The Three Dangers of Detoxes and Cleanses That No One is Talking About

Can You Shield and Support the Brain and Body from Toxins without Causing More Problems?

Hello dear friends,

Today I want to talk about a controversial subject between integrative doctors, anti-diet dieticians, and conventional medicine.

Specifically, I want to discuss the debate surrounding “cleansing” and “detoxing.” I also want to highlight three concerns I have about them that are often overlooked in holistic healthcare. This video will be an introduction to:

• The opposition and advocacy for cleansing and detoxing
• The main considerations for detoxing and cleansing
• Supporting health through harm mitigation
• Three unintended, harmful consequences of over-focusing on purifying
• An essential oil blend for self-worth and self-acceptance

I will be expanding on some of these concepts in future video blogs.

As always, all the references, links, and articles will be linked in the accompanying post and in the resource section.

So, let’s get started.

 

The Controversy of Cleansing and Detoxing

The are several reasons why cleansing and detoxing are contentious between healthcare providers, wellness gurus, and fitness influencers.

On one side of the debate are those who feel these subjects are (1) a marketing ploy to increase supplement sales, (2) advocating for unattainable dietary purity, and (3) a push for aggressive and unattainable lifestyle changes. These opponents state that the body can naturally detoxify and cleanse, so additional measures are not necessary.

Proponents of theses process state that these techniques have been a component of physical and spiritual healing since ancient times. In fact, many cultures still use them in traditional applications for religious ceremonies. Furthermore, several studies of modern-based practices of detox diets and cleanses provide evidence of improving health and relieving various conditions. For example, preliminary trials, surveys, and case reports have demonstrated clinical efficacy using protocols that were designed by health care practitioners.

Finally, wellness and fitness influencers offer protocol, cookie-cutter approaches that they feel are applicable to the general population. Both integrative and conventional health providers worry that these programs may not be vetted for quality, pharmaceutical-grade supplements and can be associated with risks without proper monitoring.

So, who do we listen to?

The truth is often found in nuances and somewhere in between extremes.

 

To Detox Or Not? What to Consider

It is true that our body does have processes in place to help us deal with harmful exposures. These include the detoxification and elimination pathways that take place in our liver, gut, lungs, skin, and kidneys. Furthermore, it’s also accurate that there is a pretty penny to be gained by doctors who provide “detox challenges” and “cleanses.”

It’s also true that there are certain nutrients and foods that can aid the body in detoxifying. They act by upregulating enzymes and biochemical reactions to assist the gut, liver, lungs, and kidneys in removing toxins produced by the body as well as exogenous exposures.

Another point to consider is that we are living in a world where the emergence of new environmental chemicals are exploding in numbers. We are now exposed to more of these substances than any other previous generation. We can’t escape them. They are present in our personal care products, cleaning agents, beauty supplies, water, air, and food.

These substances are unregulated, ubiquitous, persistent, and detrimental. They have been linked to various disorders and diseases. Therefore, even with our natural ability to rid ourselves of harmful substances, many people still carry a body burden of them that is negatively impacting their body and mind. This could be mitigated.

 

Supporting Health Through Harm Mitigation

Due to the fact that we cannot avoid exposures in our food and environment, I do feel it’s best to decrease risk. This means aiding the body with additional, holistic support for elimination and to make an effort to avoid more accumulation of toxins.

This is why I have freely provided several guides and resources to help you safely navigate our toxic world.

However, there’s a few caveats to keep in mind with this.

 

The Three Unintended Consequences of Detoxing and Cleansing

There are three major unintended consequences to consider regarding endorsing detoxification and cleansing. These include:

 

1. Economic Pressure – The opponents to detoxifying and cleansing are correct in bringing attention to the fact that mitigating environmental harms and detoxifying and cleansing is difficult on our wallets. It is almost impossible for economically disadvantaged individuals to afford high end cleanses, detoxes, supplements, and/or environmental filters.

Furthermore, an unregulated market allows for cheaper production costs for companies and a lower price point for customers. This provides more consumer choices and a robust market for chemical manufacturers. As a result, moderating harm at the source is a socioeconomic issue beyond the sales of supplements.

These socioeconomic connections to health are often ignored by those pushing for expensive treatments and protocols. On top of this, we could be causing more emotional harm by increasing anxiety among those under monetary strain unable to access them. Still, there are things the public can do to help lessen the financial burden.

Those who are able to purchase more natural products can vote with their pocketbooks. This will increase accessibility and affordability for all people in the long term. We can also let our governmental representatives know how important environmentally friendly and non-harmful products are for everyone’s health.

In the meantime, there are other ways to support the body from excessive stressors that are no-cost and truly available to all. These include:

• building connection in communities
• teaching the importance of movement (sweating rids the body of toxins)
• mind-body techniques
• community programs for providing enough food to fill nutrient deficiencies (regardless of purity)
• raising awareness about mental health

 

2. The Moralization of Food, Weight Stigma, and Body Shaming- Those in the anti-diet world have come to resist detoxes and cleanses believing that they are “wellness diets” in disguise. To be fair, many are marketed for weight control and/or body manipulation, making this claim valid.

These deceptive “lifestyle medicine hacks” do have a dangerous connotation when improperly applied. Restricting and eliminating foods deemed “unclean” can lead to “food morality” and healthism.

