Detox program?

marnold

marnold

Cathlete
Okay ladies...

I have been hearing a lot about this detox stuff lately. I am sure that it has been around for ages. I know that most of you who post here are smart, educated women. Can anyone tell me what the point is? I just don't get it.

I have several friends that are "into" this stuff lately and I cannot for the life of me understand what the point is. It seems like the flavor of the day. Am I wrong?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/15...s_1/002-3642013-4213625?redirect=true&ie=UTF8

Here is a link to the latest "program". It involves eating clay!

Melissa
 
I think it is a pretty good thing if you eat bad, like the atkins diet which leaves alot of garbage in your colon.
But, I say fibre, lots of it, and forget the detox. I personally got to the potty like 5 times a day. I can't imagine more. It would be like getting ready for a colonoscomy.
I have also heard if you drink alot of lemon water daily it will keep the colon in better shape.
But, I am no professional. Just my opinion.
I take a liver cleanse due to having my gall bladder out. It is just an herb though.
Anne
http://www.picturetrail.com/acatalina
 
The point is that we are exposed to so many toxins, and artificial substances our bodies were not built to deal with, in our daily life (from food, from medication--prescribed or over the counter, heavy metals from dental fillings, from bad air, bad water---and tap water IS 'bad water') from all the chemicals we ingest or inhale, even from normal body processes, especially if one eats a lot of processed foods or even cooked foods. A detox allows the body to clear out some of this stuff.

A detox isn't just a colon cleanse, you can also, like Anne does, do a liver detox (one that is highly recommended to do, because the liver is one of the major detoxing organs in our body, and can store things that our body is better without).

You can also do a relative detox, by just stepping back a bit with your diet.

If you eat the SAD (standard American diet, high in processed foods and animal products), switch to a whole food vegetarian diet for a while. If you're a vegetarian, go raw food for a while. If you're a raw fooder, go to juices and fruits for a while. If you're a fruitarian, then do a water fast for a few days (no longer than 3 on your own).

Doing this allows your body to 'take care of business' and use more of its energies for repair and cleaning than for digesting food.

A high infrared sauna helps to detox the body of heavy metals, as does taking chlorella.

Unfortunately, a detox doesn't do much good if one continues with bad eating habits afterwards.

And the 'eating clay." Yes, bentonite is a form of clay. It is used for absorbing toxins from the digestive tract so they can be cleared from the body. And it's not taken in large amounts (which 'eating' clay implies) but in Tablespoon doses.

Dr. Fuhrman has info about detoxing in his book "Fasting and Eating for Health":

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/03...=pd_bbs_1/103-2935639-2040668?ie=UTF8&s=books
 
Thanks Kathyrn! I have to admit...I don't know if I am ready to dive into this detox thing. I have always eaten pretty healthy and am not really worried. Maybe I will do a little more reading on the subject. I have to admit that my first impressions were a little negative. It sounded new agey and the people who are "into it" still party and don't act healthy. Know what I mean? That is why I was curious if it is just the "flavor of the day".

You sound quite knowledgeable on the subject. If I might ask, what do you do for a living?

Thanks!

Melissa
 
>You sound quite knowledgeable on the subject. If I might ask,
>what do you do for a living?

I'm a French professor, but I've been vegetarian for almost 30 years (vegan for almost 15), and have read a lot on health, fitness and diet. I guess you could say my 'profession' is French professor, but my 'avocation' is health and fitness. I spend the first part of my summer vacations reading and updating my health knowledge.
 
Well, that explains your wealth of knowledge on the subject. I will have to remember that when nutritional questions arise. :)

Thanks!

Melissa
 
Melissa,

I would visit www.knowthecause.com and read some of the articles. I have one of Doug Coffman's books called "The Fungus Link". It is some of the most interesting reading that makes complete sense. He has a diet and antifungal program that involves eating (mostly low carb witht the exception of carrots, yams, yogurt, etc). I have been doing this diet and it is amazing for weight loss and feeling well.

HTH!!!

Sara
http://www.picturetrail.com/saraburnham1
 
Hi Melissa,

I just recently completed the ten-day Master Cleanse (also known as the "Lemonade Diet." I researched it after reading about it on this forum. I had three goals for the cleanse, all of which I achieved.

First, I had just come off of 2+ months on the Fit For Life diet, which I had embarked on after reading Tom Venuto's Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle book. I learned a lot about my constitution by trialing that diet. My personal experience was that it plateaued my weight loss (exercise levels had been consistent) and did not have the effect of "revving" my metabolism that I could detect. I also believe it was just too much protein from a macronutrient ratio perspective for my body; I was feeling very "heavy" in the gut and had begun to have digestive irregularities despite taking 2TB ground flax seed each day. So I wanted to use the cleanse to "reboot" my digestion and lighten up before going back to a lower protein ratio diet.

Second, I wanted to get off of all allergy medication. The cleanse advertised that it could help with long-term autoimmune issues, and although I have been undergoing immunotherapy for over a year for my severe allergies, I had not been able to get off of 4 daily medications that kept symptoms at bay. I don't like taking systemic medications, especially over a long period of time, and the cleanse was sort of a "last hope" for getting off of them. I was able to cease taking all of those medications by day 4 of the cleanse and haven't needed any medications since I returned to normal eating.

Third, I wanted to get off of caffeine. I actually had much milder headache-type caffeine detox symptoms than I expected. I had not really been a "power drinker" of caffeine but I probably had about 2 cups per day and since I have moderate Restless Leg Syndrome (which caffeine exacerbates) I felt it was in my best interest to go back to "tea only" mode. ;-)

I found the forums at www.therawfoodsite.com (and Google) to be a helpful resource in deciding to take on the cleanse. I will do a liver cleanse at some point down the line (gall bladder disease runs in my immediate family and I want to be proactive) and I could see doing the cleanse again in 18-24 months, to see what additional benefits I might get. BTW, I was able to keep right along with my Cathe rotation the whole time I was on the cleanse.

HTH...

--Kristina

“You guys can argue about training theories all you want.  I’ll be in the gym . . . it’s leg day.”

-- Dave Draper, author and former Mr. Universe
 
Wow! Thanks for all of the input! I would have never dreamed that this is so popular. I appreciate all of your feedback! Have a great Monday; if that is possible! LOL

Melissa
Paragonah, UT
 
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