What do you all think of the master cleanser/lemonade diet? Have you done it? How do you do it? For how long?

It seems that everywhere I have gone over the last few days, there is info/advertisment to buy the ingredients for it, which, I suppose with this being January (Unofficial fitness month?) and all, I guess alot of people are doing it. I would like to hear others' take on this.

Dafodil

I did the Master Cleanse, and I loved it! It's hard on your system (esp. if you want to do the salt thingy.. yow.) but I felt really good afterwards, and my skin looked wonderful (though my skin is pretty good anyway). I lost my hunger in the first 2 days, it wasn't hard because I had to study a lot that week anyway and didn't have a lot of other stuff to do.
the problems I had when I was on it were:
1) I caught a mild cold. But I always catch a cold when I don't eat very much.
2) I felt jittery and spacey sometimes, which I have trouble with anyway, just more so on the MS. I also had a hard time getting to sleep. I recommend making sure you got plenty of lemonade to drink before bed, just so there's something in you to calm you down.

That's it! Hot baths and showers were nice, senna tea helped, i hated the salt water thing and only did it once. It's really important that you come out of it real slowly too. Start with OJ like the fast says, then add fruits and finally work in greens and heavier stuff like nuts and oil and so forth. Don't overeat! You'll be sorry.

My personal experience with the Master Cleanse was great. It played a major part in preparing me to switch to the raw lifestyle although it wasn't ever my intention to become raw. I did a 21 day master cleanse last May...I did a slight variation on the recipe by replacing 1/2 of the water with fresh green coconut water. Besides the obvious detox and weight-loss, the biggest benefit for me was that it seemed to help me break my craving for unhealthy foods. about 4-5 days into the cleanse I found myself craving avocados, tomatoes and beansprouts... stuff i had liked, but never "craved" before. At the end of the cleanse I had lost 30 lbs and felt great. In the following week I gained back about 8 lbs (which is normal), but I became really focused on eating healthier. Like I said earlier, I had never consciously intended to go raw, but as the post-cleanse weeks went by, I noticed that I was naturally drawn to eat more and more raw foods. At that time in my life I'm not sure if I had ever heard of a raw food lifestyle, but I began to read up on it... I found this forum, which is an incredible resource... and at the end of last June I decided to try raw for a week or so to see how it felt. One week was all I needed and I've been pretty close to 100% raw ever since.

I think a big part of my success with the master cleanse was that it showed me that I had great will power. It showed me that I had the confidence and strength to change my health situation for the better. Now whenever i feel lacking in will power, I remind myself that I was able to thrive on nothing but lemonade for 3 weeks.

I know that changing ones habits must start in ones mind with the desire and motivation to change, but the Master Cleanse was a great catalyst for me... that and the community on this forum was crucial to my successful transition towards a new healthy me.

Back when I first finished the cleanse i thought that I would do it 3-4 times per year, but now that I'm raw, I feel like my diet is pretty cleansing on its own, so I haven't felt the need to do it again.

I'm sure others on the forum have different experiences and opinions, but this was a life changing experience for me.

Aloha nui loa, Greg

Isn't maple syrup in the master cleanse? I've never done it. It looks like it's just a glorified liquid fast with spicy/acidic ingredients thrown in to make people think that they're eliminating lots of bad wastes, which they probably are, but in a different way. I think a water fast supplemented with fresh lemon juice would be just as beneficial, if not moreso...and I wouldn't want to consume salt, especially copious amounts of it, unless I was deficient in sodium. I looked at the Wikipedia page for it and what this doctor says, is what I agree with.

Dr. Ed Zimney has asserted that, while toxins (such as mercury from the ingestion of fish) do accumulate over time, lemon juice and maple syrup could "not in any possible way eliminate any of these toxins."

A lot of people I know have experimented with this or considered similar detox paths. I don't see the point in it for them, because they throw their body through harsh detoxes and then resume eating the way they did prior to the "cleanse".

Fasting for cleansing or fasting for deprivation? (Not asking anyone in particular. Just sharing my thoughts about fasting in general, not anyone here.)

I see some people cleansing and I see a lot of people deprive themselves.

Right now, due to my workload, I'm not in a place to fast. I feel great when I mono-eat oranges for a day or two. I have done that a couple of times in the past couple of months. It feels great.

