A User's Guide to Cheating Death

Detoxing isn’t actually a thing. But it’s become a fixation of the western world. Stemming from the guilty pleasures of overindulgence and under-exercising, a belief has emerged that we must regularly rid our bodies of toxins via detoxifying diets, fasts, technologies, and more. The evidence – or the lack thereof – behind this popular trend will be uncovered.

Direct-to-Consumer Genetic testing is being use by a growing number of people to make important health and life decisions, despite these tests being largely inaccurate. What are the consequences of using these faulty methods to make “healthy life choices” and is there benefit in any of it?

As a society we’ve become obsessed with the concept of organic food and products, chemical free farming, healing foods, and natural remedies. People are distrusting GMOs, pharmaceuticals, and other “non natural” solutions. Organic products fetch a premium price. Families are turning to holistic approaches to medical issues, sometimes with fatal consequences. But what is causing people to distrust modern medicine and approaches to farming? Where does this romantic notion of “natural is better” come from? And most importantly, are these stances scientifically supportable?