When you see the following words as part of an advertisement for a product, immediately be skeptical. These words are " colon cleansing " " Cleanse ," and " Detox. "

A search for a cleansing system for colon and liver continues to become popular. A cleansing diet for body cleansing is searched by many people. Of particular popularity are natural colonic cleansing, liver cleansing, parasite cleansing, internal cleansing, and candida cleansing. In certain health food stores you can find a variety of colon cleansing products, and such programs as dead sea milk cleansing, edom milk cleansing, etc. But is there a need for the body to go on an extreme cleansing diet? Is bowel cleansing or intestinal cleansing necessary? Does fasting lead to cleansing or does a fast make things actually worse? What about spiritual cleansing or aura cleansing? Are these legit? And then there is herbal cleansing.

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A body Cleansing Diet - Internal Body Cleansing
What do people mean when they talk about a body cleansing diet? Do they mean eating a full day's caloric intake of healthy food of all the food groups? Do they mean just eating raw foods? Or do they mean eating a limited caloric diet, for instance less than 1,000 calories? Some people may actually mean just going on a juice fast, or even a water fast. Others think drinking a cleansing tea is the right choice.

Herbal Colon Cleansing
This is attempted through diet, colon cleansing herbs, or enema cleansing. Perhaps it is possible to remove some fecal matter or unwanted material stuck in the colonic mucosa by doing an enema, but I have not seen any studies that this has resulted in improved health. There is the possibility that the enema fluid may penetrate through the colonic mucosa. At this point, I don't have a strong opinion on enema cleansing or the various colon cleansing kits that are sold, nor do I have a strong opinion whether a colonic cleansing center actually helps people improve their health.

Liver Cleansing
Most people who talk about doing a liver cleanse probably don't know what they mean or attempting to do, and possibly may not realize that they already have a healthy, functioning liver. They may attribute some of their symptoms to a weak liver whereas the problem may lie elsewhere.

Cleansing Detoxification
What are we trying to detoxify? Pollutants? Excess hormones? Unnecessary molecular residues left over from metabolism? There are certain toxins that are present in our body in amounts that could cause problems. These include lead, radon, second hand smoke chemicals, and trihalomethanes. See body toxins for more information.

Cleansing Side Effects
Attempting to go on a drastic cleansing program is not harmless. Side effects that could occur include nausea, vomiting, malaise, mood changes, irritability, fatigue, dehydration, sleep pattern changes, potential stress on the heart, muscle tissue breakdown, etc.

FDA Alert Issued for Oral Sodium Phosphate Products
June 2006 - The FDA has notified healthcare professionals and consumers of reports of acute phosphate nephropathy, a type of acute renal failure, that is a rare—but serious—adverse event associated with the use of oral sodium phosphates (OSP) for bowel cleansing. Documented cases of acute phosphate nephropathy include 21 patients who used an OSP solution (such as Fleet Phospho-soda or Fleet Accu-Prep) and one patient who used OSP tablets (Visicol). Individuals at increased risk of acute phosphate nephropathy include: those of advanced age, those with kidney disease or decreased intravascular volume, and those using medicines that affect renal perfusion or function (diuretics, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, and possibly nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). Recommendations were offered for providers and patients when choosing and using a bowel cleanser.

Emails regarding Cleansing
Q. Dear Dr. Sahelian, my wife and I love your site and info. We would like your opinion about something. We just read a book by Stanley Burroughs called "The Master Cleanser." In it, he discusses his philosophy which is basically getting everything out of nature nutritionally, keeping it "raw" as much as possible, etc. He also mentions his now famous Master Cleanser diet which is:

2 Tbsp. lemon or lime juice (organic)
2 Tbsp. genuine, pure, organic maple syrup Grade B
1/10 tsp. cayenne pepper
10-12 oz. purified water

When juicing the lemon, it is recommended to include some of the skin and pulp. The properties of the lemon skin furthers cleansing and acts as a hemostatic. The Grade B syrup contains a large variety of minerals and vitamins. The cayenne pepper breaks up mucus and increases warmth by building the blood for an additional lift as well as adding many of the B and C vitamins.

