To Detox or not to Detox
Toxins, Fasting, Detoxification, Colonics - confused yet?
Detox diets, colonics, cleansing herbs – the concept of Detoxification diets is one of the areas where a lot of alternative and conventional practitioners disagree. Traditionally, the term has been used for treatment of alcohol or drug abuse, but is now being used to describe approaches to eliminate dietary or environmental toxins to achieve better health. When eating a healthy diet of fruits, vegetables and whole grain without overdoing the protein, your detoxification organs (liver, kidneys, skin, colon and lungs) will probably do the job. However, there are also a lot of external toxic environmental factors like exhaust fumes, pesticides, and food additives to name just a few that may tax our detoxification systems far more than in the past. Does that mean that we should go on an all out fast of just water? That could be dangerous without medical supervision even though many religions practice some form of fasting. You could really cause electrolyte imbalances that could potentially cause heart problems or organ damage. Detoxifying herbs like senna even though they are completely natural are very strong and you could become dependent on laxative use. Currently, there’s no scientific evidence that colonics are actually beneficial for healthy people , despite all the hype. They do have a lot of risks and some states like Texas even require a prescription before you can get a colonic. So what do we do about detoxification? A carefully planned vegan diet for 2 to 6 weeks can be very cleansing. This will involve eliminating all processed foods and eating plenty of fruits and vegetables. Of course, you will also have to eliminate all vegan junk foods (potato chips, vegan cakes and cookies, etc.). Just eating raw fruits and vegetables for one day will be really cleansing too.
