Lies Behind Detox Business

In majority of big cities in Indonesia, there are many clinics open offering detoxification therapy. Detoxification means exhausting toxic subtances in the body. Whereas research shows that the tool used for detoxification does not really suck toxic material in the body, but just changes the water color used in the treatment.

This therapy claims that it has adobted Chinese tradition which believe that toxic substance in human body can be released by putting foot in water, just in half a hour. The therapy can also make the body feel healthier and bolster immune system.

In medical world detoxification is the process of safely getting dangerous substance out of human system. But in Indonesia, many common people build detox clinics freely by using untested machines. The SIGI team find that such clinics spread at malls, supermarket, even at

urban residences. It can happen because people can buy the machine easily in open markets. "To draw toxic out of my body, we just pay as cheap as $5," Said a woman who exercise the therapy in a mall at Kelapa Gading area, North Jakarta. She hopes her skin will softer and her fat disappear after the treatment.

The process of detoxification does not take a long time. First the patient puts off all his adornments, especially everything made from metal. Then he should put his foot in hot water at the ankle level. The water afterwards is charged by electricity at the lowest level using tool connected with the machine. In some minutes the water in the pail changes its color. if the color is red, it means the toxic has came out from articulating link. If the water is green, it means kidney and liver toxic. But if it is black, it means there are heavy metal sucked from the body.

These therapy is popular among the people. Fifthy thousand people use the machine everyday. The attraction of the machine can influence doctor to use it. Even a doctor, work for outstanding hospital in Jakarta, become one of consultant of a brand of detox machine. Whereas the machines are clinically not recommended by Health Department. Some people even make the machine traditionally. One of them is with the brand name Resik.

Not only the clinics is full of patients, the seller of detox machine also gains high profit. One distributor said he ever sells two hundred machines. As we know, One machine can prize twelve million rupiahs.

Profesor Suhariningsih from Airlangga University, who teaches physics faculty, said that the color in the water is not a poison or wasteful subtance of human body. She assumed the machines just disperse metal ions of electrolytic capacitor put in the water. Even the machine can be dangerous because it release chlorin gas. The gas is very dangerous if it is inhalled by a human.

Profesor Iwan Darmawan from Indonesian University has the similar opinion with profesor Suhariningsih. He said the theory of sucking toxic from the body is unknown in medical world. "If the tool is really powerful, then this great discovery shall gain Nobel price." he said.

But dr. Aminuddin, a conslutant of E-Plus detox machine, has different opinion. He said that the machine really could transfer negative ions which belive can make body feel good. Some detox machines claims they have international certificates. But the SIGI team found a letter that the government refused one of detox machines. Dr. Farid W Husain from health department said that the machine could categorize as a health tool. "Most of the clinics do not have legal letter," he said.

However, the therapies in Jakarta are still booming. On the other side, in Surabaya, one of big cities in Indonesia, the therapies are no longer operate. It is because the provisional government banned these practices. The polices in Surabaya area also closed some of the clinics. Not only in Surabaya, the police also forbid the owners of the clinics in Lamongan. Although in some cities these practices were prohibited, Health Department said that they did not have authority to close the clinics which spreading in the capital.

Translated from www.liputan6.com