For many people, the standard diet has become filled with processed and additive-filled foods that interfere with the natural course of internal cleansing. Below is just a sampling of the many ways to assist the body’s natural inner cleaning process.
Methods of Fasting
The history of fasting goes back thousands of years. It has been practiced both as a spiritual ritual and for those seeking health benefits.
- The Master Cleanse is a juice fast created by Stanley Burroughs in the 1940s aimed at ulcer healing. Burroughs later wrote and published a book in 1976 called The Master Cleanser. Burroughs’ cleanse says to drink between six and 12 glasses of a homemade lemonade concoction per day, along with a cup of an herbal laxative such as Smooth Move in the evening. In the morning, the Master Cleanse also requires a salt water flush. This flush is to be consumed on an empty stomach, allowing up to two hours for elimination. The herbal laxative and the salt water flush are both important steps due to the lack of solid food in the diet slowing down the colon’s normal purging functions.
- According to Cathy Wong in the article How to Do an Ayurvedic Cleansing Fast, the Ayurvedic Cleanse was “developed for royalty in India to prolong life and health by removing physical impurities, bringing awareness to destructive thoughts and behaviors, and releasing old patterns.” Known as the Pancha Karma, this cleanse is done in three phases. In the first phase, particular foods are cut out of the diet in preparation for the cleansing portion of the fast. During the second phase, special procedures are followed that include, but are not limited to, nasal cleansing, consuming an herbal tea, and breathing exercises. Finally, in the third phase, the foods from phase one are gradually added back in.
Store Bought Cleansing Kits
While generally more expensive to buy than a do-it-yourself program, the following are just two of the many cleansing kits available on the market.
- Young Living Essential Oils, known for its therapeutic grade essential oils, sells a 5-Day Nutritive Cleanse Kit. The kit includes a powdered product called Balance Complete for making smoothie type drinks, Digest + Cleanse, a gelatin capsule filled with various essential oils, and NingXia Red, a juice made from Whole NingXia wolfberries as well as the juice from several other berries and citrus fruits.
- Another over-the-counter kit is the Complete Body Cleanse by Trader Joe’s. Foods may be consumed while following this cleanse, although foods such as red meat and processed foods are discouraged. The Complete Body Cleanse kit comes in all pill form.
Keep in mind that detoxification symptoms such as headache or fatigue are normal when following any cleanse. If symptoms persist or are unbearable, however, please discontinue the cleansing routine and consult with a health care professional.
After the cleanse, eat as many unprocessed foods as possible, drink the recommended daily intake of water according to body weight, and eat only when hungry.
Finally, always consult with a doctor before beginning any fast or body cleanse.
Linda Hatton - Linda Hatton has a BFA in Acting from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Her work has appeared in Rainy Days, The Writing on the Wall, on ...
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