself a chance to reassess your drinking habits if you’re drinking too much. But the idea that your liver somehow needs to be ‘cleansed’ is ridiculous.”
So if you care for your liver, you have to stop loading it up.
Collins says. “The ultimate lifestyle ‘detox’ is not smoking, exercising and enjoying a healthy, balanced diet.”
What about super foods?
What about the super foods like broccoli – sprouts, mustard plants, and cabbages?
They contain cyanide. Eating it provides a tiny bit of poison that, like alcohol, primes the enzymes in your liver to deal better with any other poisons.
A balanced diet adds up to healthy lifestyle. But avoid expecting cleaning miracles from the diet.
Why detox industry huge?
There is a lot of money in the health and fitness industry and we are hard-wired to want to detox. Clean up post-sin looks promising and reduces inner guilt.
“It’s a scandal,” says Ernst. “It’s criminal exploitation of the gullible man on the street and it sort of keys into something that we all would love to have – a simple remedy that frees us of our sins, so to speak. It’s nice to think that it could exist, but unfortunately, it doesn’t.”
Also, Peter Ayton, a professor of psychology at City University London, says “that many of our consumer decisions are made in ignorance and supposition, which is rarely challenged or informed. So if people see somebody with apparently the right credentials, they think they’re listening to a respectable medic and trust their advice.”
Conclusion:
Though we all appreciate the idea of detoxification. After all, who doesn’t want a quick fix. But it’s a disappointment to know that what we have been assuming that we could wash away our dietary sins with miraculous detox items - Sadly, a myth.
[1] You can’t detox your body. It’s a myth. So how do you get healthy? | Health & wellbeing | The Guardian
Nice insight on detoxification!