“Massage flushes toxins”…oh boy, here we go.
I was very lucky to go to Bancroft School of Massage Therapy. I am even luckier that I now get to teach at Bancroft, almost 8 years later. Recently, I started teaching our second anatomy course, where we discuss basic biology and the organ systems of the human body.
Inevitably, this statement comes up. We hear it all the time as Massage Therapists - “massage flushes toxins” remains in the minds of our clients like old gum clinging to a hot sidewalk. Most clients never question it - sure, massage flushes toxins! Makes sense, right?
Well, no. And here’s why:
Once we begin to learn about the body, this idea quickly falls apart. First of all, there is no evidence to support this claim, which is an immediately suspicious characteristic. Even the most speculative theories should have some basis in research or academic foundation.
It’s hard to trace the origins of this idea - the best anecdotal source I can find is that back before Massage was regulated, this idea was taught in schools and became part of the narrative when offering water to clients. A therapist would tell their clients to drink “a full glass of water to flush the toxins/lactic acid”, and so it became a habit that is now pervasive throughout the industry. Here’s what we know now, and the questions that arise from there:
“Toxins” are an undefined, speculative group of substances.
Some wellness gurus use this term to describe pesticides on vegetables or chemicals found in body products.
Sometimes it refers to the amount of a substance in the body - some vitamins that are necessary to the body are toxic at high concentrations.
Most importantly, the word “toxins” without a specific definition or naming the intended target, implies that our bodies are impure, dirty, stained, imperfect, or needing to be cleansed. It reinforces a narrative that makes our body the enemy - which is entirely unhelpful.
This idea completely ignores basic anatomy and physiology. Once we begin to learn about organ systems, we see all the different mechanisms we have built-in to our bodies that allow us to remove unwanted material. These systems are intelligent, complex processes that do an incredible job of regulating our internal environment. Our liver, kidneys, and lymphatic systems do a better job of removing waste than massage alone ever could. If you have a disease or problem with these systems, Massage may actually be a stressor to the organs and not recommended, not a solution.
What does “flushing” toxins even mean? What mechanism are we referring to? There’s no switch activated by massage that rinses anything away - there are potential benefits to temporarily increased circulation, but this isn’t flushing waste into the sewers - at best we’re having a minor beneficial effect on all systems and all of their processes.
If we COULD flush toxins, why would we? Let’s say for example that when you get a massage, all these toxins get released from the tissue into the blood stream, and you drink some water to counteract the toxins. If toxins were released with every massage session, why would the best idea be to flood the blood, liver, kidneys, and lymph with them all at once?
As you can tell, I am particularly passionate about this topic (as my poor students learn in class). It may seem like yelling at a wall, and sometimes it feels that way.
This issue goes to the heart of misinformation. The detoxification uproar continues the narrative that we are broken and dirty failures who, because we don’t only eat organic kale and juice fast every other week, are going to live less healthy lives.
Our goal as Massage Therapists is to focus on the actual benefits of our work, because there are many. We will continue to offer evidence-based information and treatment plans that use every bit of classroom knowledge and hands on experience to change our field. One client at a time.