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Detox doesn't have to be a shock

By Brigid Delaney
August 7, 2003

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Hedonism costs. They don't tell you that when you are 21 and throwing back vodka tonics, taking recreational drugs, smoking cigarettes and eating kebabs at 2am.

When it all catches up with you the results can be frightening - weight gain, a sluggish metabolism, skin problems and fatigue.

Faced with this, the thought of a quick-fix "detox" diet is an appealing one. There are many products on the markets that promise to "clean out" your system in two weeks, give you more energy and improve the function of the kidneys, liver, bowel and stomach. They usually combine an eating and exercise plan with herbal supplements.

Developed along the same lines, but more radical, are "fasting camps" that offer colonic irrigation and herbal supplements, usually over a period of a week.

The more moderate Dr Sandra Cabot's Liver Cleansing Diet has been popular since its release onto the market in 1997. It focuses on improving liver health, claiming that this can lead to increased energy and weight loss.

Some people formulate their own detox programs and go cold turkey, eliminating caffeine, alcohol, meat, dairy, sugar and processed foods in the hope that temporary deprivation will lead to better health.

Sydney naturopath Karen Bridgeman says: "The idea of a detox is to reduce the foods and environmental [factors] that may be contributing to the storage of chemicals and toxins, to give the body a bit of rest from chemicals and to speed up the liver's ability to process the chemicals properly."

Bridgeman says the process of detoxification allows the liver to convert fat solubles stored in our cells into water-soluble substances that can easily be excreted.

"Once things become fat soluble they are very hard to break down," she says.

Bridgeman warns against radical detox programs.

"I think you can do a detox well and badly," she says. "I tend to be in the camp that does these things slowly. With the level of chemical residues in our system, if people embark on a fast where they only drink water, they can often make themselves very sick. Loss of energy and nausea can often mean the chemicals are being released too quickly."

Bridgeman advises "doing it more slowly with juices and herbs that support the liver, such as dandelion, St Marys thistle, Globe artichokes and tumeric".

A scan of pharmacy shelves reveals a range of products available for those wanting to embark on a home detox program.

One such product is Quick Cleanse, a 15-day program that includes a meal and exercise plan and herbal supplements to be taken at regular intervals over the day.

The program recommends that you avoid meat, animal products, caffeine, alcohol, sugar and processed foods while eating more fruit and vegetables, whole grains and a small portion of fish every second day.

The reward, says the instructions, is "to get your digestive system back on track".

The spokeswoman for manufacturer Totally Natural Products, Karina Lamelas, says: "It addresses poor digestion, heartburn and reflux among other things, but also it encourages people to make changes on a long-term basis to their diet."

But could all this "detoxing" actually be bad for our health and our wallets?

Dr Richard Gordon, a general practitioner based on the North Shore, says: "Detoxing your system is wishful thinking at best. That you can cleanse your system is a complete fiction.

"You can damage your liver by taking drugs and you can stop taking drugs to stop the damage - but you can't clean your liver."

Gordon's advice is to examine your diet and "see if there is anything in your diet that causes harm to yourself - if there is, get rid of it".

"Some people go stupid and start living on grass and leaves. You can become deficient in certain types of fats that are important in our diets. People get the idea that these herbs are put in the world to make us feel better. But herbs couldn't give a stuff about us."

Gordon also warned against home "detox kits".

"If I were to suggest a radical change in diet it would only come after taking a detailed medical history of the patient. Things such as a women's menstrual cycle can cause tiredness and fatigue, rather than a matter of eating certain foods," Gordon says.

Sydney naturopath Katrina Clark also advises caution. "I have a concern over the word detoxification. It gives the wrong impression that people are full of toxins and that it is possible to purge those toxins. I don't think this is biochemically correct."

In some cases, Clark believes a detox can cause more harm than good - "a detoxification program can actually cause harm, as metabolic enzymes need specific nutrients to work well".

Clark agrees that cutting back on sugars, processed foods, caffeine and alcohol is a good thing, but it is best to consult a health care professional before embarking on a program.

"People are used to eating a certain way. If they cut out foods, sometimes people don't know what to replace them with. For instance, how to prepare certain grains."

Cut back on alcohol, caffeine and processed foods and our bodies will thank us, agree the health professionals.

But a radical detox could leave us feeling worse than before we started.

Quitting the junk for a fortnight

To say that doing a home detox was a shock to my body is an understatement.

Normally, quality time was usually spent at the pub, eating red meat, or drinking coffee, but for 15 days I would forego all alcohol, processed foods, coffee, animal products and sugar.

Since I was sick of hangovers, cravings and a general feeling of unhealthiness, I decided the only way to clean up my act was to go cold turkey.

In retrospect, this was a mistake.

In the first week I was like a character from Trainspotting getting off the junk - but instead of being locked in a room, I was trying to follow my usual routine.

I had the shakes, the sweats, nausea and extreme fatigue.

On my second day of detox I went to bed at 5pm, so great was my exhaustion. Then there were the mood swings, the coffee cravings and the lack of joy when confronting yet another plate of vegetables.

But by day nine things started to improve. My skin looked better than it had in years and I felt I had more energy. I stopped craving fatty foods and I didn't even miss alcohol . . .

My undoing came at a birthday party after 14 days of clean living.

Red wine, roast duck, chocolate crackles. I had them all. Sadly, I ended my detox feeling much worse than I had when I began.

Brigid Delaney



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