Detox
Encyclopedia
Detoxification is the physiological
or medicinal
removal of toxic substances from a living organism
, including, but not limited to, the human body and additionally can refer to the period of withdrawal
during which an organism returns to homeostasis
after long-term use of an addictive
substance. In conventional medicine
, detoxification can be achieved by decontamination of poison ingestion
and the use of antidotes as well as techniques such as dialysis
and (in a very limited number of cases) chelation therapy
.
Many alternative medicine
practitioners promote various other types of detoxification such as "diet detoxification," but there is little evidence that detox diets have any health benefits. Furthermore, Sense About Science
, a UK-based charitable trust determined that most commercial products' "detox" claims lack any supporting evidence and can be considered a "waste of money".
, a reuptake inhibitor
, because alcohol acts to replace it. Precipitous withdrawal
from long-term alcohol addiction without medical management can cause severe health problems and can be fatal. Alcohol detox is not a treatment for alcoholism
. After detoxification, other treatments must be undergone to deal with the underlying addiction that caused the alcohol use.
symptoms while helping the addicted individual adjust to living without drug use; drug detoxification is not meant to treat addiction but rather an early step in long-term treatment. Detoxification may be achieved drug free or may use medications as an aspect of treatment. Often drug detoxification and treatment will occur in a community program that lasts several months and takes place in a residential rather than medical center.
Drug detoxification varies depending on the location of treatment, but most detox centers provide treatment to avoid the symptoms of physical withdrawal to alcohol & other drugs. Most also incorporate counseling and therapy during detox to help with the consequences of withdrawal.
can produce harmful substances which it can then make less toxic through reduction
, oxidation (collectively known as redox
reactions), conjugation and excretion
of molecules from cells or tissues. This is called xenobiotic metabolism
. Enzymes that are important in detoxification metabolism include cytochrome P450 oxidases, UDP-glucuronosyltransferases
, and glutathione S-transferase
s. These processes are particularly well-studied as part of drug metabolism
, as they influence the pharmacokinetics
of a drug in the body.
claim to remove "toxins" from the body through herbal, electrical or electromagnetic treatments (such as the Aqua Detox
treatment). These toxin
s are undefined and have no scientific basis, making the validity of such techniques questionable. There is no evidence for toxic accumulation in these cases, as the liver
and kidney
s automatically detoxify and excrete many toxic materials including metabolic
wastes. Under this theory if toxins are too rapidly released without being safely eliminated (such as burning fat that stores toxins) they can damage the body and cause malaise
. Therapies include contrast shower
s, detoxification foot pads
, oil pulling
, Gerson therapy, snake-stones
, body cleansing
, Scientology's Purification Rundown
, water fasting, and metabolic therapy.
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
or medicinal
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
removal of toxic substances from a living organism
Organism
In biology, an organism is any contiguous living system . In at least some form, all organisms are capable of response to stimuli, reproduction, growth and development, and maintenance of homoeostasis as a stable whole.An organism may either be unicellular or, as in the case of humans, comprise...
, including, but not limited to, the human body and additionally can refer to the period of withdrawal
Withdrawal
Withdrawal can refer to any sort of separation, but is most commonly used to describe the group of symptoms that occurs upon the abrupt discontinuation/separation or a decrease in dosage of the intake of medications, recreational drugs, and alcohol...
during which an organism returns to homeostasis
Homeostasis
Homeostasis is the property of a system that regulates its internal environment and tends to maintain a stable, constant condition of properties like temperature or pH...
after long-term use of an addictive
Substance use disorder
Substance use disorders include substance abuse and substance dependence. In DSM-IV, the conditions are formally diagnosed as one or the other, but it has been proposed that DSM-5 combine the two into a single condition called "Substance-use disorder"....
substance. In conventional medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, detoxification can be achieved by decontamination of poison ingestion
Poison
In the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism....
and the use of antidotes as well as techniques such as dialysis
Dialysis
In medicine, dialysis is a process for removing waste and excess water from the blood, and is primarily used to provide an artificial replacement for lost kidney function in people with renal failure...
and (in a very limited number of cases) chelation therapy
Chelation therapy
Chelation therapy is the administration of chelating agents to remove heavy metals from the body. For the most common forms of heavy metal intoxication—those involving lead, arsenic or mercury—the standard of care in the United States dictates the use of dimercaptosuccinic acid...
.
Many alternative medicine
Alternative medicine
Alternative medicine is any healing practice, "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine." It is based on historical or cultural traditions, rather than on scientific evidence....
practitioners promote various other types of detoxification such as "diet detoxification," but there is little evidence that detox diets have any health benefits. Furthermore, Sense About Science
Sense About Science
Sense About Science is a British charity that promotes the public understanding of science. Sense About Science was conceived in 2002 by Lord Taverne, Bridget Ogilvie and others to promote respect for scientific evidence and good science. Sense About Science was established as a charitable trust in...
