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DETOX: Harmful Or Helpful?
How can I hurt myself by detox?
* You can upset your electrolyte balance. Electrolytes are minerals like sodium and potassium that are dissolved in the blood and other body fluids. They must be present in very specific amounts and exact ratios for proper functioning of nerves and muscles, including the heart muscle.
* Detox can upset this balance by flushing essential minerals out of the body, resulting in muscle cramps, tremors, spasms, irregular heartbeat, and in some cases cardiac arrest. The heart stops, and unless the person receives immediate emergency medical treatment, s/he dies.
* Detox can remove needed fluid from the body. The resulting dehydration can lead to tremors, weakness, blurry vision, fainting spells, kidney damage, and in some cases death. Severe dehydration requires medical treatment. Drinking fluid may not hydrate cells and tissues quickly enough to prevent organ damage or death.
* Detox laxatives irritate intestinal nerve endings, which in turn stimulate muscle contractions that move the irritant through the gut and out of the body. After a while the nerve endings no longer respond to stimulation. The person must now take greater and greater amounts of laxatives to produce bowel movements. S/he has become laxative dependent and without artificial stimulation may not have any bowel movements at all.
* Detox lax strips away protective mucus that lines the colon, leaving it vulnerable to infection.
* Detox enemas can stretch the colon, which over time becomes a limp sack with no muscle tone. No longer can it generate the muscle contractions necessary to move fecal matter out of the body.
* Detox abusers seem to have more trouble with the following problems than do non-detoxers: irritable bowel syndrome (rectal pain, gas, and episodes of constipation and diarrhea) and bowel tumors (both benign and cancerous).
How much? If you drink enough fluid so that you rarely feel thirsty and produce between one and two liters of colorless or slightly yellow urine a day, your fluid intake is probably adequate.
Why don't detox laxatives work?
Because detox laxatives work usually to empty the large intestine but the majority of calories, nutrients and fats are absorbed by the small intestine. What the detox laxative does is act as a diuretic and create the risk for dehydration and water loss, which gives the ILLUSION of weight loss. This is seriously harmful for your health! This can lead to insomnia, restlessness, severe headaches, heart palpitations, weakened bones, and other serious health issues.
Detox diuretics are similar to detox laxatives in that the person *thinks* they are losing weight, when indeed all they are losing is vital fluids. Detox diuretics not only elevate your heart rate leading to heart arrythmias and dizziness, but the dehydration that follows leads to kidney and other organ damage.
# An extreme cutback in calories for more than a day or two scares the body and sends it into survival mode. The body will work to conserve energy and slow down metabolism.
# In most cases, the lost weight is just water weight that will be regained after the detox program has ended.
# Some detox diets include herbal supplements that could contain laxatives. Dieters may feel lighter but they haven't lost fat. Overuse of laxatives can lead to dehydration and other medical problems.
# While some fasters claim to experience a feeling of euphoria, the feeling may be due to the fact that they've stopped eating a lot of unhealthy food or feel good that they have lost some weight and gotten control of their eating. They could even be experiencing the light-headedness associated with low blood sugar.
# Fasting while taking certain medications can be dangerous, and it's certainly not advisable to go off prescribed medications without first talking to your physician.
Some helpful tips for anyone who is considering doing some extreme bodily spring cleaning:
# Dump junk food and fast food.
# Eat vegetables (any kind) at least two times a day.
# Have one or two fresh whole fruits every day.
# Choose only lean and low fat sources of protein, such as fish and chicken. Go organic if you can find it and can afford it.
# Try to buy organic produce from local farmers, if available.
# Drink plenty of fluids, including water and teas.
# Include unsalted nuts several times a week.
# Add more fiber to your diet by adding beans (kidney, chick pea, white beans, split peas etc.) to salads, soups and pasta dishes.
# Choose whole wheat, oats and whole grains nine times out of 10. Examples: whole wheat bread, whole grain pasta, oatmeal and multigrain cereals.
# Add walnuts, avocado, tofu, edamame (green soybeans) and canola oil to your meals several times a week.
# Limit alcohol intake. |
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