Are you getting enough sleep? That would be my first question, as most people don't get enough sleep.

If you are - really getting 7 or 8 hours a night or more - then I'd say just give it time. Working out will make you feel tired at first. Your body is adapting to a whole new way of living ... most people, when they first start working out are more tired than normal. I know if I workout regularly and *don't* get enough sleep I feel much more tired than I used to. Now I have to get more and regular sleep.

Keep eating well and exercising and it *will* get better. If it doesn't in a few weeks, then maybe you should go see your doctor about possible thyroid issues (fatigue can be a sign of thyroid problems) or possible blood sugar issues (ditto diabetes).

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Thanks! I do get a lot of sleep at night. The kids sleep all night so I would think I sleep enough, at least 7 hrs a night. I didn't even think of something being wrong with my thyroid or having diabetes, which runs in my family. I'll give it a little longer, if it doesn't get better I'm taking your advice and seeing a doctor. Thanks again

Antibiotics also do this, and they are dispensed without warning that you should supplement w/ acidopholous or a good organic yogurt to replace the good bacteria.

On the Master Cleanse, it is suggested to do a saline wash, which involves uniodized salt and water. Salt is a natural antibiotic, but if you supplement with acidopholous or yogurt after the cleanse you shouldn't worry about the removal of good bacteria.

Not to be disrespectful, but are you kidding me? To answer your question regarding what "bad stuff" needs to be removed from our bodies, well, there are PCB's, dioxins, mercury, lead, phthalates...the list does not end. Cosmetics, lotions, plastic bottles, cigarettes...these all have chemical toxins in them. A lot of people don't even know the names of these toxins because they are too long and complicated to pronounce. It doesn't mean they are not there and it does not mean they are not harmful.

And yes, from everything that I have read, my understanding is that toxins are stored in the liver (for later removal) and segregated from our bodily systems in adipose tissue, or fat. Toxins ARE stored in our bodies, though.

I know that some birds (yes, I know birds are not humans) have died from toxic poisoning due to using their toxin-filled fat reserves (birds like pelicans eat only fish, and the fish are full of toxins such as mercury) during times when there is not much food available. I am not saying that the same applies to humans, but it definitely got me wondering about its applicability to humans.

Also, when you are advising people to eat fresh veggies and fruits, you should also warn them that many fruits and veggies contain lots of pesticides and therefore should only be bought organic. For example, I try to only buy organic apples, strawberries and grapes...for a food that we do not eat the peel of, like a banana or pineapple, it is not as important to go organic. Eating food full of pesticides is not going to make anybody feel better. However, if you cannot afford to eat organic, then non-organic fruits and veggies are better than eating processed foods.

The Master Cleanse is not just "lemon water". I don't know if you have read the book by Stanley Burroughs (it is not very long or very expensive...I bought my copy in Whole Foods) but I think before anybody remarks on this detox they should have either done it (which I have...twice, once for 10 days, once for 11 a couple years ago) and/or at least read the book (which I have as well).

That's not to say the MC is for everybody. I think if you have bingeing issues, for instance, you should tread with caution. Or if you are diabetic/insulin resistant/pre-diabetic then you should consult your doctor. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. You just shouldn't make somebody feel like what they are doing is wrong if you are uninformed yourself.

I hope this didn't come across as belligerent. I just wanted to address some of the negative things that were said about the MC. I respect the fact that you do not agree w/ detoxing, but I don't agree w/ you telling people that detoxing is a myth without having concrete evidence and research to back your claim up. Yes, our bodies get rid of toxins and waste via our liver, lungs, skin (this is our largest organ), kidneys and colon; however, we are faced with unprecedented amounts of toxins in our food and environments today that our bodies, which have not changed much over time, are not equipped to adequately deal with. This is where a good detox can help.

Here is an article from Newsweek on toxins in our environment for anybody who is interested: http://www.newsweek.com/id/105588

There is plenty of concrete, reliable, scientific evidence to debunk "detoxing".

I"ll say it again and stand by it: detoxing is a myth. There is no need to "detox" your body with any type of "cleanse". Eat healthy foods and drink lots of water and your body will "cleanse" itself.