I just don't want to fast while talking on my cell phone, dealing with negativity from other people, dealing with work stress, driving in rush hour, etc.

Right now, mono-oranges keep me fueled when I need to give my digestive system a break. I'm not depriving myself but simplifying by eating something easily digestible yet nutritious.

The last time I fasted, just on water with a little bit of lemon (no maple syrup or cayenne pepper), I was in a good space to really focus on me and my healing. That was this past summer for two weeks. I wasn't looking for weight loss per se, just simplifying and cleansing, slowing down and listening.

Over and out --

Lee


"My religion is kindness."

The Dalai Lama

I have not done the Master Cleanse, but I have done the Arise and Shine cleanse, as well as multiple water fasts. Looking at the ingredients of the Master Cleanse, there are things in there that don't build health: cooked maple syrup, cooked cayenne, the salt flush. It seems to me that you would gain the same amount of health gain or even more by figuring out how many calories you are consuming daily on the Master Cleanse, and instead eating the same amount of calories of fresh squeezed organic orange juice every day. Just the juice, no cayenne, no salt flush.

The reason that salt flush works is because it is poison in high concentration that you are drinking. This causes a harsh cleansing reaction in your digestive system, and your body flushes it out so you don't die. Yes, perhaps some other toxins are removed in the process, but in fact there is no guarantee of that. Also, suppose at the time you did the salt flush, your body was busy at dissolving some cancer cells somewhere in your body. As soon as that salt enters your body, it will take higher priority over cleaning out the cancer, as the salt poisoning is an immediate danger to the body. So your body quits working on the cancer, and instead focuses on removing the salt.

Bryan would that include the HimalaSalt and the Celtic Salt?

I did it this part summer and didn't feel like it made much of a difference. I lost 3 pounds in 10 days (but I think it was mostly water), didn't feel hungry but was bored the first four days. Plus my social life was zero during the cleanse - couldn't enjoy any summer activities (I'll omit gross details of daily laxative tea and salt water flush ). When I started coming off the cleanse I got a nasty skin rush on my face that didn't go away until November. One of my friends also did this cleanse and got the same problem. She went to get a facial later on and her beautician said she saw this happen to several people. The only thing that I occasionally use from the cleanse is salt water flush because I've seen it recommended in some yoga books as one of cleansing routines (the flush is accompanied by a set of simple poses to help the water along the colon). Personally, I think the master cleanse is oriented towards people with really bad diets; if you've been eating raw for some time you don't really need it.

Tamara,

If you use Celtic or Himalayan salt in a salt flush, it will still have the same toxic effect that table salt has. While it is not enough to kill you, and your body will handle the toxin appropriately (that is cause an enema or vomiting), do you really think you mind has greater wisdom than the body? For myself, no.

I've done it twice: both were incredibly eye-opening experiments, and motivated me to start adding more raw foods to my diet. It is mind-blowing to see what's stuck inside the body--not just in the colon, but in the skin, the mouth, and the nasal pathways.

I quit the first cleanse on the 4th day, but I made the second through to ten days. I had a few milestones I found very interesting:

I always gave myself a little pat on the back for using the more "environmentally friendly/cruelty free" makeup, and to see huge globs of blue and purple freeing themselves from my nose put my vanity into a new perspective.

On the eighth day, my entire body turned yellow, my sweat was yellow, I smelled like the most foul thing on earth--I'm pretty sure my liver cleaned itself out that day. I went from being able to drink a bottle of wine in a sitting to being intoxicated in under a glass (it also killed my desire to drink, which was out of hand that summer).

I felt way better after the cleanse, lost ten pounds and kept five off.

Now, however, that I do have a healthy diet and things in my body are finally working properly (especially digestion), the thought of using laxatives and going through the violence of the eliminations on the MC does not appeal to me at ALL. Especially when I'm getting permanent, steady improvements on the raw, and all I have to do is lay on my sofa and eat durian like a queen~ (Haha.)

There is also a lot of dispute over whether or not the lemon, maple syrup, cayenne and salt are good for you, especially in high doses and on an empty stomach. Only the salt really bothered me, but I wonder about the implications of doing the cleanse repeatedly over a long period of time.

