# Toxins in your body that can be removed physically? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 27, 2008, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxins-in-your-body-that-can-be-removed-physically/442987 "2008-03-27T23:08:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxins-in-your-body-that-can-be-removed-physically/442987/1 "2008-03-27T23:08:49Z")
I’m taking yoga lessons, and the instructor has mentioned the twisting motion “wringing toxins out of your body.” I heard a similar thing from a masseur. Is this possible? If not, how did the idea get started? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxins-in-your-body-that-can-be-removed-physically/442987/2 "2008-03-27T23:15:12Z")
Define toxins. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxins-in-your-body-that-can-be-removed-physically/442987/3 "2008-03-27T23:17:03Z")
If your body that similar to a dishrag? ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxins-in-your-body-that-can-be-removed-physically/442987/4 "2008-03-27T23:25:09Z")
[http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mmassagetoxins.htm](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mmassagetoxins.htm) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2008, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxins-in-your-body-that-can-be-removed-physically/442987/5 "2008-03-28T02:21:24Z")
Mostly, when they talk about “toxins” and it’s not your MD, it’s BS. Not that a good shit, pissing like a racehorse, and a long sweat might not get rid of a few things. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2008, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxins-in-your-body-that-can-be-removed-physically/442987/6 "2008-03-28T02:44:22Z")
When they say they’re going to remove toxins from you, they mean cash. All that dirty, dirty money… ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2008, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxins-in-your-body-that-can-be-removed-physically/442987/7 "2008-03-28T13:24:40Z")
[QUOTE=DrDeth] Mostly, when they talk about “toxins” and it’s not your MD, it’s BS. Not that a good shit, pissing like a racehorse, and a long sweat might not get rid of a few things. [/QUOTE] Some of those yoga poses might make you let out a fart that you’d been holding in (I always worried about this in yoga class). A good fart should release some toxins, or at least they smell like they must be releasing something noxious. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2008, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxins-in-your-body-that-can-be-removed-physically/442987/8 "2008-03-28T13:32:04Z")
[QUOTE=11811] I’m taking yoga lessons, and the instructor has mentioned the twisting motion “wringing toxins out of your body.” I heard a similar thing from a masseur. Is this possible? [/quote] I can’t see how it would be. Your tissues are suffused by your blood (any bits of you that aren’t getting blood will die) - wringing and massage can probably stimulate circulation, but it’s happening anyway, and surely already at a sufficient rate to remove any removable ‘toxins’ that might be present in less than deadly concentrations. If there’s something in your body that’s locked up so that your blood can’t shift it without it being ‘wrung out’, then it must be that the act of wringing implies tissue damage. > [@](#): > > If not, how did the idea get started? Before medical science started to understand how the body works, people were free to make up explanations as they chose (well, they’re still free now - it’s just easier to know when they’re right or wrong). ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2008, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxins-in-your-body-that-can-be-removed-physically/442987/9 "2008-03-28T13:36:57Z")
I think yoga is a wonderful exercise, meditative, and limbering regimen. Unfortunately if one gets into classes one finds that it’s usually taught by proponents of utter bollocks. Try Pilates instead, though even this has recently been hijacked by the new-agers.