“Detox diets” and “detox kits” are dietary interventions that are claimed to support or promote the elimination of toxins. They are often simultaneously marketed at weight-loss strategies, although they are routinely promoted to those without any weight or health problems whatsoever. Detoxification strategies are very popular with alternative-health providers such as naturopaths.
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Britt Marie Hermes was once a naturopath that promoted the alternative medicine view of detoxification to her clients. In her post “The Anatomy of a Detox Scam,” Hermes (who subsequently quit naturopathy, and is now its harshest critic) described how she invented a detoxification scheme she called The Right Detox:
Detox programs are created with one goal: make money. I am not generalizing here. I’ve helped create detox programs at more than one clinic. In each instance, the decisions to include specific detox supplements, protein powder shakes, or therapies were based on profit margins. Detoxers doing The Right Detox could purchase different “tiers” of the program. The scheme was simple. The “deeper” the detox, the higher the tier, and the more expensive the package.
Like all other over-the-counter or alternative medicine detox plans, there is a lack of robust evidence to show that these types of detox strategies do anything at all.
Editor’s note: Scott Gavura is a registered pharmacist in Ontario, Canada
Read full, original post: Are we all contaminated with chemical toxins?