I really don't think laxatives or enemas are also integral to detox--if you're eating well, the body will dispose of everything in due time. Such has been my experience, anyway.

Bryan:

If you don't mind my asking, what is the Arise and Shine cleanse? I can't remember hearing of that before.

Thanks!

Sapphire

This is Dr. Zimney, quoted above by "rawfrancois". I have written extensively about the Master Cleanse in my blog on HealthTalk.com. We have had a very lively discussion there with many people writing in comments both pro and con. I think the Master Cleanse is too long, too harsh and too difficult for most people. Your colon cleans itself out continuously. You eat, you digest and you excrete. Nothing stays in your colon. Nothing sticks to the walls. It's not like a septic tank where material accumuates and rots. The only "toxins" that might be flushed out would be ones that you ate within the past few days. If you ate toxins like heavy metals like mercury or lead and they were absorbed from your intestines into your blood they are no longer in your colon and can't be flushed out. The other type of "toxins" that people talk about are either non-existent or, as mentioned above, only in your system as they pass through on their way to the toilet. I advise people to be very wary of the Master Cleanse because many who recommend it are making money off it in one way or another (books, CDs, DVDs, materials, equipment, etc). Read my Master Cleasne blog all the comments at [blog.healthtalk.com]

i've done it twice. I will never do it again. the first time was better then the second time, but i had no really bad side effects. it was an eye opening experience, and i don't regret it. however, I have had much better and healing experiences on juice fasts along with drinking tons of water.

the salt flush sucks. i only did it a few times. it didn't make sense to me. one time my body retained the salt and i felt like crap all day. it sucked.

juice fasting i have found to be a lot more gentle on the body and more healing.

the mc was something i wanted to try and i did a long time ago. i'll never do it again. it was an interesting experience to say the least.

I think eating lots of fat and cruciferous veggies will help detoxify things like dioxins and other pollutants... also chlorella and fiber are good... exercise, sweating, mud baths all good stuff. Drinking cayenne and lemon juice might help but it'd be best if adding a vehicle for toxin elimination like fiber, chlorophyll and lipids/fat.

Sapphire,

I know you were asking Bryan, but I have some experience with the Arise and Shine cleanse. I've done it at least 5 times, and I thought it was amazing! There are three levels you can go to. Basically you do something every 1 1/2 hours - either take a bentonite (clay) and psyllium husk shake or gentle herbs (mostly nutritive) in a capsule form.

The day starts with the shake, then herbs, then a shake, then a raw lunch, shake, herbs, shake, dinner, herbs, shake, herbs. Then the next level is to eliminate the lunch and the "Master Cleanse" phase is to eliminate the dinner too. They recommend you also do enemas.... and let me tell you the crud that comes out - those weird ropy mucous plaque things that have been in your colon forever. I felt great when I was on the cleanse. You don't really get too hungry... I just got a little light-headed and sometimes a little nausious but nothing severe. I was still able to work full-time and found I had a lot of energy. Skin cleared up. All kinds of good stuff!

Angie


Me (30), Joseph (24 mo.) Jeremiah (4 mo.)

We are enjoying spring and being outside!!!

Thanks Angie1,

I'll keep it in mind.

Your baby is adorable!

Sapphire

I've done a lot of fasting in my life - on fresh juices, on water, and on combinations of the above.

I first read about the Master Cleanse about 12 years ago and had complete disdain for it. I thought it was ridiculous - just a sugary lemonade, really unhealthy and about the worst fast you could do. Not giving the real rest of a water fast or the nutrition plus rest of a juice fast.

Well, I've done 3-4 of the Master Cleanses and have to say I've changed my mind. They are easy to stay on and I always get benefit from them. I do not use the salt water as that doesn't work for me, or take the laxatives as I don't need them. The MC is more restful than a juice fast. It doesn't give the complete rest of a water fast, but it's an acceptable fast for a short time (i.e. a few weeks).

I still don't THINK it's a good idea, but I can't argue with the results ;-) !!

love it. used it to cure my apparently incurable ibs.
my mom cured herself of cervical cancer with a two week (pulp free) juice fast one time, fruit one week, veg the next and the salt water flush every day. after two weeks she was still passing "matter" so that salt flush really does serve a purpose. perhaps if i had been using the salt i wouldn't have needed a colonic after my fast like i did. boy, did i ever need that colonic. how long food stays in you, it's just incredible!

