Editing Detoxification (section)

{{Short description|Removal of toxic substances from an organism}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Other uses}}
{{More citations needed|find=Detoxification |date=December 2023}}
'''Detoxification''' or '''detoxication''' ('''detox''' for short)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/detoxification |title=detoxification - definition of detoxification by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia |publisher=Thefreedictionary.com |access-date=2013-04-21}}</ref> is the physiological or medicinal removal of [[toxic]] substances from a living [[organism]], including the human body, which is mainly carried out by the liver. Additionally, it can refer to the period of [[drug withdrawal]] during which an organism returns to [[homeostasis]] after long-term use of an addictive substance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/detoxify |title=detoxify - definition of detoxify in the Medical dictionary - by the Free Online Medical Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia |publisher=Medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com |access-date=2013-04-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uic.edu/sph/glakes/kids/case1/tox_primer.htm |title=Toxicology Primer |publisher=UIC |access-date=2013-04-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031083314/http://www.uic.edu/sph/glakes/kids/case1/tox_primer.htm |archive-date=2013-10-31 }}</ref> In [[medicine]], detoxification can be achieved by [[Poison#Decontamination|decontamination of poison ingestion]] and the use of [[antidote]]s as well as techniques such as [[Kidney dialysis|dialysis]] and (in a limited number of cases) [[chelation therapy]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.birds.cornell.edu/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1508 |title=Get the Lead Out - Autumn 2009 Living Bird |date=15 October 2009 |publisher=Birds.cornell.edu |access-date=2013-04-21}}</ref>

Many [[alternative medicine]] practitioners promote various types of detoxification such as [[Detoxification (alternative medicine)|detoxification diets]]. [[Sense about Science]], a UK-based charitable trust, determined that most such dietary "detox" claims lack any supporting evidence.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4576574.stm|title=Scientists dismiss detox schemes|date=3 January 2006|access-date=26 July 2016|work=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/no-proof-so-called-detox-products-work-scientists-1.357496 |title=No proof so-called detox products work: scientists |date=January 5, 2009 |website=[[CTV News]] |access-date=25 December 2023}}</ref>{{obsolete source|date=May 2024}}{{third party inline|date=May 2024}}

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 as [[Cytochrome P450|CYP enzymes]]. In cases of [[kidney failure]], the action of the kidneys is mimicked by [[Kidney dialysis|dialysis]]; [[Kidney transplantation|kidney]] and [[Liver transplantation|liver transplants]] are also used for kidney and liver failure, respectively.