Eliminating toxins in fat cells by weight loss and exercise.

civilizedworm

Orac's epic takedown of Mercola:

Unfortunately, even so, apparently Joe Mercola was there. I learned this yesterday when i saw that that foremost promoter of quackery on the Internet is celebrating his fifteenth anniversary. In other words, the original wretched hive of scum and quackery, Mercola.com, sprang into existence eight years before the website that I usually refer to as a wretched hive of scum and quackery...

Over the years that I’ve been aware of Mercola.com, it’s hard for me to pick out the most glaring example of quackery, although, if I have to pick just one, surely Mercola’s promotion of Dr. Tullio Simoncini has to rank right up there at or near the top.

Dr. Simoncini claims that all cancer is due to a fungus. Actually, he claims that cancer is a fungus. Not just some cancers. All cancer. What, you may ask, is his reasoning? Well, fungus is white, and cancer is white; so that means that cancer is really a fungus.

Other claims Mercola makes include that he was the first to “warn about the emergence of statin drugs” back in 2001. Of course, if you just bother to search PubMed, it’s not difficult to find many articles about the risk/benefit ratio of statins published in 2001 and earlier. Similarly, Mercola takes credit for “warning of the dangers of routine mammograms.” A better way of describing it would be fear mongering about imagined risks of mammograms and denying the known benefits of mammographic screening, all apparently to help him sell his thermography screening. Thermography for breast cancer screening, as I have pointed out before, is unproven and currently considered useless.

If you don't read Respectful Insolence, you should.

http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2012/08/03/15-years-of-promoting-quackery/

Katanthus

According to a doctor friend, the chemicals are dealt with by the liver, flushed out by the kidneys, or reabsorbed in other body fat. The best way to "detox" is to try avoid the toxins in the first place, and that is not easy to do.

PikaKnight

According to a doctor friend, the chemicals are dealt with by the liver, flushed out by the kidneys, or reabsorbed in other body fat. The best way to "detox" is to try avoid the toxins in the first place, and that is not easy to do.

Which toxins are that, exactly? And chemicals are in everything. What do you eat?

PapaChanoli

Did you even read it?

Yup, did you? I mean, I just don't understand how your BS detectors didn't go off, also, Mercola's a known cheat and liar.

Actually they did go off, as they do with most of Mercolas claims. I still found it interesting. Thanks for your input.

PapaChanoli

If you don't read Respectful Insolence, you should.

http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2012/08/03/15-years-of-promoting-quackery/

Good link. Thanks.

Edit: Lovin' this blog.

civilizedworm

Slightly off topic, but somehow completely relevant:

Sprinkler Rainbow Conspiracy

http://youtu.be/_c6HsiixFS8

QuietBloom

According to a doctor friend, the chemicals are dealt with by the liver, flushed out by the kidneys, or reabsorbed in other body fat. The best way to "detox" is to try avoid the toxins in the first place, and that is not easy to do.

Which toxins are that, exactly? And chemicals are in everything. What do you eat?

Although I appreciate that you are taking this as a 'cleanse' thread, it's not really. There are actually fat soluble toxins that get stored in fat, and then are flushed from the body through the liver and kidneys when the fat is metabolized. BPAs, and some pesticides off the top of my head.

dbmata

Did you even read it?

Yup, did you? I mean, I just don't understand how your BS detectors didn't go off, also, Mercola's a known cheat and liar.

Actually they did go off, as they do with most of Mercolas claims. I still found it interesting. Thanks for your input.

Good to know were not going to have to debate whether homeboy is a snake oil huckster or not.

3laine75

Do the scientologists not use niacin and saunas in their drugs rehab programmes?

PapaChanoli

I appreciate the inputs offered here. I am not, nor have I ever been a supporter of Mercola.

In my opinion, sweating, and the other eliminating bodily processes along with drinking plenty of water are the age old, tried and true ways to flush toxins out of your system.

I just found the concept interesting, and despite the rampant sarcasm found on this site, I thought it would be a good way to vet the information. So far, it definitely proved to be that.

Thanks for the input. Any further thoughts or opinions on the concept are appreciated. As for me, I only condone the above mentioned methods.

Although, before reading this I have steadily made a point of hitting the steam room for a few minutes and soaking in the hot tub after workouts. I think that can only help, if for nothing more than minimizing muscle aches. Sweat is good.

richardheath

The studies cited in the article are incredibly limited. The first study had 8 subjects, the second (the workers) was 11 subjects and the 3rd study had 7 subjects. That's not very many....

I think it's premature to form a 'detox program' for your fat cells from so little of what was studied.

Yup. It took a few very limited studies on people in very specific situations and then vastly extrapolated the findings (such as they were) to say that this will work for everyone.

JaredReg

Semi related I suppose. I just came across an article today talking about the risks of taking niacin. I'm no health expert but I thought I'd share it since I read it today and see people talking about Niacin.

http://www.livescience.com/46839-dangers-of-niacin.html

dbmata

Although, before reading this I have steadily made a point of hitting the steam room for a few minutes and soaking in the hot tub after workouts. I think that can only help, if for nothing more than minimizing muscle aches. Sweat is good.

Now you bring up a bit of a question for me.

