How Do You Really Detox Your Body?
The new year may already be here, but it can be hard to imagine reinventing yourself when you’re still coming out of a ham- and egg-nog-induced lethargy. After weeks of inundating our bodies with treats and drinks, nothing is more enticing that the hope of a quick fix, the promise that you’ll be back to your best with a little activated charcoal, green juice, herbal tea, or apple cider vinegar. All you need, the internet says, is to quickly detox your body.
The detox industry is on the rise—and the profits are rolling in. But cleansing our bodies of impurities is anything but a new idea. Ayurvedic medicine, one of the oldest forms of traditional medicine, has employed a five-part detoxification method—including medicated enemas and drug-induced vomiting—since the 2nd century BCE. But here in modern times, we have a much better understanding of our supposed detox needs.
How to detox your body, according to science: The very phrase “detox” implies that there are toxins that need to be removed. Cleanses are rarely clear on what exactly these substances are, but it is true that your body contains harmful molecules that can cause cancer, organ damage, reproductive issues, and even death. But the truth is, your systems already do an excellent job of eliminating those problematic chemicals because they’re optimized for the detoxification of your body.
Excerpted from Popular Science
