Most Multi Level Marketing companies (MLMs) have some element of quackery in them. Just take a look at the bogus health claims attributed to Ariix, Juice Plus and Forever Living products to name but a few. When Cleanshield came to my attention, I was horrified at the sheer amount of idiocy that I felt compelled to write about why it is so wrong.
Here is their product
Wow, some bold claims there!
What is in this amazing product I hear you cry? How on earth can it ‘resist and correct’ these many conditions?
Sodium carbonate.
There is a website dedicated to this ingredient. This ingredient used to be a key ingredient in household cleaners and washing powders. It is an irritant.
Sodium phosphate
This is a strong laxative and features on Medline plus, a medication information website. There is a serious risk of kidney damage or death with this drug, especially if certain other drugs are taken or if there are some other underlying health conditions.
The pH of this liquid is 11-11.3. pH is measured on a 0-14 scale where 0 is extremely acid and 14 is extremely alkaline. What else is pH 11, for comparison?
I’ll tell you what is-
Ammonia.
How would drinking a highly alkaline solution cure all those conditions in the advert above?
It won’t.
For some reason there is an idea being touted by quacks that all illnesses are caused by the body being too acidic and this can be cured by ingesting alkaline things. Here is what Cleanshield have to at about the process-
This shows a gross misunderstanding of how the body works. If the stomach’s acid is diluted, it will no doubt make more acid, but this will not affect the rest of the body! Cleanshield think that the body’s water is an ocean and the whole ‘ocean’s’ pH will alter. Different parts of the body have a different pH and the body is very good at keeping them where they should be. Drinking an alkaline solution will not trick the whole body into being more alkaline. If it did, you would die really easily.
That bit at the end- ‘No known harmful pathogens can survive in the human body with a pH near 7.0’ !!! No human bodies can survive for long at a pH of near 7!
Blood’s pH should be between 7.35-7.45 and it is kept this way by the kidneys and lungs. If it goes much out of this range, you become very ill. If it goes under 7 and over 8 you will most likely die. It is very difficult to artificially change the pH of blood, and you would be foolish to try. To think that you can change it with a drink is laughable and ridiculous.
Where are the scientific papers showing any evidence at all of these claims of Cleanshield? How do we know what their drink does to their body? Where is the evidence this supposed change of pH will affect the immune system and that this can help with the list of conditions? There is none.
There is no evidence at all.
Cleanshield are not the only quackery MLM that are peddling alkaline water. Enagic are another MLM company at it. They sell expensive machines that make alkaline or acidic water to help with health.
Kangen water comes in 5 different strengths of pH. They have a pH11 water just like Cleanshield. Interestingly, they say not to drink this.
They subscribe to pseudoscientific mumbo jumbo of changing the body’s pH though.
Please, if you are going to believe in the idea that drinking products can change your pH level and this can change your health, despite there being no evidence or any credible scientific reasoning behind it, do not do it within an MLM company.
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