"What we become depends on what we read after all the professors have finished with us. The greatest university of all is a collection of books."
Thomas Carlyle, Scottish historian and author, 1795 - 1881

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1. Nursing and the MC
2. Laxative tea and the salt water flush
3. Impetigo
4. Very overweight people and the MC
5. Raw food diet
6. Molasses instead of maple syrup
7. Caffeine and headaches

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1. Nursing and the MC

Q: I am on day 3 of the mc and I just read your post re: not doing it while you are nursing. I have a 2 year old who only nurses at night and otherwise eats food. She hasn't been noticeably affected as of yet by the mc. Any recommendations?

A: I recommend pregnant or nursing mothers not do the Master Cleanse because I believe in being safe, rather than sorry. I do not actually know of any infants that have been harmed because their mothers did the MC. However, the Master Cleanse is a very powerful form of detoxification diet and the idea of eliminating toxins into the infant just doesn't seem like a risk that is worth taking. I recommend ending the Master Cleanse until your child is no longer nursing.

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"There is one outstandingly important fact regarding Spaceship Earth, and that is that no instruction book came with it."
Buckminster Fuller (1895 – 1983), American visionary & architect, most famous for inventing the geodesic dome

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2. Laxative tea and the salt water flush

Q: I started the MC today, but I didn't know about any tea or SWF. Are they a must or can I go with the lemonade only?

A: If you want great results, do the MC just as Stanley Burroughs laid it out. (His regimen is repeated in my book, too.) From your question, I recommend you get a book and read it. There are good reasons for the tea and flush and once you understand, you'll find it easier to do it.

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3. Impetigo

Q: Have you ever heard of detox symptoms resembling impetigo? I'm on Day 5 of my second MC and have a dime-sized patch of what looks like impetigo. I never saw this on my last MC. I put Neosporin on it and plan to get some goldenseal and tea tree oil to apply topically. Any thoughts? Should I be concerned?

A: Skin rashes are not uncommon on the Master Cleanse. After all, the skin is the largest elimination organ of the body. Frequently, detox symptoms are a reoccurence of previous problems. Detox symptoms usually lessen with the next morning's eliminations. You can read more about detox symptoms in my book, "Lose Weight, Have More Energy & Be Happier in 10 Days."

Since I'm not a licensed health care practitioner nor do I have your history and tests, I can't determine your individual situation. You will have to decide or seek help from a licensed health care practitioner.

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4. Very overweight people and the MC

Q: I finished a 10 day cleanse and it went great! Now, my sister wants to do it, but she is over 200lbs and 5'5", so I told her to eat a raw vegan diet first. Right?

A: Your sister could try the Master Cleanse, but if she has any detox symptoms that don't diminish in a couple days, she should switch to the raw vegan diet first. The key is whether she has enough nutritional reserves to neutralize the acidic wastes. Many extremely overweight people don't have those reserves.

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5. Raw food diet

Q: Do you eat all the veggies, fruit, nuts and seeds you want or do you limit the nuts, etc?

A: I eat all the raw fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds I want. Although, I do vary my greens and nuts. When I first went 100% raw, I only ate spinach for greens and almonds for nuts. After about two or three years, I developed lots of kidney stones. My nutritional doctor did a hair test and discovered I had way too much calcium and not enough magnesium. Guess which foods are highest in calcium? spinach and almonds!! After switching my diet, all my problems disappeared. Then I read Victoria Boutenko's book "Green for Life," which also said you must vary your greens.

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6. Molasses instead of maple syrup

Q: I was wondering if it's okay to use molasses instead of maple syrup? I don't think I am diabetic, but I wouldn't know because I never go to the doctor. This is my sixth cleanse in the last 2 and a half yrs, and the hardest for some reason. I'm already having dreams of cheating and I've never cheated on any of my other cleanses.

A: Sure, you can use molasses. Stanley Burroughs says diabetics can substitute molasses for maple syrup while checking their blood sugar daily. That section used to be in the Master Cleanser booklet, but was removed. It's still in his "Healing for the Age of Enlightenment" book.

However, the maple syrup may not be the reason you're having such a hard time on your sixth cleanse. It might be that you've used up a lot of your alkaline minerals neutralizing the acidic toxins you eliminated on your previous cleanses and need to build up your reserves again. I recommend a raw vegan diet and green smoothies to do that. Read Victoria's new book, "Green for Life."

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7. Caffeine and headaches

Q: I am trying to get off caffeine, but get such horrible headaches from withdrawals. I know I am not supposed to have caffeine during the Master Cleanse, but what can I do? The headaches are not just a nuisance, they are like migraines when I stop caffeine, or even cut back too much. I still want to do the cleanse, so how do I handle this? Can I use the time I am on the cleanse to cut back and eventually be off it for good, or do I have to wait until I taper off completely before it?

A: Stanley Burroughs says the MC is a great time to get rid of addictions, such as caffeine. This is due to the enhanced elimination of toxins from the laxative tea and salt water flush. Several people have had great benefits from doing this. However, you do have to prepare yourself for up to four days of headaches. (That's the most I've heard of.)

Yours in health,
Peter Glickman