As an asthmatic, I avoid the hell out of saunas, but what kind of benefits do they have other than brain baking?

likitisplit

Mercola took a page out of the studies on seals and applied it to people. DDT is stored in fat and blubber and reintroduced when fat is metabolized. Unless you have ingested significant amounts of DDT, your body can flush out toxins safely using the liver and kidneys.

Also, we don't metabolize huge amounts of fat like blubbered mammals, so even if you did ingest DDT, you wouldn't be getting as much at one time as seals, river dolphins, polar bears, etc.

likitisplit

Slightly off topic, but somehow completely relevant:

Sprinkler Rainbow Conspiracy

http://youtu.be/_c6HsiixFS8

That, in fact, does make me ask "What is going on?"

PapaChanoli

Although, before reading this I have steadily made a point of hitting the steam room for a few minutes and soaking in the hot tub after workouts. I think that can only help, if for nothing more than minimizing muscle aches. Sweat is good.

Now you bring up a bit of a question for me.

As an asthmatic, I avoid the hell out of saunas, but what kind of benefits do they have other than brain baking?

I don't use a sauna, but I do use a steam room. The difference as I understand it is that sauna's generally are much hotter and have dry air while steams rooms provide less hot, moist air. They both bake your brain.

I've been trying to determine the value of either one. So far, the only thing I'm sure of is that they make you sweat, and they are relaxing. One article I read suggested that steam rooms can be good for some respiratory conditions, and another said that they are bad for them.

I spend maybe 5 minutes in the steam room after my workout and then I shower and hit the hot tub. Generally I hit the swimming pool afterward. I come out feeling good and relaxed. I can't attest to any further value than that.

I suspect that there may be added metabolic benefits to inducing your body to sweat profusely.l, but I haven't seen any solid info that confirms it. I also operate under the assumption that good hydration before and after are important, as well as other normal implications regarding electrolytes and extreme sweating.

likitisplit

Although, before reading this I have steadily made a point of hitting the steam room for a few minutes and soaking in the hot tub after workouts. I think that can only help, if for nothing more than minimizing muscle aches. Sweat is good.

Now you bring up a bit of a question for me.

As an asthmatic, I avoid the hell out of saunas, but what kind of benefits do they have other than brain baking?

I don't use a sauna, but I do use a steam room. The difference as I understand it is that sauna's generally are much hotter and have dry air while steams rooms provide less hot, moist air. They both bake your brain.

I've been trying to determine the value of either one. So far, the only thing I'm sure of is that they make you sweat, and they are relaxing. One article I read suggested that steam rooms can be good for some respiratory conditions, and another said that they are bad for them.

I spend maybe 5 minutes in the steam room after my workout and then I shower and hit the hot tub. Generally I hit the swimming pool afterward. I come out feeling good and relaxed. I can't attest to any further value than that.

I suspect that there may be added metabolic benefits to inducing your body to sweat profusely.l, but I haven't seen any solid info that confirms it. I also operate under the assumption that good hydration before and after are important, as well as other normal implications regarding electrolytes and extreme sweating.

The "real" Russian sauna also involves beating each other with birch twigs and copious amounts of vodka. Anybody want to fund me for a long-term study on the positive effects, because I'm down.

PapaChanoli

Although, before reading this I have steadily made a point of hitting the steam room for a few minutes and soaking in the hot tub after workouts. I think that can only help, if for nothing more than minimizing muscle aches. Sweat is good.

Now you bring up a bit of a question for me.

As an asthmatic, I avoid the hell out of saunas, but what kind of benefits do they have other than brain baking?

I don't use a sauna, but I do use a steam room. The difference as I understand it is that sauna's generally are much hotter and have dry air while steams rooms provide less hot, moist air. They both bake your brain.

I've been trying to determine the value of either one. So far, the only thing I'm sure of is that they make you sweat, and they are relaxing. One article I read suggested that steam rooms can be good for some respiratory conditions, and another said that they are bad for them.

I spend maybe 5 minutes in the steam room after my workout and then I shower and hit the hot tub. Generally I hit the swimming pool afterward. I come out feeling good and relaxed. I can't attest to any further value than that.

I suspect that there may be added metabolic benefits to inducing your body to sweat profusely.l, but I haven't seen any solid info that confirms it. I also operate under the assumption that good hydration before and after are important, as well as other normal implications regarding electrolytes and extreme sweating.

The "real" Russian sauna also involves beating each other with birch twigs and copious amounts of vodka. Anybody want to fund me for a long-term study on the positive effects, because I'm down.

Let me know how that goes for ya'.

dbmata

I've been thinking of building a shed in my back yard. It might be a good time to make a vodka sauna...


I'll look into sauna and steam rooms. I know I'd love a bit of a warm up period after my swims, and prior to my shower. Hey, why not right?

Stoshew71

This guy himself quoted:
"By the way, if you lose weight, the Biosphere 2 study showed that you will
gradually move the toxic chemicals out from the fat to the blood, and then you can
remove it."

This niacin supplement is not necessary but only "mobilizes" it faster along with exercise to "create a fast circulation and vasodilation". I have no clue what that means, but it translates to me that your body does fine on it's own but there are studies that whatever this guy is pushing may help but doesn't do anything vital that your body doesn't already do on its own.