In the world of beauty, health and fitness business, the word “detox” is far too commonly used. For example, you may get offered skincare products such as a detox face mask that promises to help completely remove your blemishes if you use it in the exact way that it has been described on the packaging/label. But the sad truth is that “detoxing” doesn’t actually work; speaking medically, “detoxing” is nonsense. And simply enough, the only real way to get healthy is by diet and exercise.

In this modern era where social media (such as Instagram) exposes “flawless” fitness models to its audience every single day, it is so easy to get sucked in by the detox industry, especially when you are continuously following profiles that show off beautiful skin. You get blown away by the idea of cleansing away your many years of unhealthy eating habits and believe it to be the medicine to your sugar filled calorie intakes and sleepless nights. But wait… before you decide to take steps to a clinical detox solution, you need to first understand the concept of detoxing on a much deeper level: this whole idea that you can completely purify your entire system of flaws and leave your skin  spotless and untouchable by toxins – is a scam. It’s a made up concept and the purpose behind it is to sell you products so that substantial profits are being made. It’s all part of business.

Edzard Ernst from Exeter University describes two types of detox where “one is respectable and the other one isn’t”. He goes on to explain that people with life-threatening illnesses that start from conditions such as drug addictions deserve medical treatment, and this may be regarded as a respectable detox. However, the not so respectable one is simply the word “detox” being hijacked by entrepreneurs who want to sell a bogus treatment that apparently detoxifies all the toxins from your body.

Detox doesn’t make sense because you would most likely be dead if toxins actually built up in a way that your body couldn’t excrete. And, the healthy body has kidneys, a liver, lungs, skin, all of which are detoxifying as we speak. So, there is no actual way – and most definitely not through detox treatments – to make something that works perfectly well in a healthy body work better.

Too many products out there in the market mention “toxins” as the poisonous substances that you take in to your body, even though it’s not certain what those toxins are. A group of UK Scientists in 2009 carried out an experiment where they had made contact with the manufactures of 15 products that were being brought from pharmacies and supermarkets that promised to detoxify. These products ranged from dietary supplements to shampoos and smoothies. What’s weird, is that when evidence was being asked for behind the claims, not even one manufacture was able to define what they meant by detoxification. And yet, shelves are overloaded with products with “detox” stuck on their packaging..

The thing is, nowadays you can buy pretty much detoxifying-anything including supplement tablets, face masks, shower gels, yoga treatments, as well as seven-day detox diets – yes you might lose weight but the only reason why you’ll lose it is because you’ll have went without proper food for a week, and unfortunately that has little to do with toxins. Ernst describes all this as a scandal because “it’s criminal exploitation of the gullible man on the street who would love to have a simple remedy that frees him of his sins, so to speak. It’s nice to think that it could exist but unfortunately it doesn’t.”

So let’s talk about alcoholics. Would a detox from alcohol be a good thing? Of course it would be great to go days without alcohol as part of your lifestyle, and it may even give you the opportunity to think about your drinking habits if you’re drinking above the limit. However, the idea that your liver needs to be “purified” through detox is just ridiculous.

If you think about it, the best lifestyle detox involves not smoking or drinking, avoiding processed foods, doing plenty of exercise and overall just enjoying a balanced diet as much as possible, all of which is healthy for you. Just imagine a diet full of all the right treatment and care that your body needs. Wholegrain cereals, fruits, vegetables, plenty of water, sleep, etc. All of this naturally strengthens your immune system without the need for a so called “detox”. So why do all those detox advertisements make you feel like you need to punish yourself in order to be healthy?

In conclusion, I can tell you that detox will never benefit you in the long-run. Sure, you want results from detox, and you’ll get them – but the effects of all those products and treatments will not last for as long as you live. If I could invent an actual definition for the word “detox”, then it would be “getting to the bottom and root cause of every problem in your life and work towards fixing them naturally to ensure the happiest and healthiest version of yourself”. I’m sorry, but you need to be committed to healing the right way, not through some temporary relief in the name of “detox”.