Anybody done body detoxification before?

[x-g.o.p.er]

Just started today on a 7 day program. Anyone got any stories they want to share, or give any reviews?

Did it work?

Is it a scam?

[Darth_Kitten]

1. What are you doing?

[x-g.o.p.er]

7. It's called 'Detoxify-7'

Take a packet of gunk (flavored fiber) in the morning, and increasing dosage of pills for one week that is supposed to flush out all the toxins and junk from your colon.

[DS1]

17. you know what else flushes toxins and junk from your colon?

poo

[AngryAmish]

19. There are no toxins or junk in your colon

There is poo, but that is it.

You want everything out of there? Get a colonoscopy. Or at least prepare for one. If done right nothing will remain in your colon. But it kinda sucks. Funny thing, they want no fiber for a couple or three days beforehand. It just sticks things up.

People also think high-fiber diets good to prevent colon cancer. As it turns out, fiber is meaningless for colon cancer risk.

[AngryAmish]

2. Scam

Unless you have heavy metal poisoning. Then you should get to the ER stat.

[Darth_Kitten]

3. Well, you can lose weight and flush out a lot of........

crap (so to speak)

[AngryAmish]

5. My 2 cents

A lot of these "detoxifying" diets are just a fast combined with diuretics and laxatives. (Usually you get plenty of water).

Anyway fasts are bad because it screws with your body chemistry (blood sugar, electrolyte levels, etc.).

The vast majority of people have perfectly healthy colons. If one is severely constipated then one should have an enema. There is never a need for colonics and in fact they are positively dangerous. There is not "20 lbs of waste and toxins" or any of that sort of nonsense in an average person's colon. If you did you would know it - there would be a large hard lump in your abdomen.

Do you notice that these "toxins" are never identified? Thinking we are "toxic" pings the religious parts of our brain, the need to repent. You suffer, are absolved and get to get on with our life. It makes us feel less guilty.


on edit: You lose weight but slow down your metabolism via fasting

[Shakespeare]

14. Not all cleansing programs involve fasting (or colonics).

I'm just finishing up a two-week total body cleanse using herbal supplements/fiber supplements; no special dietary limitations, just being careful to eat healthy, fresh foods and keep my water intake high.

Some of them are quite expensive; the one I'm doing is $12.99 from Trader Joe's.

[TZ]

4. Almost all of it

is pseudoscientific in origin.Ie no evidence they really do anything but give a nice placebo effect. Its pretty much a scam, IMHO.

[alarimer]

8. Yes. Skeptics Guide to the Universe did a segment on this

Pure scam. You do not have "toxins" in your system because nothing stays very long. Well, unless you are Yuschenko (the guy poisoned by dioxin- now THERE'S dirty politics for you). So many scam artists, so little time. I see them on PBS during Pledge weeks hawking that drivel, from Andre Weil to Deepak Chopra. Scam and bullshit. It would be one thing if it was harmless but I am not sure it is. Just snake oil for a new age I guess.

[flvegan]

6. I know several folks that have done it.

And I believe DUer underpants did it.

The folks I know swear by it.

[x-g.o.p.er]

9. Me, too, which is

why I'm giving it a try. So far on day one, not much has happened.

[Deep13]

10. Oh sure. Around here we call it a "hang-over."

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

11. i think it would be of value if after your fast you were going to continue

an all organic diet or a diet that excluded sugar and caffeine and maybe meat - It would seem a good way to start. Good luck and let us know how it turns out for you.

[Mugu]

12. I think that I'll continue with intoxication. n/t

[LeftyMom]

13. A seven day fast or near-fast with an induced case of the runs can't be good for you.

If you're worried that you're exposing yourself to bad things, avoid them as much as you can (stand upwind of smokers, eat better food, etc) but if you're healthy your body has natural methods of cleaning itself out that don't require any special effort on your part. If you're not healthy, you definitely shouldn't be cutting yourself off from a week's worth of nutrition.

[madinmaryland]

15. I hear you get some strange excrements.

Some up to three feet long.

[triguy46]

16. What 'toxins' does it cleanse? And it only takes 7 days?

Add me to the list of skeptics. A healthy lifestyle, a healthy diet, all things in moderation, exercise and rest is a proven way to feel better.

[astral]

18. I am interested in doing this myself

except I am going another route and haven't completed anything yet, I keep half-starting and forgetting about it. I do believe detoxifying can help alot, but which formulas to use or whether to just clean up your diet and fast with liquids is something that I am a bit confused about myself.

What is the purpose of your detox? Any specific health problems, or just for general purposes?

[x-g.o.p.er]

20. General purpose

I've had balance problems since Afghanistan, severe enough to permanently ground me (military helicopter special ops pilot) and a guy I know who is into alternative medicines swears I have been exposed to depleted uranium, which might or might not be accurate. This cleansing is supposed to flush this stuff out.

My sister in law is also exploring this, as she has had a recurrence of breast cancer, only it has now shown up in her liver, and she is looking at alternative treatment methods.

I feel okay for the most part, but my balance goes kind of screwy, similar to vertigo, every know and then, and I get an occasional migraine headache.

I don't think it will hurt; and it might help. We'll see in 7 days.

[Redstone]

21. Scam. Why else would you suppose that 30% of the spam e-mails you get

have this as a subject?

Redstone

[Lil Missy]

22. Only in my younger years after drinking heavily and puking the rest of the night.

Sounds like a scam.