A quick answer: No, It doesn't. Doctors advise against it and say it could harm you. Bleach is helpful in household chores such as removing stains from clothes and cleaning swimming pools, but never to use on one's self, doctors claim.
Meanwhile, news has been circling the Cuomo family as Chris Cuomo, New York's governor's brother and CNN anchor, tested positive for coronavirus. Later on, he also announced that his wife, too, tested positive for the virus.
Chris' wife, Cristina Greeven Cuomo, runs a health and wellness website called "The Purist." In one of her blog posts, she talks about her regimen of bathing in a bleach solution. She says she decided to try the procedure as a more 'budget-friendly alternative' to an IV vitamin drip to counterbalance heavy metals in the body supposedly.
She writes that Dr. Linda Lancaster, a Board Certified Naturopathic and Homeopathic Physician, suggested the 'Clorox Bath' for the elimination of chemicals and metals in the body. The bath involved adding a half cup of Clorox into a full tub of hot water.
Doctors say "No" to Bleach Baths
Contrary to Dr. Lancaster's advice, many doctors warn that a bleach bath could be dangerous. According to Dr. Dean Hart, a microbiologist, bathing in bleach is a bad idea.
He advises people 'not to do that' because it could potentially 'hurt you.' He claims that the air around a bleach or chlorine bath becomes toxic, whether observing through skin or breathing. He adds that bleach is meant to be useful in clothes-washers and chlorine in swimming pools, but not for the use of human bodies.
Hart warns that heavy bleach has the potential to kill, adding that he has never heard of such remedy before and would not recommend it. To treat coronavirus, he urges people to stay at home, sleep, drink lots of fluids, and to take Tylenol as needed. He said that once more severe symptoms develop, people should seek medical attention right away.
Dr. Sachin Nagrani, the medical director at telehealth company Heal, said that one situation where a diluted bleach bath might be useful is for treating chronic eczema.
Nagrani says the remedy is done by bathing in a solution of ¼ cup bleach diluted in 40 gallons of water. He also warns that bathing with bleach has no evidence to benefit any other condition and that ingesting or injecting bleach is dangerous to one's health.
Leave the Household Cleaners to Household Items
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend diluted household bleach solutions to clean and disinfect some surfaces at home, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency has put together a list of disinfectants for use against the coronavirus. However, these solutions are meant as household cleaners, not as treatments for humans.
The EPA prompts the public to follow the directions on labels for safe and effective use of household cleaners. The agency adds to never apply the product on yourself or others, not to consume them, or apply them directly to food.
The manufacturer of Lysol also put out a statement announcing 'under no circumstance should their disinfectant products be administered into the human body through any route.'
Jerome M. Adams, US Surgeon General, also warned the public against self-medicating in a tweet he posted on April 24. He reminded Americans to always talk to their health care provider first before attempting to administer any treatment or medication to themselves or their loved ones.