The book states the Master Cleanser helps purify the liver and:

helps dissolve and eliminate toxins and congestion.
helps cleanse the kidneys and digestive system.
helps purify the glands and cells
helps eliminate unusable waste and hardened material in the joints and muscles.
helps build a healthy blood stream
helps relieve pressure and irritation in the nerves, arteries and blood vessels.

You should stay on it for a minimum of 10 days or more (no food, supplements, etc.). The book states the diet has all the nutritution needed during this time. He instructs to drink an organic laxative tea each night before. And each morning, he instructs to do the same or to do an internal salt water bath. You prepare a full quart of luke-warm water and add 2 level teaspoons of uniodized sea salt. You drink the entire quart first thing in the morning. This is suppose to "wash" the entire digestive system. My wife and I tried it for a few days and both of us had irritable stomachs. Also, the drink isn't the best tasting with the cayenne pepper. Have you heard of the Master Cleanser diet and what is your opinion of it's claims? What do you recommend for a total cleanse that isn't as harsh (at least, we think it's harsh!)?

   A. I am not convinced that people have to do a drastic "cleansing" program in order to improve health. I prefer a slower, gentler approach that would reduce caloric intake, and not to the point where muscle tissue is being broken down because not enough protein is being consumed. There is no doubt that we are exposed to countless substances in our environment - hormones, pollutants, pesticides, drugs, oxidants, toxins, heavy metals, and even excess supplements - that are potentially harmful. We are exposed to these toxins through food, water, air, and skin. And in many cases it is relatively easy to point the blame to these harmful substances in causing or aggravating certain diseases. For instance, it is clear that many inhaled pollutants can aggravate asthma symptoms. But, many people are eager to blame their symptoms to toxins, when there is no proof that they are the cause. For instance, toxins are certainly not the cause for the majority of cases of fatigue, yet some people who are tired all the time are ready to blame toxins for their condition. And then they undertake drastic steps - for instance a water or juice fast - which can make them feel even worse. And while they are feeling worse, they incorrectly think the reason is because toxins are being removed from their body. Most likely the reason is low caloric intake, low protein intake, muscle atrophy, low glycogen stores in the liver, low blood sugar, etc.
     We probably all have toxins accumulated in our system. And what is the best way to deal with them? I believe in undertaking several long term measures are a better approach than drastic short term steps. for instance, rather than fasting for a few days, I prefer reducing caloric intake over a few weeks. I am not convinced that any of the so called "detox diets" that recommend a strict regimen of lemon juice, olive oil, cayenne, etc, etc, are beneficial. Rather, eating a very healthy diet, low in calories, is healthier. Eat more fresh and organic fruits and vegetables, reduce dairy intake, reduce meat products, eat more whole grains, drink fresh vegetables juice, add more herbs to your food, avoid or dramatically reduce sugar and baked goods.

Q. Do these herbal colon cleanse products work?
   A. I think eating a high fiber diet with additional fiber, lets say from psyllium, is adequate enough for most people.

Q. I was watching T.V today and they were talking about "Dual Action Cleansing" to clean your colon. It said you can lose 10 lbs. overnight if you do this cleansing. It is suppose to be all different herbs mixed together. There is also a follow-up of herbs to clean all the walls of your intestines and your colon.
   A. This is a marketing gimmick and we would not be surprised if the FDA or FTC send a warning letter regarding the claims made about Dual Action Cleansing. The use of psyllium, glucomannan, and many other herbs provide excellent benefits.

Q. What would be the best suggestions for measuring the master cleanser ingredients for 1 gallon of water?
   A. We are not familiar with the details of the master cleanser program.

Q. Since IP6 is a chelator and will be removing heavy metals from my body, should I do a colon cleansing program ( and/or liver cleansing ) prior to starting a regimen of IP6?
   A. We don't see the need for a colon cleansing before taking I-P6.

Q. Is there any such product that is an effective " Colon Cleansing " to remove fecal matter from the intestinal walls? Or is this just a gimmick, since so many people have digestive problems?
   A. Yes, most of the time the marketing department of these companies use " colon cleansing " as a gimmick since they don't even do any studies and there is no accepted medical definition of what colon cleansing is. However, if people are constipated, they can drink prune juice or take Psyllium with lots of water. Companies often mix a few hers together without doing studies and claim this their product works as a colon cleanse, whatever that means.