Detoxification (alternative medicine)

Part of a series on
Alternative medicine
General information
Fringe medicine and science
Controversies
Classifications
Traditional medicine
Alternative diagnoses
Detoxification
Alternative therapy
ClaimsRemoval 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]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Mayo Clinic Website was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Detoxing Your Liver: Fact Versus Fiction". www.hopkinsmedicine.org. 3 November 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2024. 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.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2015rev was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference senseaboutscience.org.uk was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference bda was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Mohammadi, Dara (5 December 2014). "You can't detox your body. It's a myth. So how do you get healthy?". The Guardian. Guardian News & Media Limited. Retrieved 26 June 2019. [...] 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.