"Many drink vitamins just like that, and they can increase the risk of cancer."

In April, the book “0.05. Evidence medicine. From magic to the search for immortality ” Peter Talentov , the founder of the scientific and educational fund“ Evolution ”and an endocrinologist by education (an excerpt from the book can be read here ). The author not only talks about the history of medicine, but also debunk popular unscientific myths - from the harmlessness of homeopathy to the benefits of antioxidants. Republic talked with talent about how these myths are formed and why even doctors sometimes believe in them.

- In the book you pay a lot of attention to medieval medicine and write that the modern hobby of detox is just from there. Why is the idea of ​​cleansing the body so attractive to people and why does detox really not work?

- This idea gives a very simple explanation of how the human body works and how diseases arise. Some substance allegedly gets into your body, and all the troubles come from it. You can literally imagine how your body has a source of the problem and how you delete it. For people who are far from medicine, such an explanation seems exhaustive and logical.

Previously, it was natural to imagine that an evil spirit that causes illness was in the body. Then it was removed in different magical ways. Now this idea takes a science form that is more suitable for our time: supposedly problems are caused by toxins, plastic microparticles or heavy metals - who is more scary. This gives the illusion of control: it seems that it is easy to get rid of problems, it is enough to cleanse yourself. Therefore, such things are constantly in demand.

Why is detox not working? Because in fact, with the exception of rare cases of intoxication, when a person was very poisoned, no mysterious toxins that our liver and kidneys would not cope with. Nobody saw mythical deposits on the walls of the intestines either, all these are the fantasies of sellers of these services.

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