Coco-

Can you tell me more about the juice fast your mom did for her cervical cancer? My sister-in-law's friend has this, due to (remember Norplant?) a recall on an implantable form of birth control. She was under 18 during the recall and her mom refused to let her get it out - so 5 years later there it still sits in her arm... and she has the cervical cancer everyone got from it.

Of course, now it's past the recall period and she has no insurance, and she can't find a doctor who is willing to take the Norplant out for a no-insurance patient. She doesn't have the cash either, and they want like $5000-$10000 to fix the cervical cancer. I would LOVE to know what your mom did, so maybe I can offer that information to her.

Thanks!!

Angie


Me (30), Joseph (24 mo.) Jeremiah (4 mo.)

We are enjoying spring and being outside!!!

WOW...thanks for all the info/opinions!! So can a person do the lemonade fast without doing the salt water flush? Is the SWF really necessary? It sounds pretty scary!!

Dafodil

angie, perhaps your friend should sue her monster, erm, i mean Mother for the money she needs. geez, what a lovely parent. nice.

i can't tell you much more than i did already. one week on veg juice, one week fruit, every day a salt water flush as described in the master cleanse book followed by an enema. she researched it herself first though so her intention was very clear. i believe this is a neccessary step, your friend should do her own research and develop a course of action that resonates with her and that she believes in. i suggest reading louise hay and byron katie as part of her healing.
good luck to her.

dafodil, if you believe it to be scary it certainly will be! it's only a little salty water, nothing to be afraid of. apparently it passes right through you, that's what it seems to do anyhow.

I decided to do the master cleanse for 7 days in july of 2007 The reason I did this was because over the year prior, even though my diet had improved somewhat from the year before and I was exercising more, I was actually gaining weight, plus I was often constipated, and started having acid reflux. This from what I thought was a pretty healthy vegetarian diet (ha!). I thought it might have something to do with poor digestion / body not handling food very well. So I thought the cleanse might help. I'd read a lot of good things about it, and I've known people who have done it, including my former yoga teacher, who is an older guy who looks incredibly youthful, he does the cleanse once a year for 7 days and highly recommends it.

I was never hungry during the 11 days that I did the cleanse (I did the original 7 days and kept going until it felt right to stop. ), which is not the same thing as saying that I didn't want to eat! we eat for all kinds of reasons besides hunger -- food is interesting, it looks good, it tastes good, its enjoyable, its a social activity, its our routine, we're bored, its fun to prepare, etc. So there were lots of times when I wanted to eat. But when I checked in with my stomach and asked myself "Am I HUNGRY for that?" the answer was always "No". It was very illuminating! I felt like I was really getting in touch with my eating "issues".

Other interesting things about the cleanse. #1) I had tons of energy! All that energy that your body usually spends digesting food is freed up, and since you're getting plenty of calories from the sweetener, you wind up with all this excess. In theory your body uses some of that energy to help detoxify you, but still plenty left. #2) You'd think after not eating solid foods for 5/6/7 days, you wouldn't have anything to @#$%&! But it was amazing how much crap, literally, was coming out of my body.

I did the salt water flush 3 times only, did the laxative tea in the morning and evening instead most days. in my experience the SWF is not scary, just rather nasty tasting...

Anyway, once I completed the cleanse and got ready to start eating again, I felt so "clean" and healthy that I didn't want to put anything junky or unhealthy into my body. I started to read more about raw foods, and it seemed like something to try for a while, to see if it really did what people claimed. and the rest is history, i've been "raw" (with some human moments, to quote someone on this board) since. i lost 10 pounds on the cleanse itself, and started on raw foods right after that so never gained any weight back. i felt FABULOUS during and after the cleanse, it helped me on so many levels. i felt like i was letting go of so much STUFF that i had been holding on to, emotional and physical. the MC marked a real turning point in my life, and i would do it again if i felt drawn to it or had any symptoms of poor intestinal/digestive health.

as a side note, the biggest benefit to me besides helping me discover raw foods was that i was finally (after many years of struggle) able to effortlessly step away from COFFEE. i have not had a cup or even wanted a cup of coffee since july 2007, a real triumph for me!