Detoxification of the body: busting the myths

, states: "There are two types of detoxification: real and false." True detoxification, according to the professor, is a medical treatment for people with life-threatening drug addictions. And another type of detoxification was invented by entrepreneurs and charlatans to sell invented drugs that supposedly cleanse your body of toxins that have accumulated in it. The professor explained that if a person's body accumulated such an amount of toxins that he would not be able to remove himself, without serious medical intervention, the person would most likely simply die.

"In a healthy body, the kidneys, liver, skin, and even the lungs work to detoxify the entire body."

Most promotional materials mention toxins, which, according to the same materials, are poisonous substances that enter the human body with food or air. However, it is not known exactly what these toxins are.

Detox diet questioned

The professor also questions detox diets, which he thinks will help you lose weight, but there is no cleansing of the body.

There is also a procedure called "colon irrigation", which, as its proponents promise, will cleanse the intestines of the "plaque" that accumulates on its walls for months, as well as of disease-causing toxins. The principle of the procedure is the same as that of an enema, only in the case of irrigation of the intestines, water rises high into the large intestine. However, according to Edzard Ermst, no doctor has seen such a plaque in the intestines. Moreover, they warn about the negative consequences of such a dubious procedure for the intestines.

But what about cleansing the body of alcohol? This is good? Catherine Collins – nutritionist at St. George's Hospital (London) explained that limiting alcohol consumption – this is undoubtedly good for health, however, it cannot be claimed that it will cleanse the liver in any way.

The liver breaks down alcohol in two stages. First, liver enzymes convert alcohol to acetaldehyde – A highly toxic substance that damages liver cells. Then this substance almost immediately turns into carbon dioxide and water, which the body removes on its own. Excessive alcohol consumption can "overload" these enzymes and lead to the accumulation of acetaldehyde, which is the cause of liver damage.

Furthermore, moderate and infrequent drinking has been shown to be a protective measure. Studies have shown that teetotalers and people who drink excessive amounts of alcohol live less than people who drink small amounts of alcohol at reasonable intervals. As they say, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger.

The secret of this plant, like all types of cabbage, is in the content of a small amount of cyanide. Thus, when we eat cabbage, a small amount of poison enters the liver (just like when we drink a small amount of alcohol). This poison "spurs" the liver enzymes to more effectively neutralize other toxic substances. Katherine Collins states that the best form of detox is quitting smoking, exercising, and eating a balanced diet (such as the Mediterranean diet).

Susan Marchant-Haycox, an English psychologist, states: "To understand the principle and reason for the emergence of such a fashion for detoxification, it is enough to analyze the trends of recent decades. In the 70s, gyms appeared - even then the whole industry began to develop beauty and diet, and people began to become interested in different groups of products, their properties, etc. The detox industry is just one of the modern manifestations of an industry that has long been built on money.