This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/health/7934568.stm
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Prince Charles detox 'quackery' | Prince Charles detox 'quackery' |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Prince Charles has been accused of exploiting the public in times of hardship by launching what a leading scientist calls a "dodgy" detox mix. | Prince Charles has been accused of exploiting the public in times of hardship by launching what a leading scientist calls a "dodgy" detox mix. |
| Edzard Ernst, the UK's first professor of complementary medicine, said the Duchy Originals herbal detox tincture was based on "outright quackery". | Edzard Ernst, the UK's first professor of complementary medicine, said the Duchy Originals herbal detox tincture was based on "outright quackery". |
| There was no scientific evidence to show that detox products work, he said. | There was no scientific evidence to show that detox products work, he said. |
| Launching the product in January, Duchy Originals' herbalist said each mix had been meticulously researched. | Launching the product in January, Duchy Originals' herbalist said each mix had been meticulously researched. |
| Michael McIntyre added they were "manufactured to the highest standards after exhaustive lab testing". | Michael McIntyre added they were "manufactured to the highest standards after exhaustive lab testing". |
| But Professor Ernst of Peninsula Medical School said Prince Charles and his advisers appeared to be deliberately ignoring science, preferring "to rely on 'make-believe' and superstition". | But Professor Ernst of Peninsula Medical School said Prince Charles and his advisers appeared to be deliberately ignoring science, preferring "to rely on 'make-believe' and superstition". |
| He added: "Prince Charles thus financially exploits a gullible public in a time of financial hardship." | He added: "Prince Charles thus financially exploits a gullible public in a time of financial hardship." |
| Marketed as Duchy Herbals' Detox Tincture, the artichoke and dandelion mix is described as "a food supplement to help eliminate toxins and aid digestion". | Marketed as Duchy Herbals' Detox Tincture, the artichoke and dandelion mix is described as "a food supplement to help eliminate toxins and aid digestion". |
| It costs £10 for a 50ml bottle. | It costs £10 for a 50ml bottle. |
| Detox doubts | Detox doubts |
| Professor Ernst said the suggestion that such products remove toxins from the body was "implausible, unproven and dangerous". | Professor Ernst said the suggestion that such products remove toxins from the body was "implausible, unproven and dangerous". |
| Prince Charles and his advisors seem to deliberately ignore science and prefer to rely on âmake believe' and superstition Professor Edzard Ernst | Prince Charles and his advisors seem to deliberately ignore science and prefer to rely on âmake believe' and superstition Professor Edzard Ernst |
| "Nothing would, of course, be easier than to demonstrate that detox products work. All one needed to do is to take a few blood samples from volunteers and test whether this or that toxin is eliminated from the body faster than normal," he said. | "Nothing would, of course, be easier than to demonstrate that detox products work. All one needed to do is to take a few blood samples from volunteers and test whether this or that toxin is eliminated from the body faster than normal," he said. |
| "But where are the studies that demonstrate efficacy? They do not exist, and the reason is simple: these products have no real detoxification effects." | "But where are the studies that demonstrate efficacy? They do not exist, and the reason is simple: these products have no real detoxification effects." |
| Earlier this year the charitable trust Sense About Science produced a report seeking to debunk claims made about detox products. | |
| Its researchers reviewed a series of products, from bottled water to face scrub, and found the detox assertions to be overwhelmingly meaningless. | Its researchers reviewed a series of products, from bottled water to face scrub, and found the detox assertions to be overwhelmingly meaningless. |