By Marc Courtiol
In the world of natural health, the word “detox” refers to the process of ridding the body of toxins and other potentially harmful substances. Over the past few years, the idea of detoxing has become immensely appealing to many people, even if many of the purported detox methods have not been medically vetted and would surely make doctors shake their heads. The contention that doing certain things can eliminate toxins from the body has not been proven. And although many people swear by these detox methods, there might be a placebo effect underlying many of the success stories.
Types of natural detox
The products and methods that have been developed to cater to the detox craze run the gamut. The most popular category of detoxes are colon cleanses, which encourage detoxing people to take a certain regimen of food and drink over several days to flush the toxins out of the system. Others encourage people to eat or drink a great deal of one or two things. For example, the so-called apple cleanse is supposed to help the user clean out his or her system by eating nothing but apples for several days.
Other cleanses are arguably much more dangerous because they involve fasting. For example, some detox advocates encourage people to go on water fasts, which, obviously, involve consuming nothing (or very little) but water for several days. Similar fasts include consuming nothing but juice. Cleanses such as these come with serious health risks.
And of course, we could also put colonic irrigation into the category of detoxes. Colonic irrigation is a more formal medical treatment that actually qualifies as a minor form of surgery. Promoted by alternative health practitioners and celebrities, the method has been prescribed for any number of conditions, despite the fact that there is no evidence showing that it does anything beneficial for the body.
How is detox supposed to work?
There are many claims behind how natural detoxes supposedly work, but here is the gist of the theory: Over time, the body gathers toxins that are not gotten rid of via the standard digestive process. These toxins gather particularly in the colon, and over time they can make their way into the other body’s systems and cause all kinds of health issues. Everything from chronic fatigue to cancer to depression has been linked to this supposed toxicity.
But of course, there is no scientific evidence to back these claims as put forth by the natural-health community. It all sounds pretty logical, and it makes great marketing copy for selling products, but there is just not much to it. In reality, the practices promoted by detox advocates have marginal effects at best and may in some cases even cause health problems.
The dangers of detox
Many health fads that do not live up to the claims surrounding them are relatively harmless or even beneficial in other ways. For example, yoga may not have all the mental and spiritual benefits that it is often claimed to deliver, but it is nevertheless a great form of exercise. Detoxes, on the other hand, may have no substantial benefit to go along with their downsides.
And what are the downsides of detox? Besides the wasted time and money people spend on detoxes, these methods may actually lead to all sorts of physical problems. They can lead to malnourishment in general as well as to more specific side effects like vomiting, diarrhea, nervous problems, electrolyte depletion, water intoxication, and even kidney failure. Although these side effects may be rare, they are potentially life threatening and hence count strongly against detox methods.
None of this should stop health-conscious people from seeking out diets and exercise habits that promote smooth functioning and a healthy body. But the reality is that the body is well equipped to detox on its own. That is what the liver and kidneys are for. And while it is true that the colon contains many bacteria and other substances that in other contexts might qualify as toxins, the truth is that these are just part of the body’s digestive systems, and the bacteria are beneficial. To flush them out would actually be bad for the health.