but... the point of a "cleanse" is most people don't eat a whole food diet full of fresh fruit veges grains or whatever so a cleansing or detox period of removing harmful foods/toxins from the body does help people

I am considering doing a detox myself, now normally I eat clean, don't eat out very often, all of that. Now I took antibiotics about 2-3 weeks ago and my stomach is STILL unsettled. It's been recommended for me to do a certain detox to help my stomach back on the road to recovery, and I agree, nothing I am doing is working currently.

Is it good for weight loss? Perhaps, but that can't be the only reason you do it. Thats just my 2 cents though..

-Aimee

SwimGirl - were you told to do a Candida Cleanse?

Exactly!!

Ready2ShedLBS - it was the Wild Rose Detox, my mom actually has done the it before and it was pretty good for her. Our doctor also recommended it for me as well.

-Aimee

You all are correct regarding eating right and all that jazz. I just recently started eating a lot healthier, but have always had digestive problems because of my previous diet. I found this website http://www.drnatura.com, and was curious, so I ordered it. Whoa momma, you would not believe the things that are coming out of my body. Lets just say that I haven't eaten a green bean in a verylong time, and well those same green beans just recently reappered! This stuff is amazing, and it has flattened out my stomach a considerable amount. Not that I have lost a lot of weight because of it, but I don't have this weird hard mass in my abdomen anymore. That was hardened fecal matter stuck in my intestines.

Well I am glad you liked it. I looked at the site and there is no way on earth I would ever take that stuff!!!! :)

Mamacita, that is interesting about the person with halitosis. I have a problem with that also and am hoping that with all the water I am drinking, especially the daily lemon water (which I also heard would help) along with healthful eating, it will clear up. LOL don't try to diagram that sentence!! :)

If you want to do a colon cleanse, ask your doctor to sign you up for a colonoscopy. After drinking that nasty stuff, you'll never be in a hurry to do one again! Yuck!!! The prep was WAY worse than the procedure itself.

The articles you listed had journalists, doctors, and nutritionists stating their opinions about colon cleansing, but none were actual studies showing that cleanses are ineffective. If you would post a link to such a study, I think it would have more validity.

For now, there is a lot of anecdotal evidence that they work, and very little (actually, none that I have seen) anecdotal evidence that they don't work. Until I actually see a study showing the effectiveness OR ineffectiveness of doing cleanses, I will have to go with the anecdotal evidence.

Personally before I put something that "extreme" into my body I would want to see clear evidence that they DID work and were not harmful, rather than "going with" anecdotal evidence" that they ARE effective and that I was not doing something detrimental to my health. Just my two cents worth.

Explain why so many diets have an induction period? LAWL is only 2 days, Atkins 2 weeks, South Beach 2 weeks and I'm told WW has one but i've never seen anything about that.:(

Just now coming across this post. The program I use is a full body cleansing system, that I have been using successfully for over 12 weeks now, and it's not at all nasty. I've lost 47 lbs so far, and went from a size 22W to a reg 16. I love the program, and it's worked well for a lot of people. I like the whole idea of cleansing and detoxing my body, and I feel great doing it!

I just ordered the drnatura product, too, after a family member tried and raved about it. I've been wanting to try a cleanse for a while, but never really believed enough to buy until someone I knew PERSONALLY gave me all the details. I haven't tried it yet-it will be here tomorrow.
Actually, the need for cleansing does make sense to me. I have had problems for many years with my digestive system, that were only made worse by my dieting lately. I KNOW I have to have build up. Colon cancer rates are on the rise, and it's probably due to all of the processed foods we eat. No matter how clean I eat now, I don't see it correcting the problems I've created for myself over the last 27 years...I don't know anyone who has only eaten unprocessed foods their entire life! If we have a buildup in the colon, we cannot process foods normally or quickly enough, slowing digestion, and much worse. It can cause autointoxication, which is a REAL problem, not just something made up by people trying to sell us anything. Symptoms of this problem range from halitosis, dullness in hair and skin, fatigue, headaches, depression, gas, constipation, and lowered immune system abilities. The list goes on and on. Our blood is "fed" by the bowels, which is how we get nutrients from our food, so if those are unhealthy, it makes sense to me that our whole bodies could be.
Which is not to mention the fact that we don't give much thought to intestinal parasites. I decided to do a little research on my own on the net, and was horrified at the statistical findings....
National Geographic has reported that parasites have killed more humans than all the wars in history. Studies by universities in the US and Canada have shown results of between 30-80% infection of the tested population, and it's MUCH worse in lesser developed countries. Your risk is much greater if you've ever traveled to say, africa, mexico, india, etc.
Some studies have indicated that up to 40% of people in the U.S. diagnosed with IBS actually have parasites, most of which are not found in routine testing. The World Health Organization has estimated that about half of the world's population is infected with intestinal parasites, and that only 10% of those people ever display clinical illness related to them.
Most of the cleanses I've seen are combinations of psyllium, flaxseed, fiber, etc. All herbal ingredients. That has to be healthier than the chemicals and laxatives I've been downing for the last decade just to be able to go to the bathroom!

I'd love to hear how it works for you. I've often thought of tryiing a colon cleanse too.