http://www.care2.com/greenliving/does-detoxing-really-work.html
Does Detoxing Really Work?
By Catherine Guthrie, Natural Solutions
Few concepts are more ubiquitous in the lexicon of alternative medicine than detoxing. Peruse the shelves at any health food store and you’ll find detox teas, detox herbal blends, detox tinctures, and detox kits complete with all of the above–everything you need to purge your body of its chemical stockpile. Not sure you want to tackle your toxins alone? Just pick up the phone and dial an alternative-minded spa. Colonics and multiday juice fasts are nearly as commonplace as hot stone massages and reflexology.
Detoxing is a booming business, and why shouldn’t it be? What person in her right mind wouldn’t want to lighten her toxic load? (No thanks, I just topped off my mercury level at the dentist yesterday.) Besides, Americans are easy targets. With so many other things beyond our control–terrorists, snipers, cowboy economics–at least we can take comfort in being the masters of our own Superfund sites.
And according to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)–informally known as the “body burden” study–our bodies are full to bursting. Between 1999 and 2000, CDC scientists tested the blood and urine of 2,500 people for 116 different chemicals. Not one man, woman, or child tested squeaky-clean.
“We’ve known that toxins in the environment could potentially wind up in humans, but this is the first time we’ve actually been able to see it,” says Jim Pirkle, director of the CDC’s environmental health lab and the study’s lead investigator. “This is not what might have gotten into you, this is what did get into you.”
Detox devotees are convinced environmental toxins are to blame for a range of ills–everything from fatigue to cancer–and that our number one priority should be to get rid of them. But is there any truth to the notion of humans as toxic waste disposals? And, if so, is detox really the answer?
The CDC’s report is one of the first scientific papers to spell out the sheer variety of toxic residues lurking in human bodies. But people have been ceremonially cleansing themselves long before the advent of dioxins and PCBs. Native Americans use sweat lodges for religious and purification rites; in India, an age-old system of healing, called ayurveda, is built around ridding the body of toxins. “Detoxing has been an integral part of traditional systems of healing for millennia,” says James Gordon, a physician who is founder and director of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, D.C. “Common sense would suggest that maybe it does some good.”
But is common sense enough? Scientific evidence that detoxing can prevent or treat disease is lacking. In fact, it’s not even easy to prove that a person’s average exposure to chemical cocktails is detrimental to his or her health. “Just because you can measure something in people doesn’t mean it’s dangerous,” says Pirkle. “Certainly lots of levels we’re measuring are perfectly safe.”
However, proponents cite circumstantial evidence, such as the parallel rise of environmental contaminants and rates of some diseases. Cancer rates, for example, have risen between 20 and 50 percent since 1970. Asthma diagnoses have jumped 75 percent since 1980. And the number of children diagnosed with autism leaps 17 percent each year.
Next: Can we successfully reduce our toxic load? (Click through to end for printable version.)
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26 comments
add your comment »Just a quick note to everyone who emailed me for information. I apologize for taking so long to reply but finally did so today. Be sure to check your spam and bulk folders if you don't see it in your Inbox.
Here's a video that you might enjoy about toxins and fat storage from Jon Gabriel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASqDjSst5fE
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I just read a book 'Why we hurt, your total self care Guide" byDr Greg Fors--excellent I highly recommend it for anyone dealing with chronic pain or illness. He talks about how the liver needs a lot of nutrients in order to do its job of detoxing so fasting and cleanses may actually hinder its ability to work. The best thing to do is to support the livers function with all the usual stuff--organic, natural foods etc, also he lists what other substances may help the liver such as milk thistle. Of course going 1 day with only fresh sqeezed juice is ok but to go for any longer would be more harmful than helpful.
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In the mid-1980s, I became dreadfully ill with Candida (systemic - as per The Yeast Connection). Nothing helped, until I went for colon cleansing. That put me back on the road to recovery - along with an anti-Candida diet (which had not worked as a sole option).
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You may find out about something you do not know when you look into the Nutritional Cleansing and Fat Burning protocols of Isagenix International. They have changed my life.
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I very much like that this article cast a more critical eye on a lot of these treatments than most of what I see written about them in any "alternative" sources. Because really, the vast majority of these treatments sound like expensive nonsense to me, and some sound potentially dangerous.
The thing to remember about most alternative health treatments is that they're unproven. That doesn't mean ineffective, but it doesn't mean effective, either. It means we don't KNOW. Relying on anecdotal evidence - i.e. people who say they felt better after some kind of treatment, but with no actual studies to show effectiveness - isn't reliable because of the placebo effect.
The mind has a considerable level of power over they body, and believing that something is going to work often means it will, even if the actual treatment is useless (at least for relatively minor health problems - it's not all-powerful). And that's great, because it means you can often use meditation or visualization to get that effect without shelling out for overpriced treatments! But it does mean that if you're considering paying money for something, you should ask to see some kind of genuine proof that it's more effective than a placebo, because if it's just your own mind healing you, you can do that on your own for free!
Personally, I think the best way to deal with environmental toxins is to avoid exposure in the first place. The tips on page 5 of this article are a good start.
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Thank you very much for such an informative article. It was very helpful.
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i drink LOTS of water each day, take probiotics, milk thistle and eat vegetable soups -- especially with artichokes in them.
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Can we please try simplifying? A glass of plain water, 2 or 3
times a day. Black coffee, no sweetener, Green tea, likewise,
walk around the block 2 or 3 times a week, breathing slowly and deeply, all the way around. Before you go to bed, read something quiet and peaceful , that heals your feelings.
Live Peacefully, and Prosper.
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Can we please try simplifying? (1) A simple glass of Plain Water, 2 or 3 times a day. (2) Black Coffee, no sweetener. Green tea, likewise, (3) Walk around the block at least 3 times a week, Breathing Deeply, Slowly, Consciously, All The Way Around. (4) Before going to sleep, read your favorite scripture, and Mediate on IT. (5) Live Peacefully, and Prosper.
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I have tried some colon and liver cleansing products and felt extremely sick afterward. I'd imagine some people would swear by the products and services mentioned in the article, if only because they have severe cases or even itf it produces a weird high for them. If it works for them, great. I've had better luck with simply adding more pesticide-free fruits and vegetables to my diet and drinking clean water.
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