Experts say there is no reality to social media rumors that individuals may “detox” their bodies from the COVID-19 vaccine by bathing in a bath mixed with the household cleanser borax. Anti-vaxxers on social media have been promoting various shady and disproved practices to like-minded followers who unwillingly obeyed vaccination regulations but now regret it.
MIAMI, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 15: A healthcare worker at the Jackson Health Systems receives a Pfizer-BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine from Susana Flores Villamil, RN from Jackson Health Systems, at the Jackson Memorial Hospital on December 15, 2020 in Miami, Florida. Jackson Memorial Hospital began the vaccination of frontline healthcare workers joining with hospital systems around the country as the COVID-19 vaccine is rolled out. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Borax is used for a variety of things, including taxidermy, woodworm prevention, and food preservation. While it is less hazardous than other common pesticides, Medical News Daily said US Food and Drug Administration prohibited using Borax as a food additive. Studies have connected it to infertility and developmental issues.
Anti-Vaxxer Recommend Bathing In Borax To ‘Undo’ Covid-19 Vaccines
Carrie Madej, a TikTok user and an osteopathic doctor, published the ingredients for a bath that she claimed would “detox the vaxx.”
NBC News reporter Ben Collins, citing the TikToker, tweeted that a bath with baking soda would remove ‘radiation.’ At the same time, taking a bath with epsom salt would lessen ‘poisons.’ Borax would clear away ‘nanotechnologies.’
On TikTok, anti-vaxxers have rallied around influencer Carrie Madej, who claims she can “detoxx the vaxx.”
Her solution? A bath with baking soda for “radiation” and epsom salt for “poisons.”
Then, she says, add Borax to clean out “nanotechnologies.”⁰
(Don’t do this.) pic.twitter.com/J4smxg8PXh
— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) November 12, 2021
Detoxing a Vaccine ‘Impossible,’ Experts Say
Uché Blackstock, a licensed doctor who oversees the advocacy organization Advancing Health Equity, said it was unlikely to “detox” a vaccination. The expert added that some of the procedures being discussed were “extremely harmful.”
According to Dr. Blackstock, who spoke to MSNBC, the risk of individuals claiming to be doctors spreading false information is that people will believe it. However, consumers should be aware that there is no way to detox from a vaccination.
Baking soda and epsom salt baths take covid misinformation to a new level. @uche_blackstock talks to @kendisgibson and @lindseyreiser about the new push by anti-vaxxers to "detox" their vaccines. pic.twitter.com/F4dYIOGAKA
— MSNBC Reports: Weekends (@MSNBCweekends) November 13, 2021
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The University of Kansas Health System infection control medical director Dana Hawkinson said Borax is “a potentially caustic and hazardous material. She added that using Borax to remove immunizations “is nothing that is supported by research or statistics.”
Anti-vaxxer Angela Rasmussen of the University of Saskatchewan told NBC that the bath approach was unlikely to be hazardous but would have no effect on immunizations.
Conspiracy Theories Present Since Then
Vaccine detoxes have been a popular fake treatment for at least a decade. However, as immunizations and vaccine requirements become more common, the concept has grown in popularity.
Forbes pointed out that the large box of borax in Collins’ tweet was really a photograph, not an actual object. Neither is the assertion made by Madej that showering would “reverse” the effects of the Covid-19 vaccination.
Getting vaccinated is not the same as peeing on your pants. A bath may make you feel nice, particularly if Enya’s song Only Time is playing in the background. It will not, however, eliminate all of the vaccine’s side effects.
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