This article is part of a series on |
Alternative medicine |
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Detoxification | |
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Alternative therapy | |
Claims | Removal of unspecified toxins from the body |
Detoxification (often shortened to detox and sometimes called body cleansing) is a type of alternative-medicine treatment which aims to rid the body of unspecified "toxins" – substances that proponents claim accumulate in the body over time and have undesirable short-term or long-term effects on individual health. It is not to be confused with detoxification carried out by the liver and kidneys, which filter the blood and remove harmful substances to be processed and eliminated from the body.[1][2] Activities commonly associated with detoxification include dieting, fasting, consuming exclusively or avoiding specific foods (such as fats, carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables, juices, herbs), colon cleansing, chelation therapy, certain kinds of IV therapy and the removal of dental fillings containing amalgam.
Scientists and health organizations have criticized the concept of detoxification for its unsound scientific basis and for the lack of evidence for claims made.[3] The "toxins" usually remain undefined, with little to no evidence of toxic accumulation in the patient. The British organisation Sense about Science has described some detox diets and commercial products as "a waste of time and money",[4] while the British Dietetic Association called the idea "nonsense" and a "marketing myth".[5] Dara Mohammadi summarizes "detoxing" as "a scam [...] a pseudo-medical concept designed to sell you things", and Edzard Ernst, emeritus professor of complementary medicine, describes it as a term for conventional medical treatments for addiction which has been "hijacked by entrepreneurs, quacks and charlatans to sell a bogus treatment".[6]
Mayo Clinic Website
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).Your liver represents the human body's primary filtration system, converting toxins into waste products, cleansing your blood, and metabolizing nutrients and medications to provide the body with some of its most important proteins.
2015rev
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).senseaboutscience.org.uk
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).bda
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).[...] 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.