There is nothing magic about the combinations of things that are in the Magic Cleanse or any other cleanse. And yes, I've read the whole thing. I was being a little sarcastic when I said lemon water ... but it's close to the truth.

THere is no need to starve yourself to "cleanse" your body. Your body does it naturally. It's part of our biology.

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Not to be disrespectful, but please point me to any studies published in peer-reviewed journals demonstrating that Master Cleanse removes any of these.

BTW, some documentation and research for you:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...etox-myth.html

http://cosmeticsurgerytoday.wordpres...s-just-a-myth/

Here's one that particularly addresses the Master Cleanse:
http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/sha...the_popul.html

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/fe...-purging-myths

This one specifically says: It found that popular ideas about detox are based on misconceptions about how the human body responds to chemicals in the diet. The liver and kidneys are highly efficient organs that have evolved to break down and remove toxins from the bloodstream [...] “Even if you drink an almost lethal dose of alcohol (which I don’t recommend) your liver will clear it in 36 hours without assistance from detox tablets.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...icle784402.ece

http://www.lifeclinic.com/focus/nutr...MessageID=1847

This one is especially interesting because they actually carried out an experiment (although with a very small sampling) to see if a detox works:
http://caloriecount.about.com/detox-myth-ft78779

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4576574.stm

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/ma...ticlekey=64306

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/detox-diets/AN01334

All from reputable sources - medical or news related sources and not biased sources.



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Interesting references Photochick, those articles answer a lot of questions I've had about master cleanse and other detox related plans vs the body's natural function; thanks for sharing.

To answer your question, quite frankly, I don't have any scientific data to demonstrate that the MC removes those toxins I listed in my original post. This is mostly because none have been conducted. So therefore there is also no scientific data to prove it doesn't work. If you would like to look, feel free. There is, however, much anecdotal evidence found both online and in the book that suggests people feel more energy and a greater sense of well-being, as well as being free of certain ailments, after doing the MC.

Although, I never made the claim that the MC removed those toxins. PC (and you, I believe) asked what "bad stuff" need to be removed from our bodies and I answered. I did say a good detox can help our bodies deal with the removal of the pollutants our bodies are bombarded with on a daily basis, but that is because the thinking goes that in the absence of added toxins, our bodies can then more easily get rid of our stored toxins. Obviously (or maybe not so obviously) our bodies do need some help; otherwise the toxins would not be stored in our fatty tissue. I am not for or against the MC. I think people should do their own research and decide for themselves. I am not about to shove my opinions down anybody's throat, and I don't think my post was biased one way or the other.

I have done the MC twice and both times I felt improved energy and health. Even though I have pretty good skin to begin with, more than one person remarked that my skin was so clear after the cleanse. And it was not because I was drinking more water, either, as I ONLY drink water normally anyway. I am one of those rare people who does not like soda or juice. I LOVE water. I did not have my toxin levels assessed before and afterwards, but that could be one way to gauge whether it helps to remove toxins from your body. The way you feel afterwards is also just as important as medical tests, in my very humble opinion. I mean, how do you know that poison ivy is bad for you if you have no access to literature letting you know it is? How do bears know salmon and blueberries are good for them? Sometimes you have to go by how you feel as well as use your instincts. You don't need to convene a panel of doctors or scientists to understand that some things are either good or harmful for you. We need to learn to be our own doctors to a certain extent.

Thank you for the links. This is what I wish you had put in your original post. I'm going to go do some reading. And it just may so happen that we have to agree to disagree, which isn't so bad...I don't think it's healthy or productive for everybody to agree on everything. Kind of boring, huh?

OK, after reading all of the articles you linked to, I have to say I am very disappointed that you have not presented me with any evidence that the MC does not work. The majority of those articles were on detox kits or detox in general, which I have never used and quite frankly it is because I don't think they work. I found it interesting that almost all of the articles emphasized that detoxing is just a waste of money.

However, we are discussing the Master Cleanse here, which does not require spending 20-50 bucks on a kit. In fact, you will probably spend about the same (or even less) money on your food for the time that you do the cleanse. So if that is one of the biggest reasons not to do a detox, it does not apply in this situation.

