Detoxification - does it exist? page

[YogaBare]

At times around here when people have mentioned detoxification there's been some voices claiming that "detox doesn't exist".

What are the theories for and against?

[eKatherine]

When I hear "detox" I think of raw vegans who consider every symptom of malnutrition, no matter how many years have passed since full purification of their diet, to be signs of further "detox". It may exist in the short term, but I think the concept is very overused.

[trevork]

At times around here when people have mentioned detoxification there's been some voices claiming that "detox doesn't exist".

What are the theories for and against?

I swear, if I hear detox or cleanse in the same sentence again, I'm going to explode. Just a way to sell product I think!

[skorpion317]

Your liver does the job of detoxification. Not some BS drink or pill. Eat clean, healthy foods, and your body will do the job on its own.

[JoanieL]

You can detox an old home by getting lead paint removed. And substance abusers detox when they get sober for whatever period of time it takes to clear the body of the substance.

I guess even carb flu can feel like detoxing. But I don't know if we can detox from every day toxins. How can you stop breathing in pollution? If a person isn't eating totally organic and pastured, how can they ever be pollutant free? And if the govt keeps adding to the list of what's considered 'organic,' how can we be sure that even that is helping us? Also, I believe that there are some toxins (metals maybe?) that never leave the body.

So, I don't think drinking juice or lemon and cayenne pepper or even just water for 10 days will make much difference in one's health overall.

Autophagy is different, and fasting does help with that.

[eKatherine]

You can detox an old home by getting lead paint removed. And substance abusers detox when they get sober for whatever period of time it takes to clear the body of the substance.

I guess even carb flu can feel like detoxing. But I don't know if we can detox from every day toxins. How can you stop breathing in pollution? If a person isn't eating totally organic and pastured, how can they ever be pollutant free? And if the govt keeps adding to the list of what's considered 'organic,' how can we be sure that even that is helping us? Also, I believe that there are some toxins (metals maybe?) that never leave the body.

So, I don't think drinking juice or lemon and cayenne pepper or even just water for 10 days will make much difference in one's health overall.

Autophagy is different, and fasting does help with that.

Over a period of time we can of course lose many of the contaminants our body has picked up, provided we have stopped exposure. But I think the idea that for each of these there is an equivalent to "carb flu", or that drinking a concoction of chemicals (formerly known as a "purge", now called a "cleanse") is a good way to undertake this process is pseudoscience.

[YogaBare]

What about symptoms of detox?

Autophagy is different, and fasting does help with that.

How is it different?

[Hawkward]

I'm assuming that by detox you mean something similar to the "bromide detox" discussed in the huge thread on iodine. When people would report symptoms such as nausea or dizziness, other posters would respond that the iodine was forcing bromide out of the person's cells and that was causing the symptoms. I always thought it was more likely that the symptoms were caused by the iodine itself (if too much was taken too soon), or by taking too much of the "co-supplements" that were recommended with it. In particular, selenium toxicity can cause those types of symptoms.

So bottom line, i think people can "detox" by ceasing to ingest toxic things, but I don't really buy into detox as described above. But then again I'm not a doctor, nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

[Zach]

No, there is only healthy an sick. If your organs are not working correctly then there will be a build up of toxins. If you correct that then toxins will be removed. So in that sense i guess you could call it a detox. Feeling like shit from an extended juice fast or taking some herb and blaming symptoms of a sickness on detox is not rational.

[MEversbergII]

What about symptoms of detox?



How is it different?

Unless I'm mistaken, in these "detox" programs, your body doesn't really do anything different. During autophagy, your cells actively alter some portion of their function. That is to say, autophagy has actual action, while "detox" does nothing.

M.