Variable variations from "fast healthy formulas
Just a few minutes of surfing TikTok, Facebook or health care groups, users can easily encounter countless videos guiding "body detoxification" with formulas that are advertised as simple but bring miraculous results. From drinking lemon water in the morning, fasting for many days, using vegetable juice according to the regimen to colon aspiration with coffee, all are introduced as ways to help the body "excrete toxins", lose weight, beautify skin, fight inflammation, and even support the treatment of chronic diseases.
Notably, most of this content does not originate from medical facilities or health experts but is mainly based on personal experiences. However, by using seemingly scientific terms and meticulously invested videos, many "internet diagrams" quickly attract hundreds of thousands of followers.
Many people, because of the psychology of wanting to improve their health quickly, have trusted and applied it without verifying the information. Ms. Phan Anh Tuyet (Yen Tri commune, Phu Tho province) said that she used to maintain the habit of drinking lemon juice every morning after watching clips shared on social networks. Initially, only one lemon, but according to the instructions in the videos, she gradually increased to many fruits each day with the hope of supporting digestion and reducing blood fat.
“I think this is a natural method, so I am quite reassured. But after more than a month, I continuously had abdominal pain, hotness in the epigastric region, poor appetite. Going to the doctor, I found out that my stomach was seriously irritated,” Ms. Tuyet recounted.
Besides detox formulas, many products advertised as supporting detox such as foot liver patches, anti-inflammatory drinks or coffee inhaler kits are also sold rampantly. Sellers often exploit the psychology of fear of illness and beauty needs to exaggerate the product's uses, while the origin and effectiveness have not been clearly verified.
Health consequences and not cheap prices
Reality has recorded many cases of complications due to believing in unscientific "detoxification" methods. At Bach Mai Hospital, a 38-year-old woman had to undergo emergency surgery after self-intubating her colon with coffee according to online instructions. The patient was admitted to the hospital in a state of severe pain in the lower abdomen, anal bleeding. Through examination, doctors determined that the rectum was ruptured, causing an abscess in the posterior peritoneum and requiring emergency surgery.
According to medical experts, the human body inherently has a mechanism to eliminate toxins naturally through the liver, kidneys and excretory system. Therefore, there is no scientific evidence to confirm that drinking high-dose lemonade, fasting for a long time or sipping coffee can help "clean the body" as advertised on social networks.
Conversely, applying extreme measures can lead to digestive disorders, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, stomach damage and many other dangerous complications. In particular, people with underlying diseases are more likely to face risks if they arbitrarily perform unverified treatments.
Not only affecting health, many people also lose a significant amount of money for detox products and treatments. Some people spend millions of VND each month to buy functional foods, patches or detoxifying tools, but the effectiveness is nowhere to be seen, while complications occur and continue to incur additional treatment costs.
In the era of strong social networks, health information is spread at breakneck speed. However, not every content with many views is synonymous with accurate information. Experts recommend that people be alert to "miraculous" advertisements, and consult a doctor before applying any health care methods. A balanced diet, reasonable exercise and scientific living habits are still the safest and most sustainable way to protect health.
