Page 97 - Time Special Edition Alternative Medicine (January 2020)
P. 97
time, may be beneficial isn’t totally unreasonable. pepper and water), purports to flush undigested
“There is a decent amount of research on fasting. food and built-up waste from the body.
Threads of evidence suggest there may be some ben- Food-based detox diets, which regiment the in-
efits,” says Mary Beth Augustine, a consulting in- take of solid foods and are sometimes accompa-
tegrative nutritionist. Animal studies have shown nied by supplements and laxatives, allegedly ex-
that intermittent fasting slows brain aging and re- punge targeted disease-causing bacteria or cleanse
duces cancer risk. There is also research suggesting particular organs of stored impurities. The draw
that periodic fasting may trigger changes in metab- of colonics, also known as colonic irrigation or
olism that lower the risk of coronary heart disease colonic hydrotherapy, is even more visceral. The
and diabetes. goal of this process, in which up to 15 gallons of
fluid are flushed through the colon by means of a
Is less more? tube inserted in the rectum, is to remove fecal mat-
buT ThaT hardly juSTifieS The SWeep of The ter that has built up in the digestive tract. Backers of
assertions made in best-selling detox books. Many the treatment buy into the theory of “autointoxica-
juice fasts claim to offer weight loss, relief from tion,” which holds that fecal toxins leach back into
bloating, the elimination of unspecified toxins, a the body, causing a range of maladies from fatigue
general boost to the immune system and, in some to allergies.
cases, a reduced risk of cancer and other diseases. It can all sound pretty persuasive. And sure, oth-
One modified juice fast, the Master Cleanse (also erwise healthy individuals may feel less bloated or
known as the “lemonade diet” because it features lose weight on many of these routines. But think
a concoction of lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne about it: these fasts and diets by definition restrict
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