The "experiment" you mentioned is so amateur it can't be taken seriously. This is an excerpt:
We took ten party animals to a country cottage retreat for ten days to see if a detox diet could recharge their internal batteries. The group was split into two and half the girls were put on a balanced diet, including red meat, alcohol, coffee and tea, pasta, bread, chocolate and crisps (in moderation), with the remainder following a strict vice-free diet.

Can a short, sharp shock really change the levels of toxicity in your body in just a week?

After testing the kidney and liver functions and measuring the antioxidant and aluminium levels in their blood we found there were no differences between the groups.

It should be noted that none of the participants did the MC...they only stated that the "remainder follow[ed] a strict vice-free diet." That is very vague, to say the least. Furthermore, their measure of whether the detox worked is not very comprehensive. They only tested the kidney and liver functions and measured the antioxidant and aluminum levels in their blood. The way I understand it is that detoxing does not necessarily increase the functioning of the kidneys and liver; however, it does give them a break in order to get rid of STORED toxins in our bodies. Also, I don't think the MC ever made any promises about increasing antioxidant levels...and I find it funny that they did not test toxin levels, which is what the MC and other detoxes do promise to reduce. Not to mention the fact that I have no clue what controls were put into place as to diet. It is irresponsible to publish the results of this dubious, very unscientific-sounding "study" in an article.

When I have more time, I will look for studies done on the Master Cleanse, if there are any to be found. Others can feel free to post if they find any. I just wish that some of these doctors would do a scientific study on this rather than go on and on about how detoxing does not work even though they have no scientific research to back up their claims. That's not very responsible, in my opinion. I would love to read some peer-reviewed scientific studies on the MC, even if they proved that it did not work. In the interim, regarding my opinion of the MC I will go by my own experience and my own instincts.

Oh good grief. Whatever.

There is no need to waste money on a study to prove or disprove something that is so blatantly scientifically invalid.

Enjoy your Master Cleanse.

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Angel, your hyper link to the colon cleanse messed up the page formatting. Here it is again in a shortened version. Would you mind editing your post to delete your link, and refer to this link instead, so we don't have to scroll to read each post on page one?

colon cleanse link

But if a lot of these doctors are telling us to not do the cleanse because it's a waste of money, then doing a decisive study would save a lot of people a lot of money on detox kits and such, which, like I said before, I don't believe in.

Honestly, I didn't mean to frustrate you. I appreciate that you spent the time to post all those articles. I do respect that you don't believe in detoxing and I think that's fine. It seems as if you have done your homework on the topic and have arrived at your conclusion intelligently, but so have I.

People that do detox should make sure to do as much research as possible beforehand, especially on how to come off of the detox. I don't think the MC is for everyone, and it's certainly not for people who just want to lose weight quickly. I have lost all my weight this year the old-fashioned, tried and true way (diet and exercise).

I guess I'm done. LOL. We both have more important things to worry about, right? Which reminds me, I have yet to exercise today! Gotta remedy that!

Or people could just use common sense.

Saying that there should be a study done to prove that detoxing doesn't work is like saying there should be a study done to show that painting your head blue prevents brain cancer.

When a whole bunch of doctors and reputable scientific sources say that based on scientific biological fact, X is an invalid concept, then spending money to do a study on it is just ridiculous.

The problem is that people are so DESPERATE for a quick fix that they will believe whatever they want to believe, no matter what science and biology say. People will INSIST that drinking lemon water with hot pepper in it makes you healthier and flushes out your body.

And factually, scientifically, biologically ... it simply doesn't. If it makes you feel better, then that's great for you. And I mean that sincerely. But there is NOTHING to the Master Cleanse or any other detox program that has any scientific basis to even hint that it does what it claims to do. Because factually, scientifically, the human body doesn't work that way.

If it makes you feel better, it's all psychological. And yes, it's possible for psychological belief to manifest it self in physical results. That's what the power of positive thinking is all about - tell yourself you can, and you will. Tell yourself that you feel and look great, and you'll act in such a way to make that a reality.

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Not sure how it messed up the formatting... sorry