One More Time: Detox

It was almost exactly a month ago that I wrote about the potential dangers of the various detox regimens that were being pressed by numerous health gurus. Now, I never intended this to become a health-oriented blog. It really couldn’t be, because to be popular I would be forced to come up with some guaranteed quick and easy formula, packed with endorsements, ancient wisdom, scientific sounding pronouncements and unspecified clinical trials that treats a long list of ailments. The critical thinking in me, not to mention the integrity, wouldn’t have any part of it.

But I always try to pass along some of that critical thinking to readers by citing examples; and to my surprise, in one short month the subject of detox came up again. This time the emphasis was not necessarily on safety, but on the overall effectiveness.

The main source was a brief, four-minute video on the Vox website with the headline: “Products that promise ‘detox’ are a sham. Yes, all of them. Though they have a long history of duping us.” The video is interesting and worth a quick look.

In brief, they say that a research group asked detox marketers exactly what toxins they were getting rid of and none could give a satisfactory answer. It’s based on erroneous historical medical practices; and unless it is used to treat severe alcohol or drug poisoning,  detox is not necessary and worthless. They label it a health pseudo-science and conclude by saying, “Before you succumb to this incredibly appealing notion, you should know that the idea of using some product to ‘detox’ is nonsense. But this hasn’t stopped clever marketers from selling the idea that we can become, somehow, less toxic by using special products.”

Only a couple of days later an ad came in my email linked to a very long video by a former pediatric heart surgeon promoting his dietary supplement. The same video is found here, where it’s described as “a power wash for your insides.” 

According to the doctor, if you have digestive issues, food cravings, weight gain, morning soreness, low energy and all those skin, mood and health issues, he has the answer. Anyone can restore the healthy body he or she used to have, inside and out.

His discovery is based on "shocking new information" and "a remarkable scientific breakthrough!" There is something wrong inside you and it’s not your fault. He bases this on his experience and impressive medical background – even though, according to him, almost all the other doctors don’t understand. He left his practice to promote this product full-time, because 

all those problems start in the gut where toxins leak into the system.

This is followed by a number of stories about ordinary people and celebrities. He wrote a book, but understands that people who are suffering don’t have time to read all the books. So he came up with a supplement that doesn’t require seeing a doctor or going to a lab. It’s an all-natural pill, based on ancient tradition that you can simply buy from him and take everyday. 

Of course, beneath the video is the usual disclaimer: “The information on this website has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.”

There in one neat package are all the ingredients I have warned about: quick and easy, ancient, natural, celebrity endorsed, revolutionary, scientific, exclusive, a long list of ailments, etc. It is a pill, not the traditional detox, though it did contain the word detox in the headline. Rather it’s based on the idea of “leaky gut syndrome,” which I found on Quackwatch characterized as a fad diagnosis, “not recognized by the scientific community” and a “figment of pseudoscientific imagination."

Several years ago as I was headed into work, I observed one colleague telling another about her fabulous detox weekend – as she sat in the sun smoking a cigarette – enough said!