No, you can’t ‘cancel’ a COVID vaccine with a borax bath

NBC News report highlighted a viral TikTok video featuring Dr. Carrie Madej, an osteopathic internal medicine doctor who posted a number of theories debunked on COVID vaccines to Twitter. The original video was deleted by TikTok last month, but the clips and the recipe continued to spread on social media. Madej claims that one can “detoxify the vaxx” by soaking in a bath of baking soda and Epsom salt – which are pretty safe, but don’t act the way she claims.

“Baking soda and Epsom salts, she mistakenly claims, will provide ‘radiation detox’ to remove radiation that Madej mistakenly believes is activated by the vaccine,” writes journalist Ben Collins. “The bentonite clay will add a ‘major poison attraction,’ she says, based on a misconception in anti-vaccine communities that toxins can be cleared from the body with certain therapies.”

But then the recipe calls for adding a cup of borax into the mix – a cleaning agent that the Food and Drug Administration has banned as a food additive because it’s a potentially harmful irritant to the skin and eyes and can cause digestive problems. Madej says borax “will take nanotechnology away from you”, although it is not clear what she means by that. However, she falsely claimed that there is a “liquefied computer system” inside coronavirus vaccines, as in a “Reawaken America” ​​podcast.

“US Borax does not offer any products that we endorse or intend to use as a dietary ingredient, pharmaceutical active ingredient, and / or over the counter (OTC)., neither food additive nor direct additive to food, ”writes the FDA of US Borax, the company that extracts and refines compounds such as borax from the element boron. What else, borax has been linked to infertility, and exposure can cause rashes, vomiting and breathing problems, according to the National Library of Medicine.

Indeed, 20 Borax Mules Team, which is produced by Dial and used for household cleaning and craft purposes (you can also make crystals and mud with borax), warns people against ingesting it at its site. It also warns against contact of the product with the eyes. If someone does eventually swallow it, they should rinse their mouth with a full glass of milk or water and call a doctor as soon as possible.

Many people identifying themselves as doctors and medical professionals on Twitter have also cautioned against soaking in borax.

But aside from the potential discomfort and dangerous side effects that a borax bath can cause, it’s important to note that there is no such thing as “detoxifying” a vaccine. First of all, COVID vaccines are not toxic. It has been proven in clinical trials that they safe and efficient.

Coronavirus Update: ‘Now is not the time to talk happily’: Experts warn pandemic far from over, urging people to combine vaccines with face masks and other measures

But also, the idea of ​​taking a detox bath to “reverse” a vaccine shows that people don’t understand how vaccines work. Once you get the hang of it, your body goes to work to protect you against the virus you are vaccinated against, as Angela Rasmussen, virologist and assistant professor at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, told NBC.

“Once you get the injection, the life-saving vaccination process has already started. You can’t ring a bell. It’s just not physically possible, ”she said. “The transaction process for the mRNA vaccine is quite fast. Basically by the time you get out of your car, sorry, the magic has already started.

The report sparked many shocked reactions on Twitter on Friday, making “borax” a trend.

One of the good things about these bogus ‘cancel your vaccines’ videos is that their popularity suggests that vaccination warrants are working and that people who were against vaccination are getting vaccinated.

And soaking in a soothing bath after your shot can be a great way to unwind. Just, please, hold the borax.

“Take a bath, kick back and relax with a glass of wine, knowing that I am safe from a potentially fatal viral infection,” Rasmussen said.