You've probably read various articles claiming that detoxing, whether dietary or as a cure, is useless and can even be dangerous. The real question is: Did the authors of these articles do any serious research before writing them? I doubt it...
There's a recent surge in websites promoting right-thinking orthodoxy. I won't name them, but you've certainly heard of them, and probably even taken a look. Detox is on the radar of more than one person.
The main argument of the do-gooders against detox is that the body is designed to cleanse itself, that the liver does not need help. Many also argue that natural products and medicinal plants used for detoxification present dangers. For example, a reader sent me this quote: "<…> these are generally composed only of extracts of natural products or medicinal plants such as milk thistle, artichoke or dandelion. Their effects are to stimulate the production of bile or urine. And this is rarely effective. Moreover, in some people, these plants can even cause harm." (1)
Despite good intentions to warn readers that "miracle diets are doomed to failure in the long term" (which is absolutely true: there are no miracles, neither in diet nor in lifestyle; only lasting changes bear fruit), assertions about the ineffectiveness of medicinal plants and their (unspecified) risks, without any reference, are based on opinion, ideology, whatever you want, but not information, nor science.
That said, let's get down to business and look at the facts and science versus the objections of the right-thinking.
1- The body knows how to detoxify itself very well
If the body could always detoxify optimally, diseases associated with toxin/toxicant accumulations would not exist. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Several conditions are associated with the body's inability to rid itself of harmful substances, both endogenous (that we produce) and exogenous (that come from the environment).
Some examples
Fatty liver (hepatic steatosis) is an accumulation of fat in the liver that can be due to alcohol abuse and/or high and long-term consumption of sugar, particularly fructose (https://www.jydionne.com/nouvelle-tendance-le-foie-gras/) (https://www.jydionne.com/le-fructose-au-banc-des-accuses/).
Gout is associated with an inability to properly eliminate uric acid, which then builds up in certain joints (especially the big toe) and leads to very painful arthritis.
Several neurological disorders are due to an accumulation of mercury and/or other toxic metals from the environment, fish, or dental amalgams (https://www.jydionne.com/metaux-neurotoxicite-et-allergies/).
People who work with solvents, especially in car paint shops, even if they wear good masks, are prone to poisoning from these solvents which attack the liver.
Even hangovers are caused by the accumulation of a toxic metabolite of alcohol, acetaldehyde. All of these conditions are associated with the accumulation of certain toxins or toxic substances.
Help the detoxification process
It's true that the best approach is to eliminate the cause, but it's not always easy! In most cases, supporting the emunctories (elimination organs) with detox ingredients makes it easier to return to health.
For example, in cases of fatty liver, milk thistle has been used successfully to eliminate intrahepatic fat accumulations. (2) It would be surprising if your doctor suggested this option, simply because the majority of them are not trained in these therapeutic methods. On the other hand, this same milk thistle is widely used in Eastern Europe. Milk thistle is also useful against solvent toxicity. (3)
Several ingredients are known to aid in the elimination of toxic metal poisons. For example, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) helps eliminate mercury. (4)
2- Detox products are dangerous
It's true that some ingredients can cause side effects. Consider stimulant laxatives (like senna and cascara), which can cause diarrhea and cramps and are not recommended for long-term use because they can lead to sluggish bowel movements.
But seriously, the vast majority of ingredients in detox products are benign (see https://www.jydionne.com/faut-il-nettoyer-notre-systeme/). For example, the only side effect of herbs that stimulate the liver (with the possible exception of black radish, which can cause gallbladder cramps in people with the beginnings of stones) is to cause looser stools.
3- Detox diet does not exist
We will remember the outcry against Jacynthe René when her book Vive la détox gourmande was published. However, you have to live on another planet not to recognize the harmful effects of pesticides (5) , the benefits of foods rich in antioxidants, (jydionne.com/les-antioxydants-prevention-de-la-rouille-interieure), (newhope360.com/ingredients/more-antioxidants-less-breast-cancer), etc.
An example of a detox food
Increasing soluble fiber intake is known to promote the elimination of toxic metals (mercury, arsenic, cadmium, lead). (6,7,8)
4- Using these approaches for prevention, without diagnosis, is magical thinking.
I would say the opposite. Not paying attention to the toxicity of our environment and certain foods represents willful blindness. Evidence of the toxicity of pesticides, junk food, fructose, solvents, and many other substances abounds. It is therefore normal to want to protect ourselves from them, not to wait until we are sick...
How to protect yourself?
First, through our food choices, such as organic, green, unrefined, etc. Then, by learning about our body's protection and elimination mechanisms and how to stimulate these mechanisms.
Am I in favor of cures (or products sold for detox)?
Not particularly. I'm more in favor of individualizing the health approach, what we call the personal approach. Ready-made cures usually contain stimulant laxatives, which I don't recommend.
I'm all for informed health choices, and I find the right-thinking approach to be patronizing. Self-empowerment begins with personal choices.
Health!
Jean-Yves Dionne
Speaker, trainer
References:
(1) Why the word "detox" should no longer be part of your vocabulary. Published by Catherine Lepage, Dt.PMSc. (c) https://shoutout.wix.com/so/cL7qdDPN#/main
(2) Kazazis CE, Evangelopoulos AA, Kollas A, Vallianou NG. The therapeutic potential of milk thistle in diabetes. Rev Diabet Stud. 2014 Summer;11(2):167-74. doi: 10.1900/RDS.2014.11.167. Review. PubMed PMID: 25396404; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4310066. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4310066/
(3) Szilárd S, Szentgyörgyi D, Demeter I. Protective effect of Legalon in workers exposed to organic solvents. Acta Med Hung. 1988;45(2):249-56. PubMed PMID: 3073356. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3073356
(4) Jalilehvand F, Parmar K, Zielke S. Mercury(II) complex formation with N-acetylcysteine. Metallomics. 2013 Oct;5(10):1368-76. doi:10.1039/c3mt00173c. PubMed PMID: 23986393. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23986393
(5) Lerner A, Matthias T. Changes in intestinal tight junction permeability associated with industrial food additives explain the rising incidence of autoimmune disease. Autoimmun Rev. 2015 Jun;14(6):479-89. doi: 10.1016/j.autrev.2015.01.009. Review. PubMed PMID: 25676324. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1568997215000245
(6) Lamb JJ, Konda VR, Quig DW, Desai A, Minich DM, Bouillon L, Chang JL, Hsi A, Lerman RH, Kornberg J, Bland JS, Tripp ML. A program consisting of a phytonutrient-rich medical food and an elimination diet ameliorated fibromyalgia symptoms and promoted toxic-element detoxification in a pilot trial. Altern Ther Health Med. 2011 Mar-Apr;17(2):36-44. PubMed PMID: 21717823. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21717823
(7) Ou S, Gao K, Li Y. An in vitro study of wheat bran binding capacity for Hg, Cd, and Pb. J Agric Food Chem. 1999 Nov;47(11):4714-7. PubMed PMID: 10552878. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10552878
(8) Rowland IR, Mallett AK, Flynn J, Hargreaves RJ. The effect of various dietary fibers on tissue concentration and chemical form of mercury after methylmercury exposure in mice. Arch Toxicol. 1986 Jul;59(2):94-8. PubMed PMID: 3019277.
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