Detox & Cleanse

Read full story

Stop 1/6

The claim · toxins accumulate and must be flushed out

EVIDENCEREVIEW 1

READ THE ORIGINAL

Clearing metabolic waste is something your liver and kidneys do every moment: the liver turns fat-soluble substances into water-soluble ones, and the kidneys filter the water-soluble ones into urine. You do not need to buy a product to help. The chapter on how the liver and kidneys clear waste takes this system apart.

The typical "detox" or "cleanse" pitch goes like this: pollution, additives, and stress make toxins build up in modern bodies, and juice, fasting, supplements, or a "colon cleanse" will flush them out and "reboot" you. This story tests that premise: is the body really storing up toxins and waiting for outside help to clear them?

Two practices can genuinely do harm. Colonic irrigation has recorded cases of bowel perforation and even death, and some detox herbs and supplements can injure the liver. If you have severe belly pain or a fever after colonic irrigation, or if your skin or the whites of your eyes turn yellow or your urine darkens while taking these products, stop and get medical care immediately.

Educational content, not medical advice — consult a clinician.

Back