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Cleanse/Detox

Posts: 1,280 Member
edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
Been hearing lots of folks at work and on FB start into their resolution lists and have heard the "latest" Detox/Cleanse from a few people already, so I thought I would share this on here as a preventative measure for the upcoming season. Full Disclosure : I stole this from another MFP member a few years ago and I have posted it a few times and will continue to do so as long as I still see "Magic Pill" posts.

The body’s own detox system
We tend to forget that the body is equipped with a detoxification system of its own, which includes the following:

The skin. The main function of the body’s largest organ is to provide a barrier against harmful substances, from bacteria and viruses to heavy metals and chemical toxins.

The respiratory system. Fine hairs inside the nose trap dirt and other large particles that may be inhaled. Smaller particles that make it to the lungs are expelled from the airways in mucus.

The immune system. This exquisitely orchestrated network of cells and molecules is designed to recognize foreign substances and eliminate them from the body.

The intestines. Peyer’s patches — lymph nodes in the small intestine — screen out parasites and other foreign substances before nutrients are absorbed into the blood from the colon.

The liver. Acting as the body’s principal filter, the liver produces a family of proteins called metallothioneins. Metallothioneins neutralize harmful metals like lead, cadmium, and mercury to prepare for their elimination from the body. Liver cells also produce groups of enzymes that regulate the metabolism of drugs and are an important part of the body’s defense against harmful chemicals and other toxins.

The kidneys. The fact that urine tests are used to screen for drugs and toxins is a testament to the kidneys' remarkable efficiency in filtering out waste substances and moving them out of the body.

There's no "Magic" Lemonade, cayun pepper and squid oil drink that will Detox your body, just eat CICO, exercise, keep hydrated and Voila, Health! :-P

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Replies

  • Posts: 3,049 Member
    So, you're saying adding lemon and cayenne to my wine isn't helping me detox more?

    :#
  • Posts: 1,280 Member
    jkwolly wrote: »
    So, you're saying adding lemon and cayenne to my wine isn't helping me detox more?

    :#

    Not sure what that's doing :smiley:
  • Posts: 153 Member
    (*) <-- gold star for you
  • Posts: 772 Member
    JONZ64 wrote: »
    I stole this from another MFP member a few years ago and I have posted it a few times and will continue to do so as long as I still see "Magic Pill" posts.

    There's no "Magic" Lemonade, cayun pepper and squid oil drink that will Detox your body :-P

    Great theft.
    Thumbs up.
  • Posts: 14,776 Member
    This thread needs more bumps.
  • Posts: 3,731 Member
    I hear that oil pulling detoxes your mouth. I need that since I have a dirty mouth.


    Is there a detox for the mind? Mine is pretty filthy from its frequent trips to the gutter.
  • Posts: 1,280 Member
    I hear that oil pulling detoxes your mouth. I need that since I have a dirty mouth.


    Is there a detox for the mind? Mine is pretty filthy from its frequent trips to the gutter.

    The mind needs that filth otherwise it becomes like jello and useless or what Doctors call Politician Brain
  • Posts: 5,320 Member
    When I was in school, we also learned that skin had a role in excretion of metabolic waste products, but I was unable to confirm that with cursory google search.
  • Posts: 1,382 Member
    I got suckered into the MLM world which happened to be a supplement company. They touted how your body is just like a car engine, and you need to give it an oil change every 3 months. (Cleanse)

    After a few months of using/selling these supplements I started to do more and more research as I just didn't feel right about what I was taking/selling. I've since terminated my distributorship with said company. I will say that one of their most popular bundles includes a clease phase.........

    Bringing it back to the topic at hand when I did my "cleanse" I only lost about 4-6lbs which I was definitely in a caloric deficit for the 10 days and for how often I was using the bathroom I'm certainly confident much of it was water weight.......
  • Posts: 77 Member
    Bump
  • Posts: 17,562 Member
    I hear that oil pulling detoxes your mouth. I need that since I have a dirty mouth.


    Is there a detox for the mind? Mine is pretty filthy from its frequent trips to the gutter.

    Why would you ever want to leave the gutter?
  • Posts: 29,136 Member
    ahhh yes tis the season ..cleanses, detoxes, eliminate all sugar, cleaning eating...oh my...
  • Posts: 470 Member
    The human body is an amazing thing. And yes....all the built in systems of the body do much to excrete wastes. But the human body was made to process food--not to be bombarded with the cocktail of additives we ingest/breath/put on our skin. We were not made to digest pesticides. We were not made to digest artificial ingredients that don't add any nutritional value to the food--but make it pretty and maybe last longer in the box on the shelf.

    Even with the bombardment, some people have enough nutritive balance and enough good gut bacteria to deal with the added burden of breaking down the toxic stuff ( naturally along with healthy kidney and liver function). Some don't. And those that reach the critical overload are well on their way to a diseased state. (Statistically speaking: 1-in-2 men, 1-in-3 women will be diagnosed with cancer)

    I don't care at all for the MLM/hype/bandwagon approach for "cleanses and detox" regimes. I do think that cleansing is not a bad thing when it is done: correctly, gently and over a longer period of time. But I define cleanse as a process of taking fiber, herbs, minerals, vitamins, probiotics. I DO not subscribe to starvation/lemon/popular cleanses--- ever. I do believe that certain herbs (as well as homeopathics) can help the liver and kidneys purge some of the toxins that can cause damage to these organs, and that probiotics can help build up the good bacteria that can be wiped out from something as simple as chlorinated water.

    But the caveat is that it is never a good idea to just start taking something....working with a good practitioner ( Dr., DO, homeopath--etc) is the best way to approach any change that is comprehensive.

    BTW.....cleansing/detox for weight loss? Just no.
  • Posts: 451 Member
    The only thing that needs to be cleansed is the rubbish spewed forth from every form of advocacy for the "importance of (insert ridiculous item here) for detoxing", and how some people link it to "boosting your metabolism". Please. The only thing that gets my metabolism going is my increased rate of certain hand gestures towards people when I'm trying to explain to people about the fallacy of detoxes.
  • Posts: 10,451 Member
    Detox is a sales pitch, not a medical term.
  • Posts: 6,666 Member
    There's nothing like a good poo to cleanse the soul.
  • Posts: 8,059 Member
    Detox is a sales pitch, not a medical term.
    Winner.
  • Posts: 8,059 Member
    conniedj wrote: »
    The human body is an amazing thing. And yes....all the built in systems of the body do much to excrete wastes. But the human body was made to process food--not to be bombarded with the cocktail of additives we ingest/breath/put on our skin. We were not made to digest pesticides. We were not made to digest artificial ingredients that don't add any nutritional value to the food--but make it pretty and maybe last longer in the box on the shelf.

    Even with the bombardment, some people have enough nutritive balance and enough good gut bacteria to deal with the added burden of breaking down the toxic stuff ( naturally along with healthy kidney and liver function). Some don't. And those that reach the critical overload are well on their way to a diseased state. (Statistically speaking: 1-in-2 men, 1-in-3 women will be diagnosed with cancer)

    I don't care at all for the MLM/hype/bandwagon approach for "cleanses and detox" regimes. I do think that cleansing is not a bad thing when it is done: correctly, gently and over a longer period of time. But I define cleanse as a process of taking fiber, herbs, minerals, vitamins, probiotics. I DO not subscribe to starvation/lemon/popular cleanses--- ever. I do believe that certain herbs (as well as homeopathics) can help the liver and kidneys purge some of the toxins that can cause damage to these organs, and that probiotics can help build up the good bacteria that can be wiped out from something as simple as chlorinated water.

    But the caveat is that it is never a good idea to just start taking something....working with a good practitioner ( Dr., DO, homeopath--etc) is the best way to approach any change that is comprehensive.

    BTW.....cleansing/detox for weight loss? Just no.
    Homeopathics? You do know that homeopathics are nothing but water, right?
  • Posts: 6 Member
    I'll just leave this here:

    http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/dec/05/detox-myth-health-diet-science-ignorance

    "“Let’s be clear,” says Edzard Ernst, emeritus professor of complementary medicine at Exeter University, “there are two types of detox: one is respectable and the other isn’t.” The respectable one, he says, is the medical treatment of people with life-threatening drug addictions. “The other is the word being hijacked by entrepreneurs, quacks and charlatans to sell a bogus treatment that allegedly detoxifies your body of toxins you’re supposed to have accumulated.”"


    " In 2009, a network of scientists assembled by the UK charity Sense about Science contacted the manufacturers of 15 products sold in pharmacies and supermarkets that claimed to detoxify. The products ranged from dietary supplements to smoothies and shampoos. When the scientists asked for evidence behind the claims, not one of the manufacturers could define what they meant by detoxification, let alone name the toxins."
  • Posts: 16,049 Member
    I think a cleanse is a good idea if your blocked up/constipated. I've read some people only go to the loo once a week!!!!! These people definitely need a good cleanse/flush out
  • Posts: 9,003 Member
    I think a cleanse is a good idea if your blocked up/constipated. I've read some people only go to the loo once a week!!!!! These people definitely need a good cleanse/flush out

    Taco Bell
  • Posts: 16,049 Member
    Haha randomtai. I fall in the constipation group unfortunately, and these cleanse type things are a massive help!! Altho all I take is magnesium oxide, so probably not a traditional expensive type thing that's being discussed here
  • Posts: 390 Member
    Ninkyou wrote: »
    There's nothing like a good poo to cleanse the soul.

    :D

  • Posts: 16,049 Member
    Yes indeedy Ninkyou :p
  • Posts: 10,451 Member
    tigersword wrote: »
    Homeopathics? You do know that homeopathics are nothing but water, right?
    Just because the dilution of the effective ingredient can't be picked up in nuclear magnetic resonance, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.......just ask the people that filled in their questionnaire on how they felt after taking it.......proof positive right there.

  • Posts: 1,564 Member
    Just because the dilution of the effective ingredient can't be picked up in nuclear magnetic resonance, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.......just ask the people that filled in their questionnaire on how they felt after taking it.......proof positive right there.

    I hope that last remark was written in sarcasm font.
  • Posts: 15,317 Member
    JONZ64 wrote: »
    Been hearing lots of folks at work and on FB start into their resolution lists and have heard the "latest" Detox/Cleanse from a few people already, so I thought I would share this on here as a preventative measure for the upcoming season. Full Disclosure : I stole this from another MFP member a few years ago and I have posted it a few times and will continue to do so as long as I still see "Magic Pill" posts.

    The body’s own detox system
    We tend to forget that the body is equipped with a detoxification system of its own, which includes the following:

    The skin. The main function of the body’s largest organ is to provide a barrier against harmful substances, from bacteria and viruses to heavy metals and chemical toxins.

    The respiratory system. Fine hairs inside the nose trap dirt and other large particles that may be inhaled. Smaller particles that make it to the lungs are expelled from the airways in mucus.

    The immune system. This exquisitely orchestrated network of cells and molecules is designed to recognize foreign substances and eliminate them from the body.

    The intestines. Peyer’s patches — lymph nodes in the small intestine — screen out parasites and other foreign substances before nutrients are absorbed into the blood from the colon.

    The liver. Acting as the body’s principal filter, the liver produces a family of proteins called metallothioneins. Metallothioneins neutralize harmful metals like lead, cadmium, and mercury to prepare for their elimination from the body. Liver cells also produce groups of enzymes that regulate the metabolism of drugs and are an important part of the body’s defense against harmful chemicals and other toxins.

    The kidneys. The fact that urine tests are used to screen for drugs and toxins is a testament to the kidneys' remarkable efficiency in filtering out waste substances and moving them out of the body.

    There's no "Magic" Lemonade, cayun pepper and squid oil drink that will Detox your body, just eat CICO, exercise, keep hydrated and Voila, Health! :-P

    bump
  • Posts: 470 Member
    I have responded really well to homeopathics when modern pharmaceuticals have failed me horribly ( read: bad reaction). I was skeptical when my< integrative> Dr. put me on them the first time ( many years ago) when pharma drugs made me really sick. But I couldn't argue with the results. But....alas....this is about the almighty cleanse/detox--not my personal experience.

    BTW....I love those that pipe in on the forums with a sentence that pokes fun holes in another poster's silly beliefs. So sweet. <sarcasm font>
  • Posts: 4,301 Member
    Yes, beliefs are powerful. never underestimate the mind and its power. Homey or not, good luck.
This discussion has been closed.