Detox Diet – It’s Like Sticking A Potato In The Car’s Exhaust Pipe!
09 Nov 2008
"Do you think my daughter and me should agree to a "detox diet?" a reader asked me. She added that several friends had already undergone detoxification and had never felt better. So does it make sense to purify our body? After all, who doesn’t want to feel healthier.
Proponents of this therapy have a rationale that’s appeals to medical consumers who are apprehensive about our polluted world. They contend were’e constantly accumulating toxins in the body from air, chemicals in the water, processed foods, perfumes, artificial drinks and a host of other things. And, that in today’s society, it’s virtually impossible not to have a polluted large bowel. And that if you think you’re an exception, think again.
Web sites provide detox enthusiasts with a lesson in human physiology. How intestines absorb nutrients the body needs every day. How layers of fecal matter build up on the colon wall and not removed by bowel movements. How this makes it difficult for the colon absorb nutrients and eventually toxins pollute the body. As one web site says, "It’s like sticking a potato into the exhaust pipe of your car".
This situation is obviously not good for cars and they argue it’s not good for humans. And that this scenario leads to fatigue, poor vision, bad breath, increased irritability, insomnia and the list of troubles goes on and on. But detox diets, the say, can mop up all this bad stuff.
But what is a detox diet? The basic idea is to give up certain foods that are thought to contain toxins combined with a temporary fast. Many of these diets also stress the need for colon irrigation which means enduring the Mother of all enemas. Some enemas use water, others herbal supplements to aid the purification process.
Drinking a laxative, such as senna tea, is often a major selling point. After all, what better proof of purification than frequently sitting on the potty passing loose toxic stools.
So do these web sites know something I was not taught at the Harvard Medical School? I doubt it and I’m not aware of any reliable medical source that advises purging the body this way.
Colonic irrigation can sometimes give you more than the Mother of all enemas. People who have frequent or prolonged irrigations may develop an electrolyte imbalance, nausea, vomiting, abnormal heart rhythms, cardiac failure and some have lapsed into coma.
Colonic irrigaton should never be used in patients who suffer from diverticulitis (hernias of the bowel wall), ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s Disease, kidney problems or those who have just had bowel surgery.
Infections have been reported no doubt due to contaminated equipment or the result of removing normal colon bacteria. And there’s always the risk that the large bowel can be perforated, a serious complication.
Experts say that Detox diets, which include fasting, can also deplete muscle tissue which can include heart muscle. And it can decrease the size of the heart and liver.
Remember that the human body does a good job of purifying itself without requiring any additional help. Each day the liver handles a variety of toxins which are eliminated by the kidney, bowel and skin.
Unfortunately many people do not treat their colon well. I know that when I feel hard rock-like stools during rectal examination that these patients are not eating sufficient fiber. It’s possibly the worst dietary error committed these days. A lack of fiber is often associated with obesity, diabetes, constipation and hemorrhoids. But, rather than digging down deep down into their pockets for expensive detox diets and colon irrigations, it’s safer and more effective to buy inexpensive All Bran.
I can only think of one good reason for a colonic cleansing. It’s that visit every five years or so to undergo colonoscopy to rule out colon cancer. And that’s enough colonic cleansing to last for years. I’d say a happy amen to that one.
