This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(December 2023) |
Detoxificationordetoxication(detoxfor short)[1]is the physiological or medicinal removal oftoxicsubstances from a livingorganism,including the human body, which is mainly carried out by the liver. Additionally, it can refer to the period ofdrug withdrawalduring which an organism returns tohomeostasisafter long-term use of an addictive substance.[2][3]Inmedicine,detoxification can be achieved bydecontamination of poison ingestionand the use ofantidotesas well as techniques such asdialysisand (in a limited number of cases)chelation therapy.[4]
Manyalternative medicinepractitioners promote various types of detoxification such asdetoxification diets.Sense about Science,a UK-based charitable trust, determined that most such dietary "detox" claims lack any supporting evidence.[5][6][obsolete source][independent source needed]
The liver and kidney are naturally capable of detox, as are intracellular (specifically, inner membrane of mitochondria or in the endoplasmic reticulum of cells) proteins such asCYP enzymes.In cases ofkidney failure,the action of the kidneys is mimicked bydialysis;kidneyandliver transplantsare also used for kidney and liver failure, respectively.
Types
editMetal detoxification
editHeavy metal detox,ordetoxification,is the removal oftoxic heavy metalsubstances from the body. Inconventional medicine,detoxification can also be achieved artificially by techniques such asdialysisand (in a very limited number of cases)chelation therapy.There is a firm scientific base inevidence-based medicinefor this treatment.[7]
Manyalternative medicinepractitioners promote various other types of detoxification such as "diet detoxification". These procedures generally possess no sound scientific basis and are often seen as unnecessary.[8][medical citation needed]Alcohol detoxification
editAlcohol detoxification is a process by which a heavy drinker's system is brought back to normal after beinghabituatedto having alcohol in the body continuously for an extended period of substance abuse. Serious alcohol addiction results in a downregulation ofGABAneurotransmitterreceptors. Precipitouswithdrawalfrom long-term alcohol addiction without medical management can cause severe health problems and can be fatal. Alcohol detox is not a treatment foralcoholism.After detoxification, other treatments must be undertaken to deal with the underlying addiction that caused alcohol use.
Drug detoxification
editClinicians use drug detoxification to reduce or relievewithdrawalsymptoms while helping an addicted person adjust to living without drug use. Drug detoxification does not aim to treat addiction but rather represents an early step within 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 setting rather than in a medical center.
Drug detoxification varies depending on the location of treatment, but most detox centers provide treatment to avoid the symptoms of physical withdrawal from alcohol and from other drugs. Most also incorporatecounselingand therapy during detox to help with the consequences of withdrawal.
Metabolic detoxification
editAn animal'smetabolismcan produce harmful substances which it can then make less toxic throughreduction,oxidation(collectively known asredoxreactions),conjugationandexcretionof molecules from cells or tissues.[9]This is calledxenobiotic metabolism.[10][11][12][13]Enzymes that are important in detoxification metabolism includecytochrome P450 oxidases,[14]UDP-glucuronosyltransferases,[15]andglutathioneS-transferases.[16]These processes are particularly well-studied as part ofdrug metabolism,as they influence thepharmacokineticsof a drug in the body.[17][18][19]
Alternative medicine
editCertain approaches inalternative medicineclaim to remove alleged "toxins" from the body through herbal, electrical, electromagnetic or other treatments. These toxins may not be linked to symptoms and treatments have no scientific evidence,[20][21]making the validity of such techniques questionable. There is little evidence for toxicaccumulationin these cases, as theliverandkidneysautomatically detoxify and excrete many toxic materials includingmetabolicwastes.[21]Under this theory, if toxins are too rapidly released without being safely eliminated (such as when metabolizing fat that stores toxins), they can damage the body and causemalaise.Such alternative therapies includecontrast showers,detoxification foot pads,oil pulling,Gerson therapy,snake-stones,body cleansing,Scientology's andNarconon'sPurification Rundown,water fasting,andmetabolic therapy.[22]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"detoxification - definition of detoxification by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia".Thefreedictionary.RetrievedApril 21,2013.
- ^"detoxify - definition of detoxify in the Medical dictionary - by the Free Online Medical Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia".Medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.RetrievedApril 21,2013.
- ^"Toxicology Primer".UIC. Archived fromthe originalon October 31, 2013.RetrievedApril 21,2013.
- ^"Get the Lead Out - Autumn 2009 Living Bird".Birds.cornell.edu. October 15, 2009.RetrievedApril 21,2013.
- ^"Scientists dismiss detox schemes".BBC News.January 3, 2006.RetrievedJuly 26,2016.
- ^"No proof so-called detox products work: scientists".CTV News.January 5, 2009.RetrievedDecember 25,2023.
- ^Blann & Ahmed 2014, p. 465
- ^ Dubin, Alesandra (May 29, 2023)."Heavy Metal Detox Diet: Myths and Truths".The Well by Northwell.RetrievedNovember 8,2023.
- ^"Detox".Archived fromthe originalon August 4, 2009.RetrievedJuly 18,2009.
- ^xenobiotic metabolic process (April 13, 2013)."AmiGO: xenobiotic metabolic process Details".Amigo.geneontology.org. Archived fromthe originalon July 25, 2009.RetrievedApril 21,2013.
- ^L-60: Xenobiotic Metabolism(archived version).
- ^"Metabolism of Xenobiotics".Zoology.muohio.edu. Archived fromthe originalon June 1, 2013.RetrievedApril 21,2013.
- ^Xenobiotic Metabolism-Oxford Biomedical Research Inc(archived version).
- ^Danielson P (2002). "The cytochrome P450 superfamily: biochemistry, evolution and drug metabolism in humans".Curr Drug Metab.3(6):561–97.doi:10.2174/1389200023337054.PMID12369887.
- ^King C, Rios G, Green M, Tephly T (2000). "UDP-glucuronosyltransferases".Curr Drug Metab.1(2):143–61.doi:10.2174/1389200003339171.PMID11465080.
- ^Sheehan D, Meade G, Foley V, Dowd C (2001)."Structure, function and evolution of glutathione transferases: implications for classification of non-mammalian members of an ancient enzyme superfamily".Biochem J.360(Pt 1):1–16.doi:10.1042/0264-6021:3600001.PMC1222196.PMID11695986.
- ^"Small Molecule Drug Metabolism".Ionsource. September 1, 2012.RetrievedApril 21,2013.
- ^"Comparison of the Levels of Enzymes Involved in Drug Metabolism between Transgenic or Gene-knockout and the Parental Mice".Tpx.sagepub. January 1, 2001.RetrievedApril 21,2013.
- ^D M Dulik & C Fenselau (April 1, 1988)."Use of immobilized enzymes in drug metabolism studies".FASEB Journal.2(7):2235–40.doi:10.1096/fasebj.2.7.3127263.PMID3127263.S2CID27415918.RetrievedApril 21,2013.
- ^Scott Gravure (January 1, 2015)."Detox: What 'They' Don't Want You To Know".Science-Based Medicine.
- ^abZeratsky, Katherine."Do detox diets offer any health benefits?".Mayo Clinic.Archived fromthe originalon March 3, 2022.RetrievedJuly 26,2016.
- ^"More information on complementary and alternative medicine".American Cancer Society.Archived fromthe originalon June 2, 2008.RetrievedJuly 26,2016.
External links
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