Healthism is the belief that health is a moral obligation. It judges people based on their wellness behaviors, nutritional choices, and the products they use. It leads to food and body shame in those who do not subscribe to it.

I have links about how dangerous food morality is for mental health, body image, and fueling eating disorders in the resource section. This is a topic I will expand on in a future video.

 

3. The Rise of Clean Eating, Orthorexia, and Eating Disorders – Just as moralization of food is dangerous for a peaceful relationship with food and others, the influence of cleansing and detoxifying has also become linked to diet culture messages and all its negative effects.

Christie Harrison, MPH, RD, CEDS, states:

Diet culture is a system of beliefs that:

• Worships thinness and equates it to health and moral virtue, which means you can spend your whole life thinking you’re irreparably broken just because you don’t look like the impossibly thin “ideal.”
• Promotes weight loss as a means of attaining higher status, which means you feel compelled to spend a massive amount of time, energy, and money trying to shrink your body, even though the research is very clear that almost no one can sustain intentional weight loss for more than a few years.
• Demonizes certain ways of eating while elevating others, which means you’re forced to be hyper-vigilant about your eating, ashamed of making certain food choices, and distracted from your pleasure, your purpose, and your power. (This can fuel orthorexia.)
• Oppresses people who don’t match up with its supposed picture of “health,” which disproportionately harms women, femmes, trans folks, people in larger bodies, people of color, and people with disabilities, damaging both their mental and physical health.

According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) (bold emphasis mine):

• Diet Culture is dangerous and harms people of all sizes, including by perpetuating eating disorders and making a full recovery almost impossible. But when it comes to identifying Diet Culture in a world that is sadly rife with it, there can be plenty of confusion. If we truly want to prevent eating disorders and create a culture where full recovery is possible, we need to learn to identify Diet Culture and speak out against it.

I will be expanding on some of these concepts as well in a future post.

 

Essential Oils for Self-Care and Self-Connection

Food moralization, healthism, and body shaming can make one’s self-esteem and mental health plummet. One of my favorite ways to mitigate any form of stress and enhance self-confidence is by using essential oils

In a previous video, I discussed the Joyful oil blend for supporting mind-body-heart-soul medicine. This mix of essential oils uplifts the mood and can lighten the spirit.

The Joyful oil blend benefits the nervous, digestive, endocrine, and cardiovascular systems. I use it with my naturopathic medicine clients to enhance their feelings of self-love, self-care, self-worth, and to promote more human connections into their lives. It was one of the key mixtures I used in my case study published in Townsend Letter for Annie’s anxiety symptoms.

You can learn more about it here.

 

Summary on Supporting Your Body and Cleansing

As with most things in medicine which focuses on nutrition and lifestyle, diet culture can slip in and take over the best intentions. This is why I find the most effective approach, especially concerning cleansing and detoxification, is a personalized and integrative one that honors all body shapes.

I have found in my practice that it is possible to nurture the body with healing foods that provide extra support for excessive toxic insults AND not fall prey to weight preoccupation and harmful diet culture messages.

Just as with intuitive eating, when one is in alignment with their body and wants to feel good, they can make empowering choices for the mind-body-spirit. This is without body shaming, morality, or financial pressure. Essential oils can be used to enhance self-care and self-worth. This is important to help release the moral judgements around not fitting into the “thin ideal” or perfectionism in health choices.

What do you think? Please share your ideas in the comment section.

Thank you so much for taking the time to learn how to nourish and nurture your mind, body, heart, and soul.

Sending you many blessings.

 

Resources

• What Is a Full-body Detox? (Healthline)
• Do We Really Need to Cleanse and Detoxify in Our Chemical World? A HAES (Health at Every Size) and Naturopathic Perspective on Shielding the Body from Toxic Insults: Part I (My article with references)
• Living a Non-Toxic Lifestyle – A Final Summary on Naturopathic Detox and Cleansing (My article with references)
• Psst…The Dirty Little Secret That May Kill You! Is There Hope for a “Cleaner” Future? (My article on Natural Path with references)
• Why You Must be Vigilant and Not Rely on Companies, nor the Government, to Keep You Safe from Toxic Chemicals (My article on Natural Path with references)
• Resources for Living a Healthy, Non-Toxic Life for Better Mind-Body Balance: Greener Living with Clean Food, Safe Cosmetics, Chemical-Free Household Products, and Quality Water (My video blog with references)
• How Did Diet Culture Take Over Healthcare, the Fitness Industry, Nutrition, and Society? (My article with references)
• The Dangers of Body Size Stigma and Food Shaming & How to Find Peace with Food and Focus on Health Without Obsessing on the Scale (My article with references)
• The Dubious Practice of Detox (Harvard)
• Should You Do a Cleanse (UCLA)
• How Striving For the “Perfect Diet” Could Make You Anxious and Sick (My article with references)
• Are You a Food Addict? The Caveats to Food and Eating Addiction: Part III (My video blog with references)
• When Teen Body Image Becomes a Deadly Perception (Science Daily)
• What is Diet Culture (Christie Harrison)
• The Rise of Eating Disorders Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic (John Hopkins)
• Could Your “Healthy Diet” Be Classified as an Eating Disorder? Recognizing the Different Types of Eating Disorders (My video blog with references)
• My Six Favorite Essential Oils and Two Amazing Oils Blends for Supporting Holistic Heart Health (My video article with references)
• Healthism (My article links)