Anonymous asked: why are detoxes bull?? i was thinking about doing one
I’m on a Dr. Ben Goldacre kick, so I think this is a pretty good blog-http://www.badscience.net/2009/01/the-barefaced-cheek-of-these-characters-will-never-cease-to-amaze-and-delight-me/
And I highly recommend actually listening to the audio clip included in that link.
Then there is the book that I currently love called Bad Science by the aforementioned Dr. Ben Goldacre, and this quotation from the book on page 18 of the ebook version:
“Because it has no scientific meaning, detox is much better understood as a cultural product. Like the best pseudoscientific inventions, it deliberately blends useful common sense with outlandish, medicalized fantasy. In some respects, how much you buy into this reflects how self-dramatizing you want to be or, in less damning terms, how much you enjoy ritual in your daily life. When I go through busy periods of partying, drinking, sleep deprivation, and convenience eating, I usually decide- eventually- that I need a bit of a rest. So I have a few nights reading at home, and eating more salad than usual. Models and celebrities, meanwhile, “detox” with Master Cleanse and the Fruit Flush Diet.
On one thing we must be absolutely clear, because this is a recurring theme throughout the world of bad science: there is nothing wrong with the notion of eating healthily and abstaining from various risk factors for ill health like excessive alcohol use. But this is not what detox is about; these are quick-fix health drives, constructed from the outset as short term, while lifestyle risk factors for ill health have their impact over a lifetime. But I am even willing to agree that some people might try a five-day detox and remember (or even learn) what it’s like to eat vegetables, and that gets no criticism from me.”
I also recommend watching this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQULQgX78rs FULL WARNING- IT SHOWS SOMEONE GETTING A COLONOSCOPY AND OTHER GROSS STUFF, AND SHOULD NOT BE WATCHED BY THE SQUEAMISH OR ANYONE UNDER 18. It’s also offensive and Penn swears a lot, but it has a lot of actually good information.
Basically there is no scientific evidence for any of the claims of the detox companies. In my mind, they are no better than those stupid weight loss pills or diets in general- living and eating cleanly for a month is going to start to do your body some good, but like with the typical diet, once you stop you gain the weight back because it’s not an actual fix. Living healthily is a long-term thing, and not something that any pill or fad diet or cleanse can fix.
You can easily do your own research on detoxes and cleanses, and I highly recommend anyone thinking of doing one or trying a certain diet, do your research first. Take the name of the fad diet or detox, add “fake”, “false”, “bullshit”, or something similar to the end of the name, and google it. And just be skeptical of anything claiming to be a quick fix since being healthy and living cleaning takes work and effort.
To anyone who disagrees with me, I am open to discussion. I am no expert, and all of this is just my viewpoint on this subject. I suggest everyone do their own research and come to their own conclusions.
