BANGOR, Maine — Some people opposed to having a COVID-19 vaccine are rallying around TikTok-famous doctor Carrie Madej, who says you can "detox the vaccine" from your body in a bath that includes Epsom salt, baking soda, and the household cleaner Borax.
THE QUESTION:
Can a vaccine be detoxed from your body with a chemical bath?
OUR SOURCES:
- Dr. Navneet Marwaha, chief quality officer for Northern Light Health
- Angela Rasmussen, a virologist and adjunct professor at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada
THE ANSWER:
WHAT WE FOUND:
"It's wishful thinking and a myth. Vaccines don't work that way," Marwaha said.
The COVID-19 vaccines work by introducing our immune system to the virus, therefore giving it a memory of how to fight the virus moving forward.
"Once you're injected, the lifesaving vaccination process has already begun. You can't unring a bell. It's just not physically possible," Rasmussen told NBC News.
While Epsom salt and baking soda are relatively harmless, bathing in Borax cleaner could be dangerous to your health.
"No chemical bathing is good for you, right? So let's just put that out there," Marwaha said.
So, we can verify the claim that you can detox your body with a chemical bath is false and potentially dangerous; you cannot "undo" the COVID-19 vaccine through a detox bath.
In conclusion, Marwaha said, "Go to trusted health care providers with your questions. There's a lot of information out there, and it's really hard to know what's true and what's not. But we're doing everything we can to get the right information out there. I think your primary care provider and your primary care team are the right resource to go to with your questions."
If you have something you'd like the NEWS CENTER Maine Verify team to look into, email us at Verify@newscentermaine.com.