If you're concerned about accumulated toxins wreaking havoc on your body, you may be tempted to try the Master Cleanse Diet to achieve a better state of overall health. Although the Master Cleanse promises to rid your body of disease causing agents, it may cause you more harm than good. Therefore, speak with your doctor about the detox diet before you use it to lose weight or treat yourself for any disease.
Identification
Developed by naturopathic doctor Stanley Burroughs in 1976, the Master Cleanse diet is a weight loss and health-enhancing program that encourages you to only drink a mixture of cayenne pepper, freshly squeezed lemons, maple syrup and purified water for a period of 10 to 40 days. The diet claims to help you eliminate accumulated toxins in your body, assist in rapid weight loss and eradicate a vast array of other health concerns such as calcium deposits, asthma, hay fever and acne. However, although numerous celebrities including Beyonce have tried and endorsed the Master Cleanse, no scientific evidence exists to support the claims or the safety of the diet.
Phases
The Master Cleanse Diet begins with the "Ease-In" portion of the diet in which you eat only raw fruits and vegetables for 24 hours. Then, on the second day, you drink fresh fruit and vegetable juices, soups or broths. On the third day of the "Ease-In" phase, you drink only freshly prepared orange juice throughout the day and night, says TheMasterCleanse.org. Then, you move on to drinking six to 12 glasses of the lemonade, cayenne pepper, maple syrup and water mixture for 10 to 40 days. During this second phase of the cleanse, you are also encouraged to drink six to 12 glasses of water in addition to drinking the lemonade concoction, says TheMasterCleanse.org. When you are ready to come off of the cleanse, you move onto the "Ease-Out" phase, which is exactly the same as the "Ease-In" phase, but in reverse order.
Considerations
Drinking the lemonade concoctions and water are not the only requirements of the main phase of the Master Cleanse. During the second phase, you are also instructed to either take an herbal laxative daily or make your own sea salt and water "flush" to help you achieve several bowel movements throughout the day, says TheMasterCleanse.org.
Expert Insight
"The Master Cleanse is dangerous to your health," says Dr. Marc Lawrence, a physician nutrition specialist practicing in Los Angeles, California. Lawrence says that the Master Cleanse actually causes toxins to build up in your body by depleting glutathione liver stores, the most abundant detoxifying agent produced by your body, which could cause diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and weakness.
Warning
Speak with your doctor about the benefits and risks associated with the Master Cleanse Diet before you attempt it on your own. You may have a health condition that could worsen while on the diet, have specific nutritional needs that the diet does not address or need to maintain a pre-determined caloric intake that the Master Cleanse cannot provide.
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