, a UK-based charitable trust determined that most commercial products' "detox" claims lack any supporting evidence and can be considered a "waste of money".
Alcohol detoxification
Alcohol detoxification is a process by which a heavy drinker's system is brought back to normal after being used to having alcohol in the body on a continual basis. Serious alcohol addiction results in a decrease in production of GABAGabâ
Gabâ or gabaa, for the people in many parts of the Philippines), is the concept of a non-human and non-divine, imminent retribution. A sort of negative karma, it is generally seen as an evil effect on a person because of their wrongdoings or transgressions...
, a reuptake inhibitor
Reuptake inhibitor
A reuptake inhibitor , also known as a transporter blocker, is a drug that inhibits the plasmalemmal transporter-mediated reuptake of a neurotransmitter from the synapse into the pre-synaptic neuron, leading to an increase in the extracellular concentrations of the neurotransmitter and therefore an...
, because alcohol acts to replace it. Precipitous withdrawal
Withdrawal
Withdrawal can refer to any sort of separation, but is most commonly used to describe the group of symptoms that occurs upon the abrupt discontinuation/separation or a decrease in dosage of the intake of medications, recreational drugs, and alcohol...
from long-term alcohol addiction without medical management can cause severe health problems and can be fatal. Alcohol detox is not a treatment for alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
. After detoxification, other treatments must be undergone to deal with the underlying addiction that caused the alcohol use.
Drug detoxification
Drug detoxification is used to reduce or relieve withdrawalWithdrawal
Withdrawal can refer to any sort of separation, but is most commonly used to describe the group of symptoms that occurs upon the abrupt discontinuation/separation or a decrease in dosage of the intake of medications, recreational drugs, and alcohol...
symptoms while helping the addicted individual adjust to living without drug use; drug detoxification is not meant to treat addiction but rather an early step in long-term treatment. Detoxification may be achieved drug free or may use medications as an aspect of treatment. Often drug detoxification and treatment will occur in a community program that lasts several months and takes place in a residential rather than medical center.
Drug detoxification varies depending on the location of treatment, but most detox centers provide treatment to avoid the symptoms of physical withdrawal to alcohol & other drugs. Most also incorporate counseling and therapy during detox to help with the consequences of withdrawal.
Metabolic detoxification
An animal's metabolismMetabolism
Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that happen in the cells of living organisms to sustain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories...
can produce harmful substances which it can then make less toxic through reduction
Reduction
Reduction, reduced, or reduce may refer to:- Chemistry :* Reduction, part of a reduction-oxidation reaction where oxygen is being removed from a compound.** Reduced gas, a gas with a low oxidation number...
, oxidation (collectively known as redox
Redox
Redox reactions describe all chemical reactions in which atoms have their oxidation state changed....
reactions), conjugation and excretion
Excretion
Excretion is the process by which waste products of metabolism and other non-useful materials are eliminated from an organism. This is primarily carried out by the lungs, kidneys and skin. This is in contrast with secretion, where the substance may have specific tasks after leaving the cell...
of molecules from cells or tissues. This is called xenobiotic metabolism
Xenobiotic metabolism
Xenobiotic metabolism is the set of metabolic pathways that modify the chemical structure of xenobiotics, which are compounds foreign to an organism's normal biochemistry, such as drugs and poisons...
. Enzymes that are important in detoxification metabolism include cytochrome P450 oxidases, UDP-glucuronosyltransferases
Glucuronosyltransferase
Uridine 5'-diphospho-glucuronosyltransferase is a glycosyltransferase that catalyzes addition of the glycosyl group from a UTP-sugar to a small hydrophobic molecule.This is glucuronidation reaction.Alternative names:...
, and glutathione S-transferase
Glutathione S-transferase
Enzymes of the glutathione S-transferase family are composed of many cytosolic, mitochondrial, and microsomal proteins. GSTs are present in eukaryotes and in prokaryotes, where they catalyze a variety of reactions and accept endogenous and xenobiotic substrates.GSTs can constitute up to 10% of...
s. These processes are particularly well-studied as part of drug metabolism
Drug metabolism
Drug metabolism is the biochemical modification of pharmaceutical substances by living organisms, usually through specialized enzymatic systems. This is a form of xenobiotic metabolism. Drug metabolism often converts lipophilic chemical compounds into more readily excreted polar products...
, as they influence the pharmacokinetics
Pharmacokinetics
Pharmacokinetics, sometimes abbreviated as PK, is a branch of pharmacology dedicated to the determination of the fate of substances administered externally to a living organism...
of a drug in the body.
