Winding Up a 2-week Detox

I made it through the 2 weeks, drinking 2 protein shakes a day and having a moderate midday meal eating mostly vegetables, all organic and avoiding all caffeine, alcohol, dairy products, soy, grains and processed foods.  It was not as hard as I thought and I found myself enjoying not having to cook and prepare meals.  As an added bonus, my sleep improved tremendously and my energy level increased as well.  I lost a little weight and my stomach is as flat as it was in high school.  Participating in this detox piqued my interest in the subject, and I have been reading about detoxification and the various ways to make this a part of your healthcare regimen.

One of the regimens that I find particularly interesting is the juice fast.  Believe me, this is not your ordinary juice in a bottle or box.  This juice is fresh squeezed daily and comes mainly from vegetables to get away from excess sugar, though some fruits are used.  The reason for a juice fast is to give your gut “a rest” and to allow the body to detoxify from the myriad chemicals and substances that enter your body each day. The fresh juice is packed with micronutrients, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and your gut has to do very little digestion in order to absorb it and make it available for your body for energy, healing, and repair.  The juice also contains macronutrients, protein, fat, complex carbohydrate, and it basically provides complete nutrition with the exception of fiber and fat.  I would recommend replacing essential fatty acids for a fast lasting longer than 30 days.

I watched a movie called Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, about a man who weighed over 300 pounds and had a painful condition that caused recurrent painful boils and rashes which required daily doses of prednisone to control.  He is an Australian who came to America and traveled across our country talking to people while drinking only fresh squeezed juice for 60 days.  He lost over a 100 pounds, got off all his medication, and basically “cured” himself from the painful rashes.  During his journey, he meets a truck driver who weighs over 400 pounds and has the same painful condition requiring daily steroids.  This man also goes on a juice fast and changes his life.  The transformation of these men is nothing short of miraculous and I don’t know of anything in modern medicine that can come close to these results.  Many people are healing and curing themselves from chronic disease using this method.  I would only recommend a prolonged fast of this type under medical supervision.

There are programs that will provide an all-inclusive “detox program” that will provide all of the needed juice, etc.  In house programs, such as Hippocrates in Florida, provide a 1-3-week (or even longer) stay to begin you on a healing journey.  If you suffer from a chronic disease such as diabetes, obesity, any of the autoimmune diseases, and all GI conditions including IBS and inflammatory bowel disease, you might want to look into this with a knowledgeable health care provider. 

As for me, I am planning on a retreat at Hippocrates in the fall.

Movies to see:

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead

Food Matters

Fresh

Food Inc

King Corn

Gasland

9/25/11: [wpvideo 9NQgHNBq]