New Thoughts on the Master Cleanse by athina Blog entry

Blog: * in pursuit of perfection *
by athina

New Thoughts on the Master Cleanse

...inspired by a journey to Messageboard Land.

Date: 11/29/2006 2:44:00 AM ( 18 y ) ... viewed 2328 times

I've been gone for a few days attempting the "Master Cleanse", spending all my time posting on a message board rather than devoting my thoughts to this dear blog.

Here are some excerpts:

on a theory I heard about hunger pains:

"You know when you work out for the first time after not having exercised at all? You wake up sore the next day, right? Well the stomach is the same thing. You work it out so much, more than needed and when you stop eating it's sore. That 'soreness' is being confused with hunger pains."

on increased sensitive to toxins:

"The more my system cleans out the more sensitive I'm becoming to the habits I'm still holding on to: cigarettes and caffeine. The caffeine level has gone down a lot from two cups of strong coffee to one black tea per day (from 2) cause the last tea I would drink at 6pm would keep me awake all night (and I go to bed after 12am). Even as I drink my tea now (it's a.m. in Europe), I feel myself getting jittery. I'll probably skip it tommorrow. Both the cigarettes and tea are leaving strange bitter tastes in my mouth I didn't notice before. And last night my friend offered me one of her cigarettes, a different stronger brand and the taste was disgusting, which is strange cause I used to smoke her brand and loved them."

on exercise:

"About the exercising...don't quite agree on weight-lifting during the cleanse because it's exhausting in a different way. I also think it's rather pointless because you lift weights to 'rip' the muscles and eat protein to fill the gaps. That's where the concept of being 'ripped' came from. And because the cleanse has no protein I fear it may cause an imbalance. Protein loss from the body has bad effects (i.e. hair loss). Anyhow, that's my opinion, and am always open to others."

on p&b shakes:

"I have read so many logs and what I found particularly intersting is that people passed the 'ropes' ONLY when they consume the P&B (Psyllium & Bentonite sp???) shakes, one day immediately after taking them which is making me think that those 'ropes' are not fecal matter but the residue and waste caused by the P&B shakes themselves!"

on my dreams:

"I was having a dream about having diarrhea, and in my dream I was searching all over the place for a toilet and the only ones available in my dream were ones without stalls, i.e. out in the open! And I would go from place to place, and those were the only toilets I could find. Some toilets were at the mall and people were going like it was nobody's business, but I couldn't!"

on keeping focus in the long run:

"I read on a message board about a guy who did a couple long-term cleanses, then proceeded to rebuild his body afterwards with the 'right' foods. His view on the whole regimen was interesting: the cleanse is akin to 'demolishing an old house except for the plumbing and electrical wires' and the program post-cleanse was about 'rebuilding a better house'. I like to look at it like that as well.

The first period is about breaking down the main walls (fat), the next days are about cleaning up the mess internally (eliminating toxins in the blood), and the last period is about cleaning the gunk around the pipes and electrical wires (our organs and arteries). I'm getting increasingly excited about this process as the days go on. I can't wait till the 'demolition' is done and I can start rebuilding my 'dream house' with the most beautiful foods for a brand new me!"

on Stanley Burroughs:

"Look, anyone can write a book and get it published, especially when that book is under 50 pages, like the "Master Cleanse" by Stanley Burroughs, who was more of a "faith" healer than a naturopath. I've read his book several times (over the past five years), surprised each time with his fanatical, almost religious tone. I've come to the conclusion that the guy was a bit of self-important whacko that had the confidence to 'cure' someone with Leukemia, who ended up dying."

on detox symptoms vs. electrolyte imbalance:

"For those accustomed to 'normal' eating' (as I was) the MC is a drastic step which inevitably throws the body's natural processes out of line. Dizziness IS a symptom of electrolyte imbalance, so is a racing heartbeat, blackouts, etc. - and it's all related to a drastic drop in blood sugar.(...)Equating serious symptoms like these with 'detox', in addition to the medical 'advice' I see being given on this board is kind of irresponsible. Having just read that someone blacked out and thinking nothing of it really concerns me. Additionally, for the people who encourage others to continue cleansing despite so called serious 'detox' symptoms - are you going to be there if that person falls down or has a seizure? Because since the rebirth of 'detox diets' those events occur more often than you think."

on new revelations about the MC:

"The real popularity of the MC (why most people do it, so let's get real here) is not the 'cleansing effect', but that it is the second fastest way to lose weight, next to water fasting. I wouldn't be surprised if it's even faster than water, considering all the purging induced by the SWF. In the end, the MC (and fasting in general) is being equated with fad dieting. Considering how beneficial fasting is, I find this very disconcerting."

***

I decided to stop posting on that board. I also decided to stop the MC, and do a modified juice fast that's now reached day 10. Some posts promoting this more gentle approach were deleted by the over-zealous moderators who I suspect were either: a) making some sort of profit by either selling or promoting the MC; or b) deeply indoctrined in the concept and unable to hear a contrasting opinion. One post deleted advised an overweight woman suffering from electrolyte imbalance to eat a rice/veggie stew for 10 days instead, then try a modified juice fast. I cannot understand why this was deleted, as this regimen is one of the healthiest things an overweight person can do.

It was much too depressing to bear witness to the hordes of desperate women (and some men) trying to lose weight by crash dieting because fasting (at least to me) means much more than that. During my time there I saw about 20 people register, post for 2-3 days, then drop off. Most people's blood sugar caved in the first few days, and rather than suggesting they eat rice soup to slow the detox a bit (in order to regulate blood sugar) they were told to stick out and continue. This could only have been done either out of a quest for profit, or out of ignorance/lack of education (despite any good intentions).

Anyhow, I'm glad I had this experience as I certainly learned a lot, not only about detox/cleansing but about human nature, both physically and psychologically.