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| No | 73% | 232 votes | Total: 317 votes | |
| Yes | 27% | 85 votes |
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Add to FavoritesIf you don't mind the risk of hypertension, hyperthyroidism, aggravating Lupus or rheumatism, or throwing your money down the drain, then daily detox supplements are for you!
Fans of daily detox have cited a Northwestern Memorial Hospital study that showed there could be a benefit from daily detox. The Northwestern Memorial Hospital study they refer to, however, tested a group's response to a PRESCRIPTION drug given under controlled circumstances. Not an herbal supplement. Not daily at-home dosings.
There is no data showing the efficacy of herbal detox supplements, and plenty of information showing they can be harmful.
The poster child of detox supplements is the milk thistle, with the active component "sylmarin". A search of the web shows no REAL scientific study on milk thistle OR sylmarin. Searches only turn up pseudo-science from web sites hawking this supplement. If there was any real benefit from this supplement the drug companies would be swarming over it, trying to hack out their piece of the pharmaceutical pie.
Alfalfa seed shows up in some preparations. Alfalfa seed contains L-canavanine, which has been shown to stimulate the immune system. That sounds like a good thing at first. But then again, isn't that what an infection does?
Autoimmune illnesses, where the body attacks it's own tissues, do NOT need an immune system boost. L-canavanine has been shown to aggravate Lupus and rheumatism because of this response. And since L-canavanine builds up in the body, it is suspected of triggering this sort of condition.
Another common ingredient is celery seed, which is a seasoning in cookery. When taken as a supplement, however, it can be dangerous. It can lead to uterine bleeding and muscle contractions in the uterus, which could cause miscarriage in pregnant women. Since the active ingredients are excreted by the kidneys, people with kidney problems could be at risk. People who are allergic to birch pollen may also be allergic to celery seed. And active compounds in celery seeds can cause the skin to become highly sensitive to the sun (photodermatitis).
So me detox preparations contain bladderwrack. This supplement stimulates the metabolism by providing a lot of iodine, which stimulates the thyroid. But it has been linked to hyperthyroidism, which causes trembling, nausea, weight loss, rashes, and nervousness.
Licorice root is an ingredient that has actually shown the ability to lessen the symptoms of patients with Hepatitis C, which hints that it may have a positive effect on the liver. But according to a press release by Sloan-Kettering "Long-term ingestion of licorice (root) has been shown to cause secondary hypertension and hypokalemia resulting in paralysis."
Not something I'd want to take every day.
The only ingredients that make any sense are those containing saponins (soap-like substances that pass through the liver unchanged). They are secreted from the liver through the bile ducts and soak up bad stuff like cholesterol in the intestines.
But saponins are richly present in a diet that includes potatoes, tomatoes, spinach, onions, and other vegetables. A diet including these foods will provide more saponins than any supplement could provide.
Your body disposes of toxins in two ways, through the kidneys and the liver. These organs work like tireless laborers on an assembly line, pulling out the bad stuff and letting the good stuff pass through.
But every ingredient in the detox supplements (except for saponins and the mysterious "sylmarin") has to be removed by the liver or kidneys, making them work harder. Improving the performance of these organs by giving them more work is like trying to improve an assembly line by giving the workers more work!
It makes no sense.
The only way to detox is to avoid toxins, eat healthy, drink plenty of water, and let your organs do their stuff.
You will NOT detox by adding herbs and other substances for your body to process. You will only make the job harder.
Learn more about this author, Eric Lannak.
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Yes
Yes, I believe that we all need to use detox supplements on a regular basis. However, I only believe in using natural supplements for the purpose of detoxification. It is very much needed, because of the way that people eat in America. We all eat way too many fatty foods and foods loaded with unnatural ingredients that can give us cancer later on in life. Cancer is a very real possibility when we continue to live for years without detoxification. It can be prevented if we use these products to eliminate parasites that can turn into something else later on.
When using detox products you will start to feel a lot better, cleaner and healthier than ever. You will start to notice that whenever you use anti inflammatory products like Tylenol or acetaminophen, that you become more sensitive to them and they will affect you a lot more than they used to. When people use detox on a regular basis they will have more frequent elimination. This very important, because you will no longer suffer from the effects of constipation, indigestion or upset stomach. The visit to the doctor will become less frequent also, because you will also experience less time getting sick and being sick.
Doctors have also advised people who experience frequent constipation to use detox supplements before using drugs. Once you start using these drugs you have to pretty much keep taking them for most of your life, and you your body can become dependent on them. The use of these supplements also eliminates the use of laxatives, which only give temporary relief. When the system is cleaned out on a regular basis it also can help the bodies immune system to get a boost or increase. People who use these products rarely have bad skin. They also can aid in weight-loss and weight maintenance. You will not feel as hungry with regular use of detoxification supplements and they can also give you an added boost to any weight-loss program that you may be on.
Ultimately, I believe that it is a personal choice that we all make on whether or not we should use nutritional supplements of any kind. I am a high believer in the use of natural supplements and I stand by them. I would rather use natural supplements first and then use artificial drugs as a last resort. That is the way I was raised and it is the way that I will raise my children, because there have been way to many diagnosis of cancer in adults and children throughout the years.
Learn more about this author, Lee Baptiste.
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