Is ‘detox’ a myth?

Updated: 25/02/2011

Author:

The skeptic movement is gathering pace around the world. The UK represents its epicentre. Skepticism is anti-science, for without an open mind, you can never be a good scientist. In fact, as a skeptic, you can’t really be a scientist, except in name. Core beliefs again play a central role. We all have them, we must all recognise them and we must all find ways of minimising their impact on any objective quest for further knowledge. But to believe that homeopathy can’t work because “there is not a single molecule of active ingredient”, or that all CAM modalities are ineffective, because you’ve selectively absorbed Ernst’s Trick or Treatment or Goldacre’s Bad Science, puts you in a vulnerable place scientifically.

Detox is central to most holistic, natural therapies—and for good reason. It is the dysfunction of our self-cleansing apparatus, or, if you like, our Phase 1 and 2 detoxification pathways, that is responsible for many diseases, disorders and sub-optimal health states. Loading ourselves with new-to-nature, patented, pharmacologically active molecules rarely corrects these dysfunctions. It is also no wonder that particular foods and food constituents, with which we have co-evolved over millennia, combined with particular types of physical activity and stress reduction, can have such profound effects. The ‘flat-earth’ skeptics may keep claiming there is no evidence for any enhancement of detoxification by any natural substance over that offered by our unassisted renal and hepatic systems, but the evidence in the literature—and even more so in the clinic—says otherwise.

Putting ‘detox myth’ into the search bar of our website brings up in top place a feature we did on this subject back in 2009. We were responding to Sense About Science’s campaign to set in the public’s mind that detox was a myth and that detox products would lead, at best, to expensive urine or, at worst, significant health risks. The skeptics rallied together young medical students under the banner of Voice of Young Scientists and got them to hand out a leaflet entitled ‘Debunking Detox’ to people exiting pharmacies and health stores. The leaflet contained the most extraordinarily erroneous or misleading scientific ‘facts’, which we dismantle in our feature. One choice, authoritative ‘fact’ reads as follows: “you don’t have to do anything to support your eliminatory organs, namely your kidneys, liver and digestive system, unless you have consumed a dangerous dose of a substance and have been poisoned and require a stomach pump, dialysis or the like.”

With the rapid growth of the skeptic movement, together with its firm base in parts of the establishment medical and scientific communities, I think it’s time to question the scientific worth of any predetermined position. Skepticism is a form of bias, except that, unlike experimental bias that can be controlled for, or statistically counteracted, it is immoveable. Skepticism is therefore intrinsically anti-science. It’s time that our young students of medicine and science got to see the flip side of the myopic ethos that defines the new skeptic movement, given they are one of its key recruitment targets.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 01/02/2012 - 06:43.

If not for Skepticism The IPCC would now be riding roughshod over the people, not that they are not already trying to do this on the false premise of global warming, now known as climate change!
Without skepticism the hockeystick graph would not have been debunked! and UN agenda 21 would already be largely underway.
Skepticism in the correct context is useful!
The real trouble is that there is a disparity in funding between differing parties in the case of natural Vs pharmacology.
The ones with the most money usually win the most brownie points! and politics is all about money, industry and most importantly control!
Pharma et al buy the right to say whatever they want to say in much the same way that the victors version of history is the referred choice!
Detoxification is not something the modern industrial complex wants. At its best detoxification is free! There is no real profit in detoxification. Fasting is natures way and completely free and possibly the oldest and most effective method of detox known to man.
100 years ago or even 50 years ago people would have been receptive to this hygienic type of approach to health. Today people lack any understanding of natures methods. Educating the ignorant against a tide of indoctrinated dogma is the challenge - but how to pry them away from the devices that condition them?

Submitted by Donald Wonz (not verified) on Wed, 23/11/2011 - 23:20.

After reading this article I'm convinced more than ever that this is actually a myth.

Submitted by A Scientist (not verified) on Thu, 06/10/2011 - 11:49.

"Skepticism is anti-science, for without an open mind, you can never be a good scientist"

No offence, but that's disingenuous nonsense. Actually precisely the opposite is true in that the whole of scientific knowledge is built on disprovability ie. scepticism.

Do us a favour, wiki Karl Popper and don't mention science and homeopathy in the same article.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 16/04/2011 - 20:15.

To Klorathy: "I wonder why longevity and health in the West is so much longer and better than before? Well I think it might be down to proper science - the basis for building devent housing, decent diet and decent medicines."

Speaking about "longevity", I like to mention that 60 to 80% of the lifespan increase in the last two centuries is not to be accounted to the advent of new _drug_ treatments but, to _public health_ measures limiting the exposure of populations to major risks factors, e.g.
. water cleanliness,
. cold chain of food,
. wearing a helmet when driving motorcycles,
. limiting maximum car speed,
. ban on smoking,
. air cleanliness,
. etc.

Reference
Aschengrau, A., & Seage G. R. (2008). Essentials of Epidemiology in Public Health.

Submitted by Klorathy (not verified) on Fri, 08/04/2011 - 10:15.

"And I will never be taken in by these hate-mongering "skeptics" (a.k.a deniers). These people are the scum of this Earth as their stopping the progress of real science."

Not a very scientific or very nice statement really - with no evidence to back it up. I wonder what "real science" is?

"Detox a myth? Detox has saved many lives and ironically its "modern" medicine thats making it even more necessary for people to detox. In fact, the whole con job called the 21st century is killing people with its vast amount of toxins. How can anyone be so stupid as to believe detox isn't real?"

Well let's see some actual evidence - until then I don't think any of the statement above has any basis in reality. Oh, and I wonder why longevity and health in the West is so much longer and better than before? Well I think it might be down to proper science - the basis for building devent housing, decent diet and decent medicines.

Submitted by Kelli (not verified) on Wed, 09/03/2011 - 20:55.

And I will never be taken in by these hate-mongering "skeptics" (a.k.a deniers). These people are the scum of this Earth as their stopping the progress of real science. Detox a myth? Detox has saved many lives and ironically its "modern" medicine thats making it even more necessary for people to detox. In fact, the whole con job called the 21st century is killing people with its vast amount of toxins. How can anyone be so stupid as to believe detox isn't real?

Always be skeptical about the "skeptics." These nonSense About Science goons are a serious threat. Always fight back and never believe anything they say. Everything is funded by Big Pharma and is a grandiose hoax perpetuated by a corrupt power-hungry establishment. Do not worship someone just because their wearing a whitecoat.

Fight the tyrants! And these "skeptics" are simply the new bullies in town. "Science" has become the new tyrants.

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