Alternative medicine
Certain approaches in alternative medicineAlternative medicine
Alternative medicine is any healing practice, "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine." It is based on historical or cultural traditions, rather than on scientific evidence....
claim to remove "toxins" from the body through herbal, electrical or electromagnetic treatments (such as the Aqua Detox
Aqua Detox
Aqua Detox is an alternative medicine treatment promoted as a form of detoxification. Aqua Detox involves soaking an individual's feet in a salt water bath through which an electrical current is passed. The water turns brown as current is applied; the device is typically promoted with the claim...
treatment). These toxin
Toxin
A toxin is a poisonous substance produced within living cells or organisms; man-made substances created by artificial processes are thus excluded...
s are undefined and have no scientific basis, making the validity of such techniques questionable. There is no evidence for toxic accumulation in these cases, as the liver
Liver
The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...
and kidney
Kidney
The kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...
s automatically detoxify and excrete many toxic materials including metabolic
Metabolism
Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that happen in the cells of living organisms to sustain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories...
wastes. Under this theory if toxins are too rapidly released without being safely eliminated (such as burning fat that stores toxins) they can damage the body and cause malaise
Malaise
Malaise is a feeling of general discomfort or uneasiness, of being "out of sorts", often the first indication of an infection or other disease. Malaise is often defined in medicinal research as a "general feeling of being unwell"...
. Therapies include contrast shower
Contrast shower
A Contrast shower is a form of hydrotherapy using water in a shower, alternating the temperatures between hot and cold.Contrast hydrotherapy techniques improve the blood circulation, promoting the removal of metabolites and increasing the flow of immune molecules. It is also used as a method for...
s, detoxification foot pads
Detoxification foot pads
Detoxification foot pads are adhesive foot pads or patches that manufacturers claim can dramatically improve health when placed on feet during sleep. Pads contain ingredients such as "distilled bamboo vinegar" that allegedly pull toxins from the body...
, oil pulling
Oil pulling
Oil pulling or oil swishing, in alternative medicine, is a traditional Indian folk remedy that involves swishing oil in the mouth for claimed oral and systemic health benefits. It is mentioned in the Ayurvedic text Charaka Samhita where it is called Kavala Gandoosha / Kavala Graha...
, Gerson therapy, snake-stones
Snake-Stones
Snake-stones also known as viper's stone, black stone, schwarze Stein, pierre noire, and piedrita negra or serpent-stone are animal bones, which are widely used and promoted as a treatment for snake bite in Africa, South America and Asia...
, body cleansing
Body cleansing
Detoxification is an alternative medicine approach that proponents claim rids the body of "toxins", accumulated harmful substances that are alleged to exert undesirable effects on individual health...
, Scientology's Purification Rundown
Purification Rundown
The Purification Rundown, also known as the Purif or the Hubbard Method, is a controversial detoxification program developed by Scientology's founder L. Ron Hubbard and used by the Church of Scientology as an introductory service. Scientologists consider it the only effective way to deal with the...
, water fasting, and metabolic therapy.
See also
- Chelation therapyChelation therapyChelation therapy is the administration of chelating agents to remove heavy metals from the body. For the most common forms of heavy metal intoxication—those involving lead, arsenic or mercury—the standard of care in the United States dictates the use of dimercaptosuccinic acid...
(Heavy metal detoxification) - Colon cleansingColon cleansingColon cleansing encompasses a number of alternative medical therapies intended to remove feces and nonspecific toxins from the colon and intestinal tract. Colon cleansing may take the form of colon hydrotherapy or oral cleansing regimens such as dietary supplements...
- DecompicultureDecompicultureThe term decompiculture is a neologism coined by forestry professor Timothy Myles of the Urban Entomology Program at the University of Toronto and refers to how decomposing organisms, like termites, could be grown or cultured for a variety of uses....
- Organisms used in water purificationOrganisms used in water purificationAt present, several species of water-purifying plants, bacteria, and fish are used in water purification, improving efficiency and/or ecosystem support.-Organisms:...
- New York Rescue Workers Detoxification ProjectNew York Rescue Workers Detoxification ProjectThe New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Project was founded in New York City in 2003 with the purpose of treating rescue workers for toxins inhaled from the smoke of the September 11 attacks. It has two clinics; Downtown Medical on Fulton Street, two blocks from the site of the World Trade...
- ToxificationToxificationToxification is the conversion of chemical compounds into more toxic forms. This conversion can take place in the body as well as in substrates such as soil or water...
- XenobioticXenobioticA xenobiotic is a chemical which is found in an organism but which is not normally produced or expected to be present in it. It can also cover substances which are present in much higher concentrations than are usual...