Happy New Year! The post updates some old material.
New Year, new you, right? It is 2022. The third year of the Pandemic is upon us. You want to get serious about your health. That is great.
You need to cleanse yourself of last year's sins. Some people think you need to stop taking the vaccine. Amazon has a lot of categories for cleansing and detoxification. The descriptions suggest that detoxing will make you a cleaner, healthier person. Goop publishes an annual guide to a healthy lifestyle. Dr. Oz has endorsed several plans over the years, but they are harder to find now. Your pharmacy probably has a wall of products for sale. A purification from y2021 would be a good way to start the year. There is something very important that the detox promoter isn't telling you.
It is a scam called Detox.
A legitimate medical term is being turned into a marketing strategy to treat a fake condition. In the setting of real medicine, the word "detox" means treatments for dangerous levels of drugs, alcohol, or poisons. There are medical procedures that are not casually selected from a menu of alternative health treatments or pulled off the shelf in the pharmacy. When there are life-threatening circumstances, real detoxification is provided in hospitals. Alternative health providers claim to eliminate toxins. The co-opting of a real term to give legitimacy to useless products and services confuses consumers into thinking they are science-based.
Every January, the search term "Detox" peaks.
detox is thought to act like a cleaner for your organs. The toxins are physically captured and retained in the body. It has been argued that the organs should be cleaned out periodically, like you would wash a sponge. The reality is that the kidneys and liver don't work that way. The bile or the kidneys can be used to remove toxic substances from the body. Unless you have a documented case of liver disease, the liver is functioning normally. The urine contains waste products that stay in the blood. A lack of understanding in biochemistry is what makes the argument that either organ needs a cleanse. Your organs will not be affected by that supplement, smoothie or fad diet. Leave them alone.
The image was uploaded via@statsguyuk.
But toxins!
We seem hardwired to believe we need it, and that is one of the reasons we can be sucked in by the marketing of detoxification. The earliest recorded history includes purification rituals. The idea that we need to atone for our sins seems to be a part of human nature, which may explain why it is still a part of most of the world's religions. We are not as worried about sin today as we were in the past. Our knowledge of biology made us fear autointoxication, to be treated with colonics and purgatives. The theory was that you could cure any illness by cleaning out the bowels. Science stopped using autointoxication as we gained a better understanding of the causes of disease. The term is still used, but now it is a marketing slogan. Our environment is becoming more toxic, and it is making us sick, according to the current version of autointoxication. Man-made chemicals are in our environment, so it must be making use of sick. Depending on who you ask, some combination of food Additives, Salt, Meat, Preservatives, Preservatives, Preservatives, Preservatives, Preservatives, Preservatives, Preservatives, Preservatives, Preservatives, Preservatives, What is the real harm that is causing you vague but apparently real harm? The toxins that the kits and treatments remove are never shown to actually be removed.
Alkali is a scam.
Alternative health providers often promote the idea that our body needs to be monitored and adjusted. There is a belief that anything that makes the body acidic is bad and anything basic is good. All of this is nonsense and designed to confuse you. The acidity of a liquid is measured on the pH scale. A neutral pH is 7. Anything lower is acidic, anything higher is basic. A difference of 1 pH is a 10x difference on the scale.
The blood's pH is 7.4. The range of pH for the enzymes that facilitate chemical reactions in the cells is narrow. Change is almost certain to cause death. The pH in our blood is kept from moving far from 7.4 by a series of mechanisms. The blood circulates throughout the body constantly, so it can compensate for any changes in the pH of our organs. Carbon dioxide is the most common acid in our body. CO2 is eliminated in the lungs by the blood. The lungs are the biggest source of acid elimination in the body.
Everything we eat is broken down by acid in the stomach. The stomach has a very acidic pH of 3 due to the production of hydrochloric acid. Everything that is ejected from our stomach is immediately destroyed by the conjugate liquids and the enzymes. Everything we eat, drink, and digest will eventually be at the correct pH in our gut. Nothing you eat or drink will affect the pH of food in your body. The claims that acidity is the root of all disease are without basis. It is a sure sign of a scam if you are told that your acid-base balance will be restored or that you will be more "alkali"
Do you drink coffee that is not the kind you drink?
A coffee enema is almost like a tea enema.
Consuming coffee for the majority of people is a good idea. There is a widespread belief that the real benefits of coffee are realized when you flush it into your rectum. Coffee enemas are unsafe and should not be done. Coffee enemas can cause rare but serious adverse events likebacteria in the bloodstream, rectal perforation, and electrolyte abnormality. There have been deaths from coffee enemas.
Coffee enemas are part of the "Gerson Treatment" for cancer and were developed in the 1940s. His regimen included coffee enemas, supplements, juice, and injections. The approach was shown to be useless for the treatment of cancer. Coffee enemasProponents believe that the chemical components of coffee help the body. There is no credible evidence to suggest this is necessary.
There are no quick fixes.
We seem hardwired to believe we need it, so we fall for the marketing of detoxification. The earliest recorded history includes purification rituals. The idea that we need to atone for our sins seems to be a part of human nature. There is no basis in the popular ideas of cleansing and detoxification. There is no evidence to suggest that the use of a kit or a ritual can help our body eliminate waste products. The idea that you can reverse lifestyle decisions with quick fixes is given the impression by the show. It isn't possible to find improved health in a box of herbs, a bottle of homeopathy, or a bag of coffee. Poor diet, lack of exercise, smoking, lack of sleep, and alcohol or drug use are lifestyle implications that cannot simply be flushed away. Our organs don't need a treatment. Remember that a marketing pitch for an imaginary condition is what you will hear if anyone suggests a cleanse.
Scott is committed to improving the way medications are used and examining the profession of pharmacy through the lens of science-based medicine. He wants to improve the cost-effective use of drugs at the population level. Scott has a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degree and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Toronto. His professional background includes pharmacy work. He is a registered pharmacist in Canada. There are no conflicts of interest for Scott. All views expressed by Scott are his own, and do not represent the opinions of any current or former employers, or any organizations that he may be affiliated with. All information should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a licensed and accredited health professional.
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