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Today we’re deep in detox mode, sharing our ideas for how to cleanse your body, home, and spirit this spring. But what about the major detox diets you’ve seen on bookstore shelves and celebrity mags? Are they part of a healthy spring cleaning process, or are they unhealthy or even dangerous?
Much has been said–and re-said–in the media about this (and the debate really underscores the importance of doing any kind of cleanse under the supervision of a professional). I wanted to share this radio clip from The Brian Lehrer Show on NPR (listen below) because I think it raises some of the major “con” points about the health and usefulness of detoxing. Brian’s guest Lisa Sasson (a dietitian and professor of nutrition at NYU) is not a fan of diets like The Master Cleanse. Her points, which I hope you’ll weigh in on:
- Cleanses that involve ingesting few calories for days on end can send your body into ketosis, a kind of shock where you burn fat rather than glucose for energy. In its extreme form, ketosis can lead to kidney stones and organ failures.
- The premise that your GI tract needs a rest from functioning for a week or more a year is as absurd as suggesting that your heart needs to rest by not beating for a week a year.
- The kidney and liver are how our bodies are meant to cleanse themselves. You can supplement that by eating multi-colored fresh fruits and vegetables that contain antioxidants, which cleanse the body by fighting free radicals that come in via chemical pollutants that we can’t avoid in the modern world. But the suggestion that depriving your body of nutrition so it can cleanse itself is not nutritionally sound.
Here’s the radio clip:
What’s your take? Do you swear by The Master Cleanse, or a similar program? Have you found a “middle way” cleanse that detoxifies but avoids the concerns outlined above? Or is cleansing more a metaphorical process in your life?
posted March 25, 2009 at 5:31 pm
I advocated the master cleanse, having done it 5 times myself, I feel that logically, and intuitively that it is neither extreme nor dangerous in most cases.
I will address the three statements above:
1. “In extreme cases”. Well everything in extreme is, well, extreme. Too much of anything can lead to rare results. That statement reeks of fear and the defense of a fortified position. Drinking water in it’s extreme form causes death. Extreme exposure for the sun will kill you too! This is an extremely poor argument.
2. I wouldn’t say the GI tract “needs to rest”, but it is reasonable to assume, you might agree, that resting can’t hurt, and usually helps.
3. Our bodies are not perfect machines. We are full of left over parts from evolution. To assume that we are perfect as we are would be to spit in the eye of everyone who needs their heart replaced due to disease –often caused by poor diet resulting in the build up of the very tine elements cleanses like the master cleanse hope to reduce.
It is unfortunate that our views of the dangers or benefits of such procedures are so subjective. Give me 100 “Experts” and I will show you 100 varying opinions all along the spectrum from “It’s a blessing” to “It’s curse”.
At the same time, give me 1,000 of opinions of people who have done the master cleanse themselves, and I will show you 900 positive responses. This is an intuitive guess bases on the 1,000′s of comments on my website, http://themastercleanse.org
The bottom line is nothing is for everyone. Ask, questions, do research, trust your body and your instincts, and decide for yourself if the master cleanse or any procedure is right for you. I know some Eastern medical practitioners who would call you crazy if you had your tonsils removed.
Best of luck and thanks for the opportunity to respond.
posted April 17, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Non-scientific claims. Warped sense of logic. Need for immediate gratification. Mixed with a little stubbornness and perhaps credulity. Out comes the drive to begin the “Master Cleanse” detox diet. Also known to detox connoisseurs as the “Lemonade Diet” or “Cayenne Pepper Diet”.
This so-called diet is actually a concoction of maple syrup, lemonade, and cayenne pepper. That’s it. Mix that in a cup and drink it a few times a day. The individual is supposed to be on the diet for about ten days. Although some people take it to the extreme and have reported being on it for upwards of 40 days!
The basic tenants of this diet were born by Stanley Burroughs*. As a self-proclaimed natural healer focusing on the practices of alternative medicine, Stanley claimed he could cure many ailments and diseases through reflexology massage sessions, exposure to colored lights and lemonade concoctions. Don’t worry. It its not as specious of a treatment as it sounds. There is a completely cogent explanation for his treatments: Mr Burroughs actually found and translated the lost tablet of Joseph Smith.
http://www.mentalpestilence.com
posted May 3, 2009 at 1:56 pm
The article mentions ketosis. This is a process a body will go into when void of carbs and sugars. During the beggining of the Atkins diet a person could go into ketosis. On the Master Cleanser you are ingesting Maple Syrup, which is a very balanced sugar and form of fuel, so your body doesn’t require the substituted ketones to carry on.
The comment on our bodies not needing a break is riduculous. Why is it then that animals will often stop eating when they are sick? And for that matter why our bodies lose appetite when sick? It is because we enter a state where healing is more important use of our energy than digestion. Digestion takes up lots of energy, and can congest and slow down natural healing processes.
If anyone would like to learn specifically more about the Master Cleanse please view my article.
http://www.humblebeehealth.com/humble-bee-health/master-cleanser-in-the-media
As far at this mentalpestilence guy’s comments above, look up “Stanely Burroughs, Joseph Smith” on google and the only results you will find are his blog comment postings. Sounds to me like he is trying to spread some internet rumor to cast doubt on a fast he doesn’t agree with. Interesting what people in internet land are into.
posted February 19, 2010 at 12:07 am
well it’s a great opinion to share with everyone..
====================
ana
the lemonade diet detox
posted July 26, 2010 at 5:51 am
The claim that detoxification systems can actually harm some vital organs in our body is partly true. True, if and only if you are applying the detox system in the wrong way. Anyhoo, I guess the best of all detox is the colon cleanse detox.
posted December 8, 2010 at